Thursday, March 28, 2024

Barbados still the yardstick

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Barbados is still the measuring stick for judging performances by regional cricketers.

That’s why Jamaica’s captain Tamar Lambert is disappointed at not being able to get into the middle for another showdown with the most successful team in regional cricket history.

Persistent rain in Barbados over the past two days has resulted in not a ball being bowled on the scheduled first two days of the second-round match in the rebranded Professional Cricket League (PCL) 4-Day Regional first-class championship.

“We always look forward to playing against Barbados. They are a tough opposition. They are the four-day champions. Once you perform well against Barbados, I think that goes well for yourself and you have West Indies’ selectors here looking on,” Lambert told SUNSPORT in an interview at the Windward Club in St Philip, the venue for the match.

Jamaica narrowly won their opening match against the Windward Islands at Sabina Park, but Lambert noted that with the two-round format, there is still a long way to go.

“Yes, I am disappointed that we haven’t been playing any cricket but I don’t think it is really a big setback. The competition is a long one. We always like to play cricket but we can’t really do anything about it,” he said.

“We just got to try and prepare ourselves that whatever time we get some play, we just go out there and play some cricket. We still have tomorrow [today] and Monday and hopefully we can get some play,” he added.

Lambert, who led Jamaica to five straight regional first-class titles between 2008 and 2012, said the new PCL, where the regional cricketers are paid a monthly salary by their franchise, while the international players are hired on a “play for play” basis, is a very good thing for West Indies cricket.

“I think all the Test nations around the world have this kind of set-up. We have to give it time, maybe in another two, three years, we will see the benefit of it.

“This professional set-up can only go well for West Indies cricket because people will have time to really go out there and think solely on just preparing themselves to play cricket, knowing that at the end of the month, that they will be getting paid by just playing cricket.

“It is a good thing and hopefully, it works for us,” he added.

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