KINGSTON, Jamaica — A confident 13-man Jamaica Scorpions squad departed the island Wednesday morning ahead of their opening fixture in the West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) Four-Day Professional Cricket League.

The squad will be led by 23-year-old debutant captain Paul Palmer Jr who took over the reins from long-time captain Tamar Lambert. Lambert was left out of the 13-man squad.

The Jamaicans produced a sub-standard performance last season, winning three games, losing five and drawing two against Barbados Pride.

In fact, their first task will be against Barbados Pride at Kensington Oval on November 6, and Palmer Jr is confident of victory this time round.

“The preparation has gone well, we got in a few practice matches — we are healthy, we are gelling together nicely and we are looking good as a team. In terms of cricket, we are pretty confident that we will be able to come away with some wins because everybody is on song all round, so everything looks good going forward,” he explained.

Jamaica Scorpions squad: Paul Palmer Jr (captain), John Campbell, Brandon King, Kirk Edwards, Chadwick Walton, Andre McCarthy, Carlton Baugh Jr, David Bernard Jr, Nikita Miller, Damion Jacobs, Marquino Mindley, Jason Dawes and Nicholson Gordon.

Sherdon Cowan