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Kingston: On paper, any cricket match-up between Barbados and Canada has the huge potential to resemble a fight between David and Goliath.

These days, however, cricket is not played on paper.

During the 1999 World Cup, matches between Bangladesh and Pakistan and Zimbabwe and South Africa were supposed to be vastly one-sided contests. In the end, they produced remarkable upsets.

Against that background, Barbados, the most decorated team in regional cricket history, should guard against complacency when they open their Red Stripe Bowl campaign today against opponents still very new to this level of the game.

While Barbados can boast of an unprecedented 16 first-class championships, their record in the shorter version of the game is less spectacular, and everyone knows that a regional one-day title has not come Barbados’ way since 1988.

Sherwin Campbell takes over as captain seeking to improve on the semifinal places that Barbados had to settle for during the last two years when rain cruelly denied them the chance of advancing to the final.

Campbell is at the helm of an experienced batting side that should revolve around himself, his predecessor Philo Wallace, and fellow Test caps Adrian Griffith, Floyd Reifer and Courtney Browne. The bowling, if not as strong, is in the capable hands of Hendy Bryan, Corey Collymore, Ian Bradshaw with spin coming from Dave Marshall and Ryan Hinds.

Thrashing last time

Canada, playing in only their fourth regional limited-overs tournament, are yet to win a match since 1996. Among their defeats was a sound thrashing by Barbados by 114 runs last season.

But, they journey today to the Kensington Club ground in the east of Jamaica’s capital city with a side that is gradually becoming more and more experienced.

Joseph Harris, the Indian-born off-spinning all-rounder who represented Barbados twice in the 1989 first-class championship, is captain for the second straight season.

He brings with him every single one of those who were in the Caribbean for the 1999 Red Stripe Bowl in which bad weather limited their appearances.

Among them are familiar names.

George Codrington, captain of Barbados youth team in 1985 and 1986, is in the Canada side for the fourth successive year since he emigrated in 1994.

Viv Sailsman, a Jamaica youth team cap in the late 1988 and 1989, is also in the team that includes players with a wide cross-section of nationalities.

The new ball will most likely be shared between Grenadian Davis Joseph and Sri Lankan Sanjayan Thuraisingam, who bowled tidily against Barbados last year.

Thuraisingam’s countrymate, Brian Rajadurai, is another experienced player who once toured England with the Sri Lanka Test side.

Today’s other Zone 'A' match brings together defending champions Jamaica and United States at the Kaiser Sports Club in Discovery Bay.

In Zone 'B', last year’s runners-up Leeward Islands will meet Bermuda at the Antigua Recreation Ground, while Guyana oppose newcomers Cayman Islands at the Ronald Webster Park in Anguilla.

Matches in Jamaica start at 10:30 a.m. Barbados time.

© The Barbados nation