Jamaica dogged by internal problems

All is not well in Jamaica after the Carib Beer champions crashed to a 10-wicket defeat at the hands of Barbados. They must beat Guyana next weekend to have a chance of retaining their title.

Robert Haynes, the Jamaica coach, was singularly unimpressed. "We didn't see anybody trying to lift their performance; people just settled for what they have been doing all season," Haynes told the Jamaica Observer. "We haven't been batting well all season, but to be bowled out for 89 runs and to lose... by 200 and odd runs and then... lose the game in Barbados by 10 wickets, is not what we wanted to do on tour and it's really bad for Jamaica's cricket.

"This is the same bunch of guys who won two cups last season. They're not pulling their weight. I think the selection panel will have to sit down and really discuss what we need to do next." Haynes's comments come in the light of newspaper speculation that discipline inside the side is an issue and that Wavell Hinds, the captain, is struggling to motivate the players.

Haynes would not be drawn on that. "I think the captain is doing a good job," he countered. "We sat for hours in the dressing room discussing the cricket, and I think he's leading well. But the thing about it is that if you are representing your country it shouldn't matter who is the captain; it should always be an honour and privilege to represent Jamaica. And when you go out there you have to try and play the best cricket that's possible and this is what we didn't see in Trinidad or Barbados."

And Haynes warned there could be changes. "The captain is coming back on Friday and we'll get in the meeting and see what is best. Chris Gayle is available, Daren Powell is available. We have young [Donovan] Pagon available; so there should be a lot of changes because what we saw on tour is not what we need in Jamaica's cricket."

Hinds, meanwhile, was equally forthright in interviews after the Barbados defeat. "When we batted there was no commitment," he said. "Nobody tried to occupy the crease. Everybody wanted to satisfy their own ego in playing all the extravagant shots. Yes, they got two shots off, but at the end of the day the team suffered badly."