Trinidad and Tobago will meet Jamaica in the final of the West Indies Cricket Board's Women's League today. The two teams have played the best cricket in the eight-team tournament and will face off at the historic Kensington Oval. T&T is two-time defending champion, having won in 2009 in Guyana and last year in St Vincent. Jamaica did not do as well as expected last year, but has looked a disciplined and determined unit this year. In the preliminary round Trinidad and Tobago topped Group A with three wins, while the Jamaicans were second in the same group with two wins.
Jamaica's one defeat came against T&T-by just three runs. In the semi-finals on Friday, T&T easily beat St Lucia by five wickets with 15 overs left. Jamaica had little worry in their semi, as they got over Barbados by a similar margin with 13.3 overs to spare. T&T captain Merissa Aguilleira said: "The team is in very high spirits. We are confident going into the final and everyone expects a victory. "Jamaica has a strong team, with Taylor and Daley playing well, but we also have some very good players in our camp and we know we can get the better of them tomorrow."
Her opposite number Stafanie Taylor: "This is a big game for everyone in the team ... a big occasion for Jamaica cricket. We will adopt the same approach we had in the earlier matches. "We will be patient and watchful and play to our strengths. We lost to T&T in the first round, so we will look to correct that this time around." Taylor, at age 20, is already the most successful woman in West Indies history with over 1,400 runs and 45 wickets in 36 ODIs. She likes to lead from the front and is Jamaica's main batter at the top of the order and also bowls clever off-spin.
Shanel Daley is a solid left-handed batter and clever left-arm spinner. She has been in great form so far with the bat-making 60 against Trinidad and Tobago, and with the ball-taking a record eight wickets for seven runs against Grenada. For T&T, Stacy-Ann King has been one of the leading allrounders in the Caribbean for five years, and a reliable member of the Windies team. She has won matches with both bat and ball at the regional level and on the international stage. Also in form is Anisa Mohammed. rated as the best bowler in the West Indies, she bowls her off-spin at an amazing economy rate at just over two runs per over in regional cricket. If she has another good day, T&T will win.
Squads and Officials
• T&T: Merissa Aguilleira (Captain), Anisa Mohammed (Vice Captain), Alisa Mohammed, Gaitri Seetahal, Shenelle Lord, Whitney Cudjoe, Lee Ann Kirby, Amanda Samaroo, Devika Singh, Stacy-Ann King, Kirbyina Alexander, Britney Cooper, Felicia Walters, Alison Collins
• Jamaica: Stafanie Taylor (Captain), Shanel Daley (Vice Captain), Chinel Henry, Tameka Sanford, Jodi-Ann Morgan, Karla Cohen, Vanessa Watts, Abbie-Gaye Hendricks, Peta-Gaye Hanson, Chadean Nation, Roshanna Outar, Alecia Bookal, Michelle Thompson, Natasha McLean
• Match officials: Vincent Bullen, Leslie Reifer Jr. (umpires), Lester Millington (third umpire), Mervyn Jones (match referee).
