TRINIDAD & Tobago all-rounder Rayad Emrit is urging the team’s batsmen to pull their weight when they face a rampant Jamaica in the semi-finals of the Regional Four-Day Tournament at Sabina Park in Kingston, starting tomorrow.

Emrit played an integral role with bat and ball when the teams met in the preliminary phase a month ago at Sabina, but the 32-year-old was left disappointed as Jamaica, guided by captain Tamar Lambert, ran out 93-run winners.

He told the Jamaica Observer he believes batting will be the key to the do-or-die affair.

“We didn’t do too well in our last (four-day) game (against Jamaica). Having said that, I think we are getting it together. Our strength is our team unity and team spirit and we are looking forward to this game because we have a lot to prove. Our major problem is guys scoring runs,” he said after the Denesh Ramdin-led Trinidadians, minus a handful of stars, arrived in the island yesterday.

Trinidad & Tobago are without influential players Dwayne Bravo, Kieron Pollard, Sunil Narine and Ravi Rampaul — all plying their trade in the Indian Premier League (IPL) Twenty20 (T20) competition.

The five-time defending champions Jamaica topped the standings after winning all six preliminary matches — all inside three days — to extend their record win-streak to an outstanding 15 matches, while Trinidad & Tobago had three victories and three losses to finish fourth.

“Our bowling has been doing a terrific job throughout the tournament and it’s time the batters step up. We need to have guys scoring big hundreds and half-centuries… I think batting is (the) main concern. Once we get that right we can beat the Jamaicans.

“As a team, people keep tagging us as the One-Day and T20 Kings, but I think we are a good four-day team,” Emrit added.

Emrit, who is an effective lower order batsman and decent medium pacer, took five wickets in the match against Jamaica, backed up by an aggressive second innings half-century.

He said he is hoping to maintain that good form in the crucial semi-final clash.

“I’m always looking forward to playing against Jamaica, especially in Jamaica. I like playing here and on these good pitches, so hopefully I can carry on that form,” he said, while adding that he still has hopes of returning to the West Indies set-up.

Emrit played in two One-Day Internationals against India in 2007.

Meanwhile, Jamaica’s star left-hander Christopher Gayle also misses out due to the IPL, and middle-order batsman Marlon Samuels, who returned recently from India, is reportedly recovering from an injury.

However, several senior players, including Lambert, leg-spinner Odean Brown and pacer Andrew Richardson, who rested last week against the Combined Campuses and Colleges, have been included in Jamaica’s 13-man squad.

Squads: T&T — Denesh Ramdin (capt), Lendl Simmons, Jeremy Solozano, Jason Mohammed, Imran Khan, Kjorn Ottley, Rayad Emrit, Stephen Katwaroo, Yannic Cariah, Marlon Richards, Shannon Gabriel, Amit Jaggernauth, Akeal Hosein.

Jam — Tamar Lambert (capt), David Bernard, Brenton Parchment, Nkrumah Bonner, Danza Hyatt, Jermaine Blackwood, Andre McCarthy, Carlton Baugh, Nikita Miller, Odean Brown, Andrew Richardson, Sheldon Cotterell, Jamie Merchant.