RECORD-CHASING Jamaica will meet fellow regional powerhouses Barbados in the much-anticipated championship clash of the West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) four-day tournament at Sabina Park, starting this morning at 10:00.

The teams are vying for the Headley/Weekes Trophy, which is named after cricketing icons Jamaica’s George Headley and Barbados’ Sir Everton Weekes.

The Jamaicans, captained by Tamar Lambert, are favourites to take a fifth straight hold on the title, despite being without several key players, who are either representing the West Indies or plying their trade in overseas cricket leagues.

Left-hander Christopher Gayle, all-rounder Andre Russell and Marlon Samuels are playing in the Indian Premier League, while middleorder batsman Brendan Nash is engaged in County Cricket in England.

Wicketkeeper/batsman Carlton Baugh is with the West Indies team competing against the touring Australians.

In the semi-finals two weeks ago, Jamaica beat Guyana by 133 runs at Sabina, and Barbados defeated Trinidad & Tobago by a 227-run margin at the Queen’s Park Oval in Port of Spain.

Jamaica’s left-arm orthodox slow bowler Nikita Miller says the team’s major weakness has been in the batting department and he expects it to come good for this encounter.

“I expect our batsmen to put together their best performance of the season. Our bowlers should be able to continue the good work that we have seen,” the 29-yearold told the Jamaica Observer yesterday.

Donovan Pagon and Lambert have respective aggregates of 453 and 395 in the competition and are again expected to lead the Jamaican batting. Pagon averages 34.84 and Lambert 32.91.

Miller is the competition’s top bowler with 43 wickets at a miserly average of 10.51. Leg spinner Odean Brown is not far behind with 32 victims at 14.96.

Seamers Andrew Richardson, David Bernard and left-armer Sheldon Cotterell have also chipped in with telling spells.

Jamaica previously romped to victory over the Bajans inside three days on a dry Sabina Park pitch, and went on to a perfect run throughout the preliminary phase.

Miller did not place much emphasis on the teams’ meeting two months ago.

“This is the final and I don’t think what happened in the preliminary rounds will factor too much. It is anybody’s game and the team which plays the better cricket over the next four days will win,” he said.

The Barbados team, guided by head coach Henderson Springer, lacks the services of four premier players for this match.

Fast bowlers Fidel Edwards and Kemar Roach, as well as customary captain Kirk Edwards and teenager Kraigg Brathwaite are part of the regional team set up.

Without Edwards, Barbados are skippered by former West Indies Under-19 all-rounder Shamarh Brooks.

The 23-year-old Brooks is also a product of the Sagicor High Performance Centre.

In the batting department, Barbados can count on the aggressive Dwayne Smith, left-handers Omar Phillips and Jonathan Carter, Brooks, as well as the stylish Kyle Hope.

The 24-year-old Carter is the team’s top run scorer with 393 at 30.23 this season.

Though without Edwards and Roach, Barbados can rely on fiery pacer Tino Best, seamer Javon Searles and left-arm spinner Sulieman Benn. The towering Benn, a side-lined West Indies player, is Barbados’s top wicket-taker with 36 scalps at 14.02.

Brooks could also feature with his attacking wrist spin bowling.

When the teams met previously, a lot was said of the Sabina pitch and the limited assistance it offered to the Barbados pace attack.

The batting strip looked bare of grass yesterday.

Barbados won four straight titles between 1977 and 1980 and also shared top honours with T&T in 1976.

Jamaica Squad — Tamar Lambert (capt), Xavier Marshall, Donovan Pagon, Danza Hyatt, Jermaine Blackwood, David Bernard, Horace Miller, Nikita Miller, Andrew Richardson, Odean Brown, Andrew Richardson, Sheldon Cotterell, Brenton Parchment, Jamie Merchant.

Barbados Squad — Shamarh Brooks (capt), Rashidi Boucher, Omar Phillips, Kyle Hope, Dwayne Smith, Jonathan Carter, Shane Dowrich, Carlos Brathwaite, Sulieman Benn, Javon Searles, Tino Best, Justin Greaves, Jomel Warican.