JCA could name provisional training squad soon
The Jamaica Cricket Association (JCA) is likely to name a provisional training squad by September 19, according to secretary Fritz Harris.
Harris told the Observer that he is not overly concerned about a perceived late start to the training programme ahead of the West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) 50-overs tournament in October, and declared that “normally four to six weeks is what is used for reasonable preparation”.
“While it’s not yet confirmed by the (JCA) Board, I suspect the training squad to be called by the end of next week. We have five to six weeks from the start of the 50-overs club competition to the start of the WICB tournament. Normally in these cases four to six weeks is what is used for reasonable preparation of the national team,” he said.
Though showing imperious form in the four-day format and winning a quartet of back-to-back regional titles, the Jamaicans have generally struggled in the shorter versions of the game.
Inexperience and below-par preparation of players have been identified as reasons for the team’s failure to win the Caribbean T20 title, which provides an automatic place in the lucrative Champions League tournament
Said Harris: “The first round of the local club 50-overs competition starts on September 10 and I expect we will have a full squad in training at the end of the following week. Also, players already in the national set-up have their (work) schedule to keep in shape outside of the cricket season, and though it is not in a formal setting, some are already coming to Sabina Park to train.”
The Board is also yet to announce a senior head coach and while the JCA secretary believes it would have been better to get that out of the way sooner, he explained that the delay has been consistent with recent changes made and does not expect any negative impact.
“Ideally we would want to have a coach announced already so that he could put together his programme and possible practice matches. That would have been better, but I don’t think the delay will make a major difference to how the team prepares because the actual training programme will not start before a coach is named.
“The delay has been because of a change in model of how the JCA operates and it is seen with how the coaches for the Under-15 and Under-19 teams were selected. In the past the coach would be on something like a year-long contract, but now the JCA selects from a panel for a particular national programme,” he said.
Last season, former West Indies and Trinidad & Tobago middle-order batsman Augustine ‘Gus’ Logie was contracted as head coach for four months by the James ‘Jimmy’ Adams-led JCA technical committee.
Like his predecessor, Junior Bennett, the Trinidadian guided Jamaica to four-day glory, but faltered in the Caribbean T20 tournament.
The JCA is also without a technical director since Adams declined a contract renewal earlier this year.