CUL DE SAC--The Leeward Islands Cricket Association (LICA) three-day tournament bowls-off at two venues around the Northeastern Caribbean today.
At the Caribe Lumber Ballpark, St. Maarten is set to take on Anguilla, and in Antigua the home team will do battle against Montserrat. All the matches begin at 10:00am.
St. Maarten, led by Kenroy David for the first time, will continue the neighbourly rivalry with Anguilla. Of interest for the home team is the inclusion of two youngsters in Michael Lewis and Mrinal Wadhwa.
Lewis was a member of the Leeward Islands U15 squad which played in the regional U15 tournament in Jamaica last year, while Wadhwa represented the Leeward Islands in both the U17 in Trinidad and U19 in Guyana this year.
Lewis is a dashing opening batsman who could make his debut as an opening batsman. During the two practice matches, Lewis showed great concentration and application while batting.
Wadhwa, on the other hand, is picked mainly for his leg-breaks although his batting has been improving drastically, which could soon promote him to all-rounder status. Wadhwa hit a well-compiled 64 in the last practice match.
St. Maarten's team batting abilities will be thoroughly examined in this match. Former Captain Romain Doodnauth is expected to lead the batting department while Sherwin Peters, Moreland Le Blanc, Akeem Charles and Anil Persaud complete the list of specialist batsmen. The all-rounders are David, vice-captain Colin Hamer and Lerry Baptiste. Left-arm seamer Marlon Brutus is the new ball bowler and left-arm spinner Daryl Doram are two bowlers looking to make a mark in the bowling departments. The two wicket-keepers are Damian Williams and Damien Beckford.
Baptiste with a blistering 103-not-out and Doodnauth with 88 were very purposeful in the last practice match. These two players' aggressive batting could change the course of the match with their flashing blades. The other specialist batsmen have all looked comfortable at the crease, but shot selections rather than good bowling has been the downfall of most of the batsmen.
Of concern for the management team is the out-of-form and the lack of confidence of Le Blanc. He may be the only batsman without a significant score going into this match. His batting skills are important to the team batting well in this match because of his patience and determination to bat very long.
Anguilla is the defending LICA three-day champion. Look out for a professional and well-organized team; with all the players available except Chesney Hughes, the Anguillians are at full strength for this match. Lyndell Richardson and Montcin Hodge are key batsmen in the team, although, neither has enjoyed any significant success on St. Maarten while playing for a local team or for their national teams.
Look out for Kacey Carty from St. Maarten who will be on the opposite side of the fence in this match. He was the best batsman in regional U19 tournament which was held in Guyana. The home team will be severely tested by left arm spinner Yannick Leonard who is the best bowler of the team.
St. Maarten's home ground advantage, which has a strong crowd support and knowledge of the playing conditions, should make it a comfort zone for the players.
