Home Sports PCL: Jaguars, Pride in mega clash from Thursday

PCL: Jaguars, Pride in mega clash from Thursday

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The Caribbean game’s oldest rivalry between Barbados Pride and Guyana Jaguars will be the headline act in the second round of the 2019-20 West Indies Championship, starting on Thursday.

Pride have been the bridesmaids in each of the five successive title seasons for the Jaguars in the Professional Cricket League era of the Championship – and this contest at Kensington Oval could have big implications for both sides and other teams too, for the remainder of the tournament.

A feisty battle is expected at Sabina Park between Jamaica Scorpions and Windward Islands Volcanoes, two teams which came out of the first round of matches with their confidence soaring.

And, Trinidad & Tobago Red Force face Leeward Islands Hurricanes at the Brian Lara Cricket Academy with both teams looking to take a step forward after disappointing outcomes in the first round.

Pride vs Jaguars in Bridgetown, Barbados

Jaguars enter the match in a good place, after their 10-wicket win in the first round against the Hurricanes.

Pride once again made a shaky start to a Championship season, when they were defeated by Volcanoes in a tense contest.

Jaguars currently hold the edge over Pride in the PCL era of the Championship, winning half of the 10 matches the two sides have played during the period.

It includes this corresponding fixture last season, which was memorable for Jaguars, having faced down a powerful Pride line-up that included no less than seven West Indies Test players.

Jaguars piled up a huge first innings total of 548, bowled Pride out for 360 in reply, forcing them to follow on before they completed a nervy six-wicket victory, after chasing a modest target of 45.

This time, Jaguars have to contend with five Test players, with Kemar Roach being one of two changes to the Pride squad for the match.

At least, five players, if selected, could hit personal career landmarks during the contest:

  • Pride captain and West Indies opener Kraigg Brathwaite has scored 3,968 Championship runs and needs 32 more for 4,000
  • Jaguars and West Indies leg-spinner Devendra Bishoo has taken 241 Championship wickets and needs nine more for 250
  • Pride all-rounder Justin Greaves has taken 46 Championship wickets and needs four more for 50
  • His fellow Empire club and Pride all-rounder Kevin Stoute has taken 142 Championship wickets and needs eight more for 150
  • Pride and West Indies left-arm spinner Jomel Warrican has taken 191 Championship wickets and needs 9 more for 200.

Squads:

PRIDE: Kraigg Brathwaite (Captain), Shamarh Brooks, Jonathan Carter, Shane Dowrich, Justin Greaves, Keon Harding, Chemar Holder, Kyle Mayers, Shayne Moseley, Ashley Nurse, Kemar Roach, Kevin Stoute, Jomel Warrican

IN–Roach, Stoute; OUT–Dominic Drakes, Tevyn Walcott

JAGUARS: Leon Johnson (Captain), Christopher Barnwell, Devendra Bishoo, Anthony Bramble, Tagenarine Chanderpaul, Chanderpaul Hemraj, Tevin Imlach, Keon Joseph, Veerasammy Permaul, Raymon Reifer, Kevin Sinclair, Vishaul Singh, Nial Smith

Unchanged

UMPIRES: Christopher Taylor (Jamaica), Danesh Ramdhanie (Trinidad & Tobago)

MATCH REFEREE: Stephen Proverbs

RESERVE UMPIRE: Troy Rudor

Scorpions vs Volcanoes in Kingston, Jamaica

Resolute batting in the second innings, led by former captain Paul Palmer Jr with his second first-class hundred, allowed the Scorpions to escape from their first-round contest against Red Force with a draw.

Volcanoes turned back the challenge of Pride, a side that has dominated them in the Championship over the past five years, to win their opening round game by three wickets, so will enter this contest supremely confident.

All 10 previous matches between the two sides in the Championship have ended with a winner, so it is likely that one of the two teams will walk away with their confidence even higher.

Scorpions have won six of the past 10 matches and have defended their home turf extremely well, winning four out of five at Sabina Park.

There is a chance of a personal milestone for Volcanoes off-spinner Shane Shillingford. He needs six wickets for 100 against Scorpions.

Squads:

SCORPIONS: John Campbell (Captain), Jermaine Blackwood, Paul Palmer Jr, Assad Fudadin, Nicholson Gordon, Derval Green, Patrick Harty Jr, Jamie Merchant, Marquino Mindley, Denis Smith, Aldaine Thomas, Oraine Williams

IN–Bonner, Merchant, O. Williams; OUT–Dennis Bulli, Rovman Powell, Alwyn Williams

VOLCANOES: Sunil Ambris (Captain), Kavem Hodge, Alick Athanaze, Keron Cottoy, Kirk Edwards, Ray Jordan, Shermon Lewis, Desron Maloney, Preston McSween, Devon Smith, Shane Shillingford, Emmanuel Stewart, Josh Thomas

IN–Ambris; OUT–Bhaskar Yadram

UMPIRES: Christopher Wright, Carl Tuckett (Nevis)

MATCH REFEREE: Denovan Hayles

RESERVE UMPIRE: Colin Bryan

Top batsmen and bowlers after round one

Red Force vs Hurricanes in Tarouba, Trinidad

Red Force let things slip against Scorpions and had to settle for a draw in the first round.

At the same, Hurricanes were let down by both their batsmen and bowlers and slumped to a defeat by the Jaguars.

Against this backdrop, both teams will be looking to pick up the pieces and turn their fortunes around in this contest.

Red Force hold the edge 5-3 in the 10 matches between the two sides in the PCL era, but Hurricanes will fondly remember the corresponding fixture last season, which they won by 245 runs.

This match, however, will be a showdown between two of the West Indies’ most gifted batting talents of the last decade, who have found themselves out of the reckoning during the past year.

For left-handers Darren Bravo, the Red Force captain, and Kieran Powell, the flamboyant Hurricanes opener, this season is about stamping their authority once again and regaining the confidence of the senior West Indies selection panel.

Bravo got a half-century in his side’s big first innings total against Scorpions in the first round, and Powell missed out on only his second Championship hundred by one run in the Hurricanes second innings against the Jaguars.

Both batsmen will want to build on these green shoots and inspire confidence in their sides during the remainder of the Championship.

There is also a possibility of a personal career landmark in this match: Jamaica-born Damion Jacobs, the Hurricanes leg-spinner, has taken 191 Championship wickets and needs nine more for 200.

Jacobs’ haul includes 163 scalps at 22.51 apiece in 39 matches for Scorpions before he was picked up by the Hurricanes in the PCL Draft last season.

Squads:

RED FORCE: Dar­ren Bra­vo (Captain), Yan­nic Cari­ah, Bryan Charles, Joshua da Sil­va, Ter­rance Hinds, Akeal Ho­sein, Jason Mohammed, Uth­man Muhammed, Yannick Ottley, Kea­gan Sim­mons, Je­re­my Solozano, Odean Smith

IN–J. Mohammed, Magram; OUT–Kyle Hope, Isa­iah Rajah

HURRICANES: Jahmar Hamilton (Captain), Colin Archibald, Sheeno Berridge, Quinton Boatswain, Keacy Carty, Montcin Hodge, Damion Jacobs, Amir Jangoo, Jaison Peters, Kieran Powell, Jacques Taylor, Devon Thomas

IN–Joseph; OUT–Nino Henry

UMPIRES: Zahid Bassarath, Verdayne Smith (Jamaica)

MATCH REFEREE: Hayden Bruce

RESERVE UMPIRE: Kellman Kowlessar

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