Jamaica have won the Carib Beer Cup - the symbol of supremacy in the regional four-day tournament. In doing so, they have won it for the ninth time and for the first time since 2005, and in doing so with Barbados still to play Trinidad and Tobago, with neither of them in a position to catch Jamaica, regardless of what happens in that match.

It must have been, to an extent - particularly to those involved and especially so to those who believe that winning is everything - a wonderful performance.

To those, however, who are interested in skill, in quality performances and, more so, in the West Indies' ability to move up from number eight in the world in the Test and in the 50-over versions of the game, although they, the few who attended the matches, cheered every ball, every stroke and every catch, apart from the fact that they won it on their performances at home, it must have been a disappointing performance, especially so with the bat.

With a top score of 345 and only two others of over 250 on pitches which were quite good for batting, with only Brendan Nash, with 305 from nine innings, reaching 300 runs as a batsman, with only Nash and Chris Gayle scoring centuries - one each, and with only Wavell Hinds and Gayle, with 63 and 46.75, averaging above 40, Jamaica, in six matches and 12 innings, were disappointing and there can be no question about that.

embarrassing batting

In fact, when one looks at the batting performances in the tournament, when one remembers, for example, that there were only five totals above 350 and that the two top individual scores were made against the Combined Campuses and Colleges team, that there were three totals under 100, that the CCC team lost seven wickets for eight runs in 12 overs against Jamaica; that the Windward Islands, dismissed for 61 runs, lost seven wickets for 19 runs in 45 minutes and 16 overs and the last six for one in 19 minutes and 8.2 overs against Jamaica; that Jamaica themselves lost four wickets for 20 at the start of their second innings against the Leeward Islands; that Jamaica lost six wickets for 38 runs in their first innings against CCC; that Jamaica lost two wickets for no runs and three for 28 at the start of their first innings against Guyana, and six for 45 against Barbados when they skidded from 134 for four to 183 while losing by 17 runs, the batting throughout the tournament was embarrassing.

The only saving grace for Jamaica, who defeated the CCC by 10 wickets after scoring a mere 286 in their first innings and needing only 27 to win in their second innings, and who defeated the Windward Islands by 10 wickets after scoring a mere 232 in their first innings and needing only 17 runs to win in their second innings, was their fielding and their bowling.

fairly consistent

Led by the example and the influence of Nash, Jamaica, certainly in the matches in Jamaica, were brilliant in the field and their bowling, led by the consistent but negative Nikita Miller, was fairly consistent, if being far from brilliant.

In taking 32 wickets - the most, so far, in the competition, in finishing with an average of 15.71, the third best so far, in finishing with a strike rate of 52.1 and with an economy rate of 1.80, the left-arm spinner led a host of spin bowlers at the top of the bowling standings.

While it may have been against batsmen, most of whom are not good enough, not so much to deal with the spinning ball but more so with slow deliveries, a change in pace and a change in trajectory, the West Indies selectors should notice that, whatever the reason, with off-spinner (or slow bowler) Anit Jaggernauth taking 30 wickets, off-spinner Shane Shillingford 26, left-arm spinner Sulieman Benn 22 and right-arm leg-spinner Odean Brown 20, the top five bowlers have been, up to now, all spin or slow bowlers.

Jamaica deserve to be congratulated as champions of the region, but those in cricket and especially so in West Indies cricket, should be concerned about what is happening to West Indies cricket and more seriously, about where West Indies cricket is heading.

According to Jamaica and West Indies captain Gayle, after Jamaica's loss to Barbados in Barbados, Jamaica have suffered over the years from biased umpiring.

we're blessed

In congratulating Jamaica, however, one should not even think about the umpires. In congratulating Jamaica, Jamaicans should temper the celebrations with this question: Despite the fact Jamaica did not have an umpire in matches away from home, did they win because of their one umpire in matches at home or was it because of the fixtures that left Jamaica playing so many matches at home?

In winning the title, Jamaica were blessed with four home matches - three at the important start of the contest when the pace is set, one at the crucial end of the tournament when the title is decided - out of a total of six matches. And they won all four.

What is more important, how-ever, is not only that they won all four home matches - one by five wickets in three days with a day to spare, one by 10 wickets in three days with one to spare, one by eight wickets in three days with one to spare, and one by 10 wickets in two days with two to spare - but that after being so dominant at home, although they led on first innings and by a reasonable margin at that, by drawing with Trinidad and Tobago in Port-of-Spain they failed to finish; and by losing to Barbados in Bridgetown after leading on first innings, they again failed to finish and to win one away from home.

More Sport Print this Page Letters to the Editor Most Popular Stories