JAMAICA BATTED horribly in Sunday's regional Stanford 20/20 final, which led to an embarrassing nine-wicket loss against Trinidad and Tobago at the Stanford Cricket Ground in Antigua.

Batting first, Jamaica were blown away for 91 runs in 16.4 overs, while Trinidad and Tobago blasted off the total, actually 94, in whirlwind fashion off 9.2 overs for the loss of one wicket.

The manner in which the national team lost, more than the loss itself, has left many Jamaicans with bitter feelings because the team played well below par and went down without a fight.

A highly unexpected batting debacle contributed to this plight. First off the bat, Jamaica committed the cardinal sin of not utilising the full quota of overs in the game's shortest format. When things were going terribly wrong, not one batsman appeared ready to keep down his head to take the innings to the limit and, in the end, 3.2 overs were wasted.

Hardly competitive

Ninety-one is hardly ever going to be competitive in any 20/20 final. The team's skipper, Christopher Gayle, attested to this in post-match comments that went off the hook.

He noted the impossible situation in which the team found itself after setting a low target, admitted they 'batted poorly', offered no excuses for the poor batting and credited the team for getting to the final - which is good. Gayle also said he was proud of his players for getting thus far - and nothing is wrong with that.

He is a fairly young captain, but one with vast experience at the highest level, having played 70 Tests and 176 one-day internationals. Gayle would know by now, especially since he's been on a Windies team that is not used to winning much, that harsh criticism comes hand in hand with failure. More so, as the captain, the man entrusted with much more responsibility than any other player, he will have to deal properly with those criticisms, in much the same way how when batting, one has to play each ball on its merit.

When a team makes 91 in a final, one it loses meekly, it's going to be lambasted.

Regrettable pronouncements

Gayle made some public pronouncements which, at best, are regrettable, because they send the wrong signals and smack of disrespect.

One is: "A lot of people can talk and say what they want, we have $5 million in our pocket right now."

The other is: "A lot of people out there did not want us in the final. They did not want us to win the money and yet still they are playing hypocrite with us and come and say a lot of things."

Those arguments feed into a long-held and widespread view that the players are not committed enough, don't play with enough pride for self and country and are only doing so for money.

I strongly believe the Jamaican players wanted to win, just like the Windies which have been criticised similarly so often, but fail to do so but for many other reasons that have much more to do with just pure talent.

I also strongly believe that the critics - including the most vociferous ones - actually hit out badly because they wanted the team to win the competition and the US$1 million cash prize and think the cricket team spilled a good opportunity.

Talent-wise, Jamaica are at the top of the heap in this region and that is one reason why they are criticised harshly, especially when they lose in this fashion.

Little luck

And while they didn't help themselves much against Trinidad and Tobago's slow bowling, the team did not have much luck, given that three - Gayle, Xavier Marshall and Carlton Baugh Jr - had their stumps dislocated by balls that came off the bat and pad that could've gone anywhere.

Changes to the batting line-up and complement have also factored big time in discussions, with the decision for Gayle to bat at number five most dominant.

One of the most destructive batters in the game, Gayle, with a 20/20 international record score of 117, should have opened. This is despite his poor form since returning to play after having his thumb broken in South Africa. A solid start would have given the team the confidence it needed to launch. If he had failed again at the top of the innings, the team would have been under less pressure than as it happened in the middle.

Still there are more questions - concerning the omission of Brenton Parchment, just back from opening for the West Indies in South Africa; Odean Brown, on pitches where spin bowlers reaped a fair amount of success throughout the tournament; and Tamar Lambert, the successful skipper before Gayle's return, who was not even in the squad.

The Trinidadians also claimed a psychological advantage from that shift, which is understood, as they won so easy because of Jamaica's horrible batting display.

audley.boyd@gleanerjm.com