Confident Barbados ready for clash against Guyana, says Pedro Collins

Colonial Medical Insurance Women’s Super50 Cup…

– hosts must improve in fielding department

By Brandon Corlette

Team Guyana are fresh from a victory against the winless Leeward Islands Team, but their next mission is to outplay the Barbados Team when they clash at the National Stadium at Providence today, March 23. Defending champions Barbados are the happiest team in this Colonial Medical Insurance Women’s Super50 Cup tournament, having registered three comprehensive wins in as many matches.

On the eve of the Guyana-Barbados clash, after their training session at the Gandhi Youth Organisation Ground on Woolford Avenue in the city, Barbados Assistant Coach Pedro Collins spoke exclusively with Guyana Times Sport declaring that his team’s spirit is very high and the girls are excited to play.
Collins described Guyana as just another team. “In order for us to retain this championship, we have to beat the best,” he explained. He declared that the Guyana team has some good players in the squad, then added, “But we, as a unit, are focused on our strengths.”
Collins disclosed that although his team has been playing good all-round cricket, “We have to fine-tune the bowling department, because (during) the last game we gave away 50 extras.”

He said the batting has been clicking, but if all three departments click for the Barbados team, it would be a competitive game for the Guyanese to win.
Collins declared that the pitches in Guyana are known for being on the lower side. He said his team’s last match — against Jamaica at Bourda — saw the ball coming on to the bat more.
He also revealed that Barbados will be playing aggressive cricket. “We have to be smart and control that aggression moving forward,” he explained.
He also said that the pitch at Providence is one of the better ones in contrast to the other venues. “Everybody wants to play there; (it is) probably the best wicket and outfield. But we do enjoy the ball coming on to the bat a bit more, and this can be anyone’s game if they stick together,” Collins explained.

Both Guyana and Barbados will be playing at the National Stadium at Providence for the second time this season.
Riding on Captain Hayley Matthews’s 7-27, the dominant Barbados outfit began their campaign with a seven-wicket win against the Leeward Islands Team at the Everest Cricket Club ground. In the second match, the Bajans put on a brilliant batting display, registering a 241-run win over the Windward Islands at the National Stadium at Providence. In that encounter, Deandra Dottin hit 94 from 50 balls, Hayley Matthews stroked 91, and Kycia Knight hit 81.
The Barbados batting line-up continued their impressive performance in the third round match against Jamaica at Bourda, recording an eight-wicket win over the strong Jamaica team, with Hayley Matthews’s superb century leading the Barbadians’ charge.
The Barbados bowling line-up is, without doubt, a star-studded one, with four players who currently feature in the Windies Women’s set-up — Shamilia Connell, Shakira Selman, Deandra Dottin and Hayley Matthews. And they are only some of the weapons in that bowling department.
The Bajans’ assistant coach, 42-year-old Pedro Collins, represented West Indies in 32 Tests and 30 ODIs, picking up 106 Test wickets and 39 ODI wickets with his left-arm seam.
The Guyana Team, on the other hand, will be confident after attaining a victory, but they will – as they should — be wary of the dangerous Barbados Team. The flaws in their fielding department continued even in their triumph, and this will be an area that they should be keen on correcting going up against Barbados.
The much-anticipated match will commence from 9:30h local time.