WHILE ruing the absence of wicketkeeper/batsman Carlton Baugh, Jamaica’s Twenty20 (T20) captain Tamar Lambert believes teenager Aldane Thomas is adequate replacement for next January’s regional tournament to be jointly held in Trinidad & Tobago and St Lucia.

Baugh, 30, was ruled ineligible after not representing club team Melbourne in the local JAM T20 competition. But Lambert told the Sunday Observer Thomas is capable of filling in.

“(It is a) big loss to not have him (Baugh) in the squad. Baugh is very experienced and has played at the highest level and he has done well for us over the years. Still, we have to think on what we have at the moment.

“Aldane is a youngster but he has promise. I’ve seen him in practice and he seems a good player. Hopefully, he has the confidence and can back himself in match conditions,” Lambert said yesterday.

The 14-man squad is also without premier batsmen Christopher Gayle and Marlon Samuels for the January 6-20 showpiece because both are contracted to clubs in the Australian Big Bash T20 tournament.

Ahead of today’s 1:30 pm practice match against a Jamaica Premier League (JPL) T20 XI at the Manley Horne ground in St Elizabeth, Lambert called on other members of the youthful squad to step forward.

“Yes, missing Marlon and Chris is blow to us, but we have many players… some of them are young players and they have to take the opportunity. One advantage is that a lot of the teams don’t know some of these players,” he said.

“I’m fairly satisfied with how things are going in training. We are doing some work and looking on the options that we have. In the end we just have to prepare well and work hard to win,” said the 31-year-old.

The holders of the four-day and Super50 championship titles, Jamaica have never won the regional T20 title. Trinidad & Tobago are the reigning champions.

Today’s Squads: Jamaica — Tamar Lambert (captain), David Bernard (vice-captain), Nkrumah Bonner, John Campbell, Danza Hyatt, Andre Russell, Aldane Thomas, Nikita Miller, Odean Brown, Sheldon Cotterell, Krishmar Santokie, Yannick Elliott, Jamie Merchant, Andre McCarthy.

JPL — Xavier Marshall, Jermaine Blackwood, Delbert Gayle, Cassius Burton, Kemar Marshall, Fabian Forbes, Andrew Richardson, Oshane Walters, Peat Salmon, Ralston Levy, Odaine Hutchinson, Damion Bryce and Oraine Williams.