Members of Jamaica's cricket team engage in a discussion ahead of their departure for St Kitts where they will play against the Leewards Islands in their opening encounter of the WICB four-day championship on Friday. From left are Jason Dawes, Horace Miller (partly hidden), Keith Hibbert, Gavin Wallace, Donovan Pagan and captain Tamar Lambert. - Ian Allen/Staff Photographer

Jamaica, bereft of batting all-rounder Lorenzo Ingram, left the island yesterday en route to St Kitts where they will open the defence of the West Indies Four-Day Championship title against the Leewards, beginning Friday.

The team, which will be captained by Tamar Lambert, left without Ingram as WICB rules allow teams to travel with only 13 players.

Jamaica, who in addition to the four-day league crown also captured the one-day title and four-day challenge shield, which has been scrapped this year to accommodate an extension of the season to 12 games rather than six, will play their first three games on the road.

After taking on the Leewards, who were beaten within two-days of their final warm-up match against the Windward Islands last Sunday, Jamaica will travel to Trinidad and Tobago, before rounding off their first quarter with a game against the Combined Campuses and Colleges team, in Barbados.

The left-handed Ingram, who bats like West Indies batsman Chivnarine Chanderpaul and bowls steady, tempting left-arm orthodox spin, will remain in Jamaica and, if needed, will join the team on their tour of the Eastern Caribbean.

Jamaica, which have eight players on the West Indies team in captain Chris Gayle, Xavier Marshall, Brendon Nash, Shawn Findlay, wicketkeeper Carlton Baugh, left-arm spinner Nikita Miller and fast bowlers Darren Powell and Jerome Taylor - which is currently in New Zealand contesting a limited overs series - are expected to come under heavy challenge for the title from Trinidad and Tobago.

The Trinidadians, who have two members on the West Indies team - Denesh Ramdin and Keiron Pollard - are near full strength. They won the regional Stanford 20/20 tournament early last year and in November captured the regional one-day title, at the expense of an inexperienced Jamaican line-up.

Key players

Jamaica, which for the third season running will be coached by Junior Bennett, will be led by West Indies batsmen Wavell Hinds, Donovan Pagon and Brenton Parchment.

In addition to the above mentioned trio, they will look to Lambert and all-rounder David Bernard Jr, who has represented the West Indies, for inspiration, along with Danza Hyatt, Horace Miller, Keith Hibbert, Odean Brown, André Russell and Andrew Richardson.

The squad is completed by former West Indies Under-19 representatives, teenage opener Horace Miller, pacer Jason Dawes and leg-spinner Gavin Wallace (who played for the Combined Colleges and Campuses team last year), who are all newcomers to the senior team.