ROBERT Haynes, head coach of Jamaica Scorpions, is cautioning against complacency on the eve of the West Indies Championship four-day match against Barbados Pride, scheduled to start at 10:00 this morning at Sabina Park.

The teams are engaged in a three-match bilateral cricket series, with a place in the final and play-off progress on the line.

The Scorpions drew first blood in the opening encounter at Chedwin Park last week, pulling off a stunning seven-wicket victory deep into the final day.

“We can’t get complacent. It was a great victory but we have to put all that behind us,” Haynes said.

A few players from both teams stood out in the fascinating first contest.

Jamaica left-hand openers John Campbell and Kirk McKenzie notched second-innings hundreds while Barbados middle-order batsman Kevin Wickham completed a century in each innings.

Jamaica pacer Marquino Mindley and Barbados left-arm spinner Jomel Warrican finished with seven and six wickets in the match, respectively.

The Scorpions accumulated 22 points from the match to sit second in the six-team table, while Barbados (5 points) are fifth.

Trinidad and Tobago (22.6 points) lead after defeating Leeward Islands (1.8) in the first match of their series, while defending champions Guyana Harpy Eagles (21.4) also cashed in handsomely after their victory over Windward Islands Volcanoes (5.8).

“We have the points in the bag from the first game so now we have to start a new game. Barbados have always been a challenging team. They have some new players coming in for the game but what we have to do is to try and better this performance [from the first match],” Haynes urged.

While the Scorpions batting excelled on a slow and oftentimes low surface at the Old Harbour Road-based, St Catherine venue, including racking up 326-3 in 61 overs in the run chase, he noted there was room for improvement in the bowling department.

“We have to allow the process to play out in terms of batting from one break to another. The bowling will have to be a lot straighter, though at Sabina Park the pitch might be a little different,” said the Scorpions coach.

The Jamaica 13-man squad remains unchanged from the first match, however the Pride will be boosted by the inclusion of Roston Chase, the West Indies Test captain. Shian Brathwaite, who did not feature in last week’s 11, makes way.

Pride skipper Kraigg Brathwaite said his team, which entered the Chedwin Park clash as slight favourites due to results in recent history and also an edge in experience, will have to raise its standard.

“It [the result from Chedwin Park] just shows that the guys are up for it so we have to up our game even more,” he told the Jamaica Observer.

“Jamaica is always strong at home — obviously well-led by John, which is good to see — but we’ve just got to bounce back. I think one of the main things is that it’s a different surface. Most of the guys would be more accustomed to Sabina, so that would be a bit of a difference.”

Brathwaite emphasised that the series remains up for grabs.

“But in a three-match series it’s a best-of-three so you’ve got to win [at least] two, not one. So, there’s still a lot to play for,” he said.

The final game of the series is scheduled for April 26-29, also at Sabina Park in Kingston.

– Sanjay Myers

SQUADS

Jamaica Scorpions — John Campbell, Brad Barnes, Carlos Brown, Javelle Glenn, Brandon King, Abhijai Mansingh, Kirk McKenzie, Marquino Mindley, Romaine Morris, Jeavor Royal, Peat Salmon, Ojay Shields, Odean Smith

Barbados Pride — Kraigg Brathwaite, Roston Chase, Joshua Bishop, Jediah Blades, Leniko Boucher, Jonathan Drakes, Johann Layne, Kyle Mayers, Jair McAllister, Shayne Moseley, Shamar Springer, Jomel Warrican, Kevin Wickham

BRATHWAITE… we’ve just got to bounce back

HAYNES… we have the points in the bag from the first game so now we have to start a new game (Photos: Garfield Robinson)