BY SANJAY MYERS

Observer staff reporter

Chairman of selectors Nehemiah Perry has blasted the Jamaica batsmen for their poor showing in last weekend’s loss versus Barbados in the West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) regional first-class four-day competition.

The two-time defending champions were blown away in less than three days and Perry said the top order batting should take most of the blame.

“The writing was on the wall that one of these games we were going to fall down. Against the CCC (Combined Campuses and Colleges) we got let out of jail because they don’t have the experience. When a team like Barbados gets it right with the likes of Sulieman Benn and Pedro Collins it was always going to be difficult. We did not show up at the party and we played like schoolboys, (though) we have a lot of experienced players,” he said.

Continued Perry: “I can’t see any of the batsmen in the top four on this team that has batted an entire day. We cannot manage the pressure and that’s one of the things we are working on. We need to bat for at least a day. We haven’t got any starts and once you play against the better teams you are going to come under a lot of pressure.”

Jamaica mustered just 202 and 164 but managed to eke out a dramatic 29-run victory against the young CCC contingent two weeks ago. Against the Bajans they were less fortunate, as pacers Corey Edwards and Collins, as well as left-arm spinner Benn wreaked havoc to dismiss them for 226 and 120 to inflict a 10-wicket loss.

“We still didn’t bat well against disciplined bowling from Barbados. The match ending in two and a half days show that we didn’t apply ourselves and really buckle down and bat…(we played) too many expansive shots,” Perry said.

Barbados (57 points) have now completed their fixtures and will rely on third place Trinidad and Tobago (33 points) to also defeat the second-placed Jamaicans (48 points) and secure the 2010 title. Jamaica, on the other hand, need to beat the rejuvenated Trinidad team to ensure a three-peat.

The former West Indies offspinner said the absence through West Indies duty of Wavell Hinds, Nikita Miller and Brendan Nash and the failure of experienced players such as Brenton Parchment, Danza Hyatt and captain Tamar Lambert to score heavily this season has put the team in the position it is now in.

“I think when we lost Wavell Hinds and Brendan Nash in the middle I said it in previous interviews that we would have come under pressure because we are not getting the start at the top of the order and persons are failing in the middle.

“For a team with that calibre of batsmen and we can’t bat for an entire day then we are in serious problems. If we don’t bat with discipline, guts, fight and spirit we not going to make it. Now we are under pressure, we have to win the last game outright,” he said.

Perry, who also contended that the first half of the competition has favoured the Jamaicans since Windward Islands, Leewards Islands, CCC and Guyana, without leading batsmen Shivnarine Chanderpaul and Ramnaresh Sarwan were all relatively lesser opponents, said Jamaica now has its back to the wall.

“Barbados and Trinidad are the two last teams and yes we have had a good run and the others are much easier to play. We’ll have to push Trinidad to the limit to get an outright win. That’s the only way out,” he argued.

The chairman also revealed that while key all-rounder David Bernard Jr will miss out after he was called up to represent a University Vice Chancellor’s XI against the touring Zimbabwe team, Hinds may be back in time for the crucial final game versus the Trinis on Friday.

“We are hoping to get back Wavell. We are trying to get him back in Grenada by Thursday so he can play on Friday. It’s going to be tough on him travelling so far but he’s willing. Wavell will add that little stability in the middle. We are going to lose Bernard Jr on Friday against Zimbabwe in a practice match,” he said, noting that Nash and spinner Miller have not yet confirmed their availability.

Perry also hinted that young batsman John Ross Campbell, if selected may open instead of either Parchment or Hyatt.