by EZRA STUART

in Guyana

BARBADOS' COACH Vasbert Drakes has pointed to inconsistent batting for the team's failure to reach tomorrow's final of the WICB President's Cup One-Day cricket tournament.

The Bajans narrowly lost Monday's day-night semi-final to Trinidad and Tobago at the Guyana National Stadium but Drakes said the defeat had nothing to do with the omission of fiery fast bowlers Kemar Roach and Tino Best.

Barbados opted for an extra batsman with Kevin Stoute, who made a career-best 186 in his last knock on Guyana soil earlier this year, coming in to bat at No. 8 with only two overs left in the innings.

Leg-spinner Nikolai Charles was also belatedly selected for his first game of this year's regional One-Day tournament, even though it was generally felt that the low and slow pitches in Guyana would suit his bowling.

"These guys, Kemar and Tino came here and pretty much struggled with their lengths on those wickets. I think [of] the guys that replaced them, [Khalid] Springer, he was the pick of the bowlers," Drakes said in an interview with the Line And Length Network after the game.

Springer, who had replaced teenaged opener Rashidi Boucher after the opening match against the West Indies Under-19s, took one for 31 and Charles captured two for 37 in their ten overs in the two-wicket loss to arch rivals Trinidad and Tobago, who reached a victory target of 230 with four balls to spare.

"Obviously, we covered our base in the batting department," he added in reference to the lack of consistency by the Bajan batsmen throughout the tournament.

Not a single batsman managed a half-century as Barbados scored 177 for eight in 38.4 overs versus the West Indies Under-19s; 231-9 in 49 overs against Guyana and 229 in 49.5 overs versus Trinidad and Tobago.

Opener Martin Nurse returned scores of 40, 0 and 46; captain Ryan Hinds - 23, 31 and 44; Kirk Edwards - 32, 32 and 41; Alcindo Holder - 6, 8 and 23; Jonathan Carter - 0, 24 and 27; Dwayne Smith - 6, 1 and 3; keeper Carlo Morris - 23, 5 and 21; and Boucher - 2, in his only match.

Bowlers Sulieman Benn - 27 not out, 36 and 0 and Springer - 35 and 6 not out - showed their worth with the bat, adding a face-saving 82 runs for the eighth-wicket against Guyana after Barbados had slumped to 120 for seven.

"I think the selection and the balance of the side was right," he said noting that the innings stalled in the middle overs.

After scoring at just under five runs an over in the first 15 overs, Barbados only eked out 33 runs in the next 13 overs, despite the promotion of the big-hitting Alcindo Holder to No. 3 as left-arm spinner Dave Mohammed and Dwayne Bravo stemmed the flow of runs.

"I think we were short about ten, 20 runs. In the first 15 overs, were 72 without loss and then from there, the 18 to the 25th over, we probably didn't score enough runs in those middle overs and obviously, it cost us in the end," Drakes said.

Drakes said the team would return home and regroup as a unit and work on the weak areas.

"We are going to look back and see the areas that we have to improve on. Batting is still obviously a bit of a concern," he said.