NEW AMSTERDAM, Guyana (CMC) - Well-positioned leaders Jamaica and Guyana, joint second on the points table, will examine each other's skills, in the seventh-round of the Carib Beer Cricket Series starting at the Albion Community Development ground today.

While Guyana have a full complement of their West Indies players, Jamaica are missing two through injury, aggressive left-handed opener Christopher Gayle (shoulder) and middle-order batsman Marlon Samuels (wrist).

Though both are quality batsmen, the Jamaican batting line-up will not be significantly weaker as their back-up batters have been doing a creditable job all season long.

David Bernard Jr (408), Donovan Pagon (404), Tamar Lambert (393) and Carlton Baugh Jr (299) have all been finding the boundaries with regularity in the previous six games and are all in the top-10 run scorers.

After back-to-back wins, Guyana who were previously lingering towards the bottom of the table, are now alongside the Windward Islands on 34 points and are most dangerous when playing on their home turf, especially on pitches such as Albion Community Development ground, where batting requires back-breaking work and bowling demands patience and resolve.

The low and slow wicket does not serve as the most ideal platform for the shot-makers that comprise the Jamaican batting line-up, starting with Xavier Marshall, the newest West Indian player, at the top and the likes of Baugh Jr further down.

Guyana's Test batting pair of captain Shivnarine Chanderpaul and Ramnaresh Sarwan returned to the team for the last round, but neither got to 50 and both will be keen to ensure that local fans have at least a glimpse of their class and run-making capabilities. Sarwan may be particularly keen given that he was recently rated as the world's number one batsman in one-day international cricket.

Otherwise, Narsingh Deonarine, with 396 runs this season and who many feel is just on the periphery of the West Indies team, will want to get his first ton of this year on his home track.

The supporting batters starting with Ryan Ramdass (353 runs), and extending all the way to Vishal Nagamootoo at number 10, would want to send a reminder that the Guyana batting is not all Chanderpaul and Sarwan.

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