A lack of team unity and the need for more national Twenty20 competitions were some of the reasons highlighted as to why Jamaica were trounced by Trinidad and Tobago in the final of the Caribbean Twenty20 Tournament on Sunday at Kensington Oval, Barbados.
The Trinidadians, who scored 168 for six, won by 63 runs after limiting Jamaica to 105 for five.
Dwayne Bravo (49) and Kieron Pollard (39) made most runs for Trinidad and Tobago, who were winning the tournament for a second straight year.
“As a team, it is about sticking together and we are kind of lacking in that department at the moment,” said fast bowler Andre Russell shortly after the team’s return, at the Norman Manley International Airport yesterday.
“It’s not professional for some people to go on the field and some are doing that and some are doing that.
“We need to work together more as a team and if we can do that then just like how we win the other tournaments we can win the T20 as well,” he declared.
Russell, who was among a handful of players who boarded the team bus on arrival at the airport, was supported by batsman Shawn Findlay.
“The team spirit was not the best as it could be. Some of the players were not pulling foreach other as we wanted it to be,” he said.
“We are not unified as we should be. On match days you tend to have one set of players pulling to one side and the others to a next.
“You’re never going to win a tournament like that. When we won the Super50 tournament everybody was gelling together,” he noted.
“We know we can win Twenty20 tournaments if we get to gel, as it is the gelling and chemistry that teams like Trinidad have over us,” added Findlay.
Captain David Bernard Jr. called for better preparation.
“A better preparation period, including the playing of more Twenty20 competitions and matches going into the next tournament will go a long way towards helping us to get better,” said Bernard.
“But to do this more resources are needed and one can only hope that the JCA can get the support from corporate Jamaica to do this going forward,” he added.
Jamaica will turn their attention to the upcoming WICB Regional Four-day Tournament, which is slated to get underway next week Friday.
Jamaica, who are the defending champions, will open their account against the Windward Islands at Sabina Park.
JA.Gleaner
