GORDON WILLIAMS, Contributor

Chris Gayle, West Indies captain

toronto, canada

The West Indies will go to bat for the Reggae Boyz when Jamaica faces Canada in a CONCACAF World Cup football qualifier here tonight.

But members of the regional cricket squad, currently in town for a tri-nation one-day international series against Bermuda and the host country, will need to hurdle two important obstacles; completing their first match of the tournament early enough today and getting tickets for the football match later in the evening.

"After the (cricket) game we're going to be going over to the football," Jamaican, Chris Gayle, captain of the Windies' 14-man squad here, said yesterday morning. "We haven't got tickets yet, but we are trying hard."

Sold out

Reports indicate that the game, scheduled to start at 7:30 p.m. (6:30 p.m. Jamaica time), has long been sold out. But the Windies touring party, which includes eight Jamaicans, who are also preparing for the ICC Champions Trophy next month, wants to give its full backing to the Reggae Boyz.

"Yes, I spoke to a lot of the players and they were trying to get tickets, but I heard tickets were sold out," Jamaican Robert Haynes, a former Windies player and new member of the region's selection panel, said yesterday morning.

"I know the guys would love to go."

He said the squad, despite being made up of players from several countries in the region, would want to show solidarity for the Caribbean nation.

"I guess there are eight Jamaicans on the team and they would want to go," Haynes said. "(But) most likely all of them would like to go. They would want to support the Caribbean team."

The Windies are scheduled to play Canada today at the Maple Leaf Cricket Club just on the outskirts of Toronto. The 50-over match is scheduled to start around noon local time. If the Windies bat first, they are likely to bat out their entire allotment of overs. That could shorten the time they would have to get to the football game, especially if Canada are able to bat out their 50 overs.

However, if Canada, who are deemed to be much inferior to the visitors, bat first, the game could be over much quicker if the Windies can bowl them out for a low score. That would give the visiting cricketers more time to get to the BMO Field.

Gordon Williams is a Jamaican journalist based in the United States.

Reggae Boy, Luton Shelton, the leading scorer from the last qualifying round, will look for more goals when the team tackles Canada today. Inset is West Indies cricket captain Gayle. - file