The secret of Barbados’ success in regional cricket competition over the last two years has come about because of a new and improved attitude, says team manager Hartley Reid.
Barbados won the Regional Four-Day Championship in 2013 and 2014 and were the inaugural winners of the 2014 Nagico 50-Over Super Cup with Reid, a retired police officer, managing the side.
“When I became manager in 2013, I told the cricketers that there was no difference between them and the ability of the other regional cricketers. The only difference is attitude,” Reid told MIDWEEK SPORT.
Reid said when he was president of the West Indies Cricket Umpires Association it was reported to him that the worst behaved cricketers in the regional competition were Barbadians.
“I told them that attitude would not be tolerated under my management.
“Umpires’ decisions must be respected and our profile on the field must improve.”
He said the decision by the Barbados Cricket Association (BCA) to include trainer Shannon Lashley on the team’s overseas assignments, also made a lot of difference.
“The players took this message to heart and and fitness became a priority . . . What became obvious was that the fitter they got, the better they performed,” Reid noted.
“As manager I was pleased with the overall success of the team.
“But I must single out the individual performance in the 2013 championship of Ashley Nurse and Miguel Cummins in their first full season,” Reid recalled with some satisfaction.
Nurse took 45 wickets in eight matches at a strike rate of 29.2 while Cummins’ strike rate of 24.8 was even better with 35 scalps in eight matches.
The Super Cup success was a total team performance.
The team was balanced and each player supported each other and new captain Kevin Stoute.
“The pleasing moment in the 2014 success was seeing Nurse, Carlos Brathwaite and Shane Dowrich compiling their maiden first class tons,” Reid said.
The leadership of young captain Kraigg Brathwaite and the work ethic of Sulieman Benn and Nurse was noteworthy.
Benn bowled a whopping 261.5 overs in seven matches and bagged 37 wickets while Nurse took 32 wickets from 215 overs.
“I am quietly confident we will retain the championship because our renewed attititude will continue. Training has been intense under our new trainer Alex Forde,” a confident Reid said ahead of the rain-ruined first-round match against Trinidad and Tobago in the rebranded Professional Cricket League first-class championship.
