(Jamaica Observer) Former West Indies captain Christopher Gayle has been recommended as captain of Jamaica’s team which includes two newcomers Jermaine Blackwood and Kenardo Lewis in a 14-man squad for the Regional Super50 cricket tournament which starts on October 19.
Informed sources revealed to the Observer that Gayle was recommended and is awaiting ratification from the cricket board to skipper the team once again.
However, Courtney Daley, chairman of the selection committee, was tightlipped about the naming of the captain following the announcement of the squad of which Gayle is apart.
“In terms of naming a captain it has to be ratified by the board, so we can’t say anything about that. But we have recommended (a captain),” said Daley.
Meanwhile, West Indies players Andre Russell and Danza Hyatt will join the team in Guyana and will replace two players who will return to Jamaica.
Top batsman Marlon Samuels and Carlton Baugh won’t be available, as they will be away on West Indies Test duties in Bangladesh.
Former Jamaica and West Indies star batsman Blackwood, 19, was given the nod, but the inclusion of 20-year-old Lewis might have surprised many.
Gayle will be joined by Shawn Findlay, Tamar Lambert, Chadrick Walton, Nikita Miller, Yannick Elliott, Odean Brown, Andrew Richardson, Jerome Taylor, Kristmar Santokie, Xavier Marshall and Simon Jackson.
Coach Junior Bennett thinks this squad is a balanced one capable of ending a four-year drought and lift the title.
“This is a balanced team when you look at it and we took into consideration the venue in Guyana and the state of the pitches and the team was picked according to that,” said Bennett.
“It is also good to see a few young players emerging like Blackwood and Lewis, and we hope they come and make good use of the opportunity,” he added.
Jamaica, which has not won this version of the tournament since 2007, had their third and last practice match yesterday.
“It was a good one but players have been getting starts and didn’t really carry on so that is something we have to look at and work on. You need someone, especially 50 overs game to bat through and ensure that you get a good total,” said Bennett.
“We would have hoped for more practice games, but that is what the programme could carry at the moment, so we have to work with that.
“I have always said we don’t do well in the shorter version of the game, but we intend to improve on that. Once we play to the best of our abilities we will be very competitive,” he noted.
The Jamaicans which will have another training session tomorrow, will leave for Guyana on October 17 and are scheduled to play the Leeward Islands on October 20.
Jamaica are drawn in Group B alongside the Leewards, Trinidad and Tobago and the Combined Campuses and Colleges.
Group A will be contested by Barbados, Windward Islands, Guyana and Sagicor High Performance Centre (HPC).
