Coach hails Scorpions for ‘creditable’ performance

Jamaica Scorpions head coach Andre Coley said his team has put in a creditable showing in this season's West Indies Championship which could end with just eight rounds of matches contested.

Cricket West Indies has suspended the remaining two rounds until mid-April due to the coronavirus pandemic. If the remaining games are cancelled, the Jamaican team would finish tied for third place with the Guyana Jaguars.

The Scorpions have so far conjured up three wins, three losses and two draws and coach Coley believes it was a creditable season if the competition were to end now.

"To have played eight matches and be in third place, I think is a creditable performance. We had a lot of positives with the team scoring more runs than they did last season, and our young bowling unit worked hard to keep us in the competition," said Coley.

Coley had high praises for the bowlers, especially Marquino Mindley and Patrick Harty, who he said showed capacity and ability throughout the championship.

Got the confidence

"Both these players started very slow and they gradually got the confidence and grew as the competition went on. For the first time in a long while a fast bowler has taken the most wickets for Jamaica in a season, and that is proof that the team is improving."

Fast bowler Mindley has so far taken 24 wickets with left-arm spinner Harty and seamer Derval Green snaring 22 scalps.

While highlighting that there is still much work to be done with the batting, Coley said he was satisfied with the application shown in that department.

"When you get seven centuries being scored from four of your top batters, you must be pleased with that. What we need to do more of moving forward is to start well and set up games rather than playing catch-up cricket and that will come with time," added Coley.

The Jamaicans currently have three of the top batsmen in the top 10 in the competition, with Jermaine Blackwood so far scoring the most runs with 768, followed by Nkrumah Bonner with 523, and captain John Campbell with 491 runs.

The first-year coach Coley said that come next season, the Scorpions will be a more dynamic, multi-skilled squad which will play with more athleticism.

"We will be working on several things for next season as I want to have a more dynamic bunch where players are multiskilled and fitter. I want batters who can bowl and bowlers who can bat, and once we continue to get our approach right, we will be a better team."