When Barbados completed a 10-wicket win over Guyana in the first round of matches almost two months ago and the Guyanese suffered heavy defeats to Jamaica and Windward Islands away from home, nobody would have guessed that the two teams would fight it out for a place in the final over the next four days.

Many people would have put long odds on Guyana making it this far, after they lost their first three matches away from home in the Championship. But a no-decision in their fourth round against Leeward Islands and successive wins against Trinidad & Tobago, West Indies-B and Kenya revived their chances and brought them to this stage.

Whatever occurred over the last two months is in the past though.

True, Barbados have played unbeaten throughout the Championship and have retained the Carib Beer Cup for the six traditional, territorial sides. But they will want to win this semifinal to qualify for the final and a chance to repeat as double-crown champions and make a complete sweep of the Championship.

The Barbadians know full well though, they can ill afford to dwell on the last seven matches and that Guyana will not roll over and play dead. They know all too well that if they slip or slide, the Guyanese will get inside, like they did in last year’s Red Stripe Bowl West Indies limited-overs championship.

"This match is a continuation of what we have been doing all season and we are really looking forward to it and hoping to come out with another win," Barbados captain Courtney Browne told CMC Radio Sports.

"Right now, we cannot afford to become complacent. Places in the team are very competitive; so no one can ill afford to drop the baton. When we have players like Ryan Hurley, Sulieman Benn, among others on the sidelines, we definitely cannot be complacent."

The Guyanese too, can look back at the last three rounds in the preliminary stages with a sense of accomplishment. It gave further proof that there is life after death, since they looked that way following the three away defeats.

They will have to lift their game a cog higher to prevail over the rampant Barbadians and, like their opponents, are well aware that first innings points in a drawn match is enough to put them through to the final.

"It is good to come from nowhere and get into the semifinals and we want to continue playing good cricket for the next four days and see what happens from there," Guyana captain Shivnarine Chanderpaul told CMC Radio Sports.

"I think having home advantage in the last three or four matches really helped us. The guys obviously gained greater confidence from playing at home. But I am hoping that we can do the same thing away from home, and that we can play some good cricket in this match."

Since that opening match, both teams have been reinforced by the return of key players from the West Indies tour of South Africa and this bonus should once again bring the competitiveness that exists between the two oldest first-class sides in the region to the surface.

For Barbados, they have been fortified in batting with Dwayne Smith coming back, but mostly in the bowling, where they now also have Fidel Edwards, Corey Collymore and Vasbert Drakes at their disposal.

For Guyana, their best batsmen, captain Shivnarine Chanderpaul and West Indies vice-captain Ramnaresh Sarwan, are now available and looking to make someone feel the weight of their bats. This is why it is felt this match will be decided by how well the Guyana batsmen cope with the Barbadian bowlers.

It appears the Guyanese have the edge in the batting with Chanderpaul and Sarwan lining up alongside Sewnarine Chattergoon, Narsingh Deonarine and Travis Dowlin, while in the previous match Barbados used Edwards and Collymore alongside Tino Best, the season’s leading bowler, and Pedro Collins with good effect.

Best is unavailable because he aggravated the same foot injury that kept out of the sixth round match against Leeward Islands at Charlotte Amalie and Ian Bradshaw, no less skilful, if not pacy, will take his place and give even more experience to the bowling attack.

The weather over the next four days should be perfect, a typically hard, true Kensington Oval pitch should be rolled out, and a well-groomed outfield should help to provide the ideal operating arena for the two teams.

Squads:

BARBADOS: Courtney Browne (captain), Kurt Wilkinson, Martin Nurse, Sherwin Campbell, Ryan Hinds, Floyd Reifer, Dwayne Smith, Ian Bradshaw, Pedro Collins, Corey Collymore, Fidel Edwards; Reserves: Ryan Hurley, Antonio Mayers.

GUYANA (from): Shivnarine Chanderpaul (captain), Sewnarine Chattergoon, Narsingh Deonarine, Ramnaresh Sarwan, Travis Dowlin, Damodar Daesrath, Mahendra Nagamootoo, Neil McGarrell, Vishal Nagamootoo, Zaheer Mohamed, Rayon Griffith, Esaun Crandon, Ryan Ramdass.