Reggae Boyz, Soca Warriors share the spoils

Jamaica’s Reggae Boyz and Trinidad and Tobago’s Soca Warriors played to a goalless result in the second of their two-game Friendly International series inside Kingston’s National Stadium on Tuesday evening.

Trinidad and Tobago had edged Jamaica 1-0 through a Reon Moore second-half strike in the first game inside the Montego Bay Sports Complex at Catherine Hall in St James last Saturday evening

Both teams made a number of changes from the first game in a genuine effort to make the contest a practice game, but it largely followed the pattern of the first game with Jamaica trying to impose itself in an attacking threat with Trinidad and Tobago content to play on the counter-attack

Matthew Woo Ling curled a left-footer wide of Jahmali White’s far post on the half-hour mark, which gave the home side a scare

However, Jamaica responded quickly and should have opened the scoring when Jamoi Topey picked out Demario

Phillips, the diminutive midfielder, who ran beyond the Trinidadian defence line and into the penalty area

The Mount Pleasant FA ace got the ball tangled beneath his legs and the chance went begging as the retreating defenders cleared their line

In a phase of dominance, Jamaica’s Lamar Walker slipped in the ever-running Collin Anderson with a defencesplitting pass behind the defensive line, but the Cavalier front man failed to take the ball cleanly in his stride and Marvin Phillip advanced well to avert the danger

For the rest of the game, it was more nip and tuck, though the visitors saw more counter-attacks opening up for them

The twin-isle republic is down to face The Bahamas in Nassau on March 24 and Nicaragua three days later at the Dwight Yorke Stadium in Bacolet, Tobago, on March 27 in the Nations League, while Jamaica has an important visit to Mexico City to face the regional powerhouses on March 26 before hosting Guatemala on April 15

Balanced workload critical for all-formats trio, says Coley

Interim West Indies head coach Andre Coley says players competing in all formats for the regional side must be managed carefully to ensure their continued freshness

Three players – all-rounders Jason Holder and Kyle Mayers, along with fast bowler Alzarri Joseph – all featured in the two-Test series against South Africa earlier this month, and are also in the West Indies squad to face the hosts in the white-ball series starting here Thursday

The trio also campaigned in the inaugural SA20 hosted by Cricket South Africa back in January

“It’s important for us to find that balance for the players,” said Coley

“Yes, I know they want to play for West Indies and we want our best players to play for West Indies but the balance is important and it’s also their livelihood

“So if we can – over the next 12 months –plan out with the key members of the different squads to work out how we can best manage the load, not only in international cricket but in franchise cricket to keep everyone as fresh as possible, I think we have a better chance of being more competitive ”

Former Test captain Holder featured in seven matches for Durban Super Giants in the SA20 before turning out in both Tests for West Indies in the recent series, gathering 118 runs from four innings with one half-century, and taking seven wickets

The 26-year-old Joseph, meanwhile, also turned out in seven matches in the SA20 for Joburg Super Kings and then led West Indies’ Test attack earlier this month with 12 wickets at 18 apiece

Mayers struggled in the Test series on the back of a heavy schedule in the SA20, the lefthander gathering only 54 runs even though he picked up seven wickets

“Jason is always someone who gives their all, like the majority of the players I knew [on the final morning of the last Test] he was one fume Literally,” Andre Coley said

“He’s always someone who has raises their hands up and says ‘coach, I’m going to give you everything today’ He continues to be a valuable member of our team ”

“Because of the volume of bowling he’s required to do occasionally, he ends up batting at number eight and then has to have a heavy workload, batting, and bowling ”

He continued: “I believe Jason has a lot of value to add not only in Test cricket but across all formats As you know he’s in the three squads so it becomes important for us to manage him or to help him manage himself, not just physically but mentally, because he –just like some of the other players – put in a lot

“Alzarri plays franchise cricket around the world and is also in the three squads He’s also a young person that we ’ re looking to be a leader in the future So definitely, just managing those players [is important] ”

The white-ball series against South Africa, comprising three One-Day Internationals and three Twenty20 Internationals, wraps up March 28 – three days before the start of the Indian Premier League where Holder will feature for Rajasthan Royals, Joseph for Gujarat Titans and Mayers for Lucknow Super Giants