Looking down the barrel of a gun

By Orville Higgins

After four rounds of matches in the Regional Four-day Tournament, the Jamaicans have found themselves in the unenviable position of fourth position. A distant fourth. Barbados are on 65 points, followed by Windward Islands at 62, Trinidad and Tobago on 56, and Jamaica on 41. The team plays Trinidad and Tobago this weekend and a poor showing here could end our semi-final hopes.

All this didn't look likely when we started off so brilliantly with back-to-back wins, but the team lost successive games at Sabina Park for the first time in many moons and now we are struggling. Jamaica's batting has let them down, and they could well do with the services of Shacoya Thomas, who is the competition's leading scorer at the moment with 445 at an average of 55.62. For all his promising start, John Campbell is averaging only 31.87. That's reasonable for a youngster in his first season, but after a fifty and a hundred in his opening two games, it must be disappointing that he has failed every time since. He is stroking the ball well. Another good innings might just be around the corner.

The selectors opted for Horace Miller to start the season. It didn't pay off. Six innings and an average of 20.3 doesn't look all that great, and when you add his three innings in the one-day tournament, where he didn't get a fifty, the selectors were left with no choice but to move on.

John-Ross Campbell has played in only one game, and deserves at least another couple of opportunities. The 31 in his first innings back was exciting, but he got out a little carelessly after appearing to be well set. Nkrumah Bonner and Jermaine Blackwood have similar stories. Bonner is averaging a respectable 36.37 and has clearly taken upon himself the mantra to bat time. One hopes that he converts some of those starts into truly special innings. Blackwood at times has also tried to be more selective in his stroke play. He falls prey to being overly aggressive. That said, an average of 34 is OK, but he must look to improve.

recent performances

Tamar Lambert's form must be of concern. In eight innings, he has scored only 107 runs at an average of 15.28. Captains need to lead from the front, and Tamar must now be feeling the heat. His place in this team was solid when he was scoring better and the team was winning. He was seen as a skipper with a great tactical feel for the game, and one of the main causes behind Jamaica's winning streak.

Times are a-changing, though. I have heard people close to the game questioning a few of his tactical decisions this year. This team is no longer the almost unstoppable force it was two years ago, and a captain not making runs on a team that's losing spells trouble. If Jamaica doesn't make it to the semis, and if Lambert continues to struggle, the raw truth is that, for the first time in years, his place may well be up for grabs.

To put things into perspective, Jamie Merchant, who was dropped for the Trinidad game, is averaging 18.16 in the tournament after seven innings. That's more than his skipper. You can't read the riot act to batsmen as well as a skipper if you yourself are having a hard time than they are.

Carlton Baugh Jr has batted well and continues to pull his weight as a senior pro. Bernard is averaging only 27 with the bat and has looked merely OK with the ball. For years now, Bernard's spot has been cast in concrete, but like his captain Lambert, he isn't doing enough. He can be a handful, especially with the ball when he is on song, but Bernard must accept that, as a senior man, he has to be outperforming his junior players.

In the bowling department, Miller is having an off season so far. Ten wickets in three games at 39 apiece is not what we expect from him, but he gets a pass because of his phenomenal record. The team has missed Odean Brown and Andrew Richardson, two bowlers who always ask questions of opposing batsmen. Both are in the twilight of their careers and it is unlikely they will ever be the same force, and the selectors have done the right thing in keeping possible options open.

Jerome Taylor started well but looked relatively ineffective in the last two games. Let's hope he can kick on for the upcoming games. Jamaica's cricket is going through a serious transition and the selectors, in the next few months, will have some hard decisions to make.

Orville Higgins is a sportscaster with KLAS ESPN Sports Radio. Email feedback to columns@gleanerjm.com.