GEORGETOWN, Guyana, CMC:

With a record four consecutive defeats behind them, Guyana will be hard-pressed to stop their dreadful rut when they face leaders Jamaica in the sixth round of the WICB regional four-day tournament today.

In an attempt to halt their losing slide, the Guyana Cricket Board has taken the unprecedented decision to sack the coach, but the new man, Rabindranauth Seeram, will be under plenty pressure to deliver when the match bowls off at the National Stadium at Providence.

Guyana are bottom of the table on four points and will miss West Indies opening batsman Sewnarine Chattergoon and key left-arm spinner Veerasammy Permaul through injury.

National Under-19 players Gajanand Singh and Zaheer Mohammed will come in for the first time this season, as the newly named selection panel have omitted Trevon Garraway, Assad Fudadin and Gajanand Singh from the final 13-man squad.

Former first-class batsman

Seeram, a former first-class batsman, said his priority would be working towards strengthening the mental capacity of the players.

"We have a very young team and the problem to me has been more mental than anything else," Seeram said.

Guyana have struggled from the outset of the season with losses to the Windward Islands, Combined Campuses and Colleges, the Leeward Islands and Barbados.

With the Test series against England ongoing, they will be forced again to do without their two Test batsmen in Ramnaresh Sarwan and Shiv Chanderpaul, further adding to their woes.

In the duo's absence, they will hope that their three leading run-scorers this season (Narsingh Deonarine, Royston Crandon and Travis Dowlin) along with West Indies ODI batsman Leon Johnson collectively contribute with the bat on what should be a placid track, in order to prevent a fifth straight loss.

Firm favourites

Even without their Test players Chris Gayle, Jerome Taylor, Brendan Nash and Daren Powell, the Jamaicans will start as firm favourites.

They have been lifted by the inclusion of Test batsman Xavier Marshall, and with several other players with international experience in the squad, will be expected to dominate the hosts.

Jamaica will depend on the experienced Wavell Hinds, David Bernard and Donovan Pagon, who have all passed 200 runs this season.

Their attack will be led by wrist spinner Odean Browne (20 wickets), leg-spinner Gavin Wallace, who has 17 scalps from three matches in his debut season, and West Indies left-arm spinner Nikita Miller.

Jamaica's coach Junior Bennett said despite Guyana's poor form this season, his side would not be underestimating the hosts.

"Guyana has had their problems this season but they have some very good players in their side and we know they can come good at any time so we are not taking them for granted," Bennett stressed.

Jamaica lead the standings on 42 points, three ahead of second-place Barbados.

TEAMS (from):

Guyana - Travis Dowlin (captain), Leon Johnson, Shemroy Barrington, Chris Barnwell, Narsingh Deonarine, Royston Crandon, Steven Jacobs, Derwin Christian, Esuan Crandon, Davendra Bishoo, Brandon Bess, Zaheer Mohamed, Hoomchand Pooran.

Jamaica - Tamar Lambert (captain), Danza Hyatt, Brenton Parchment, Xavier Marshall, Donovan Pagon, David Bernard Jr, Wavell Hinds, Keith Hibbert, Odean Browne, Nikita Miller, Gavin Wallace, Jason Dawes, Andrew Richardson.

IN BARBADOS: Combined Campuses and Colleges will hope to capitalise on a weakened Barbados when the two teams meet in their sixth round WICB Regional four-day match at the North Stars Ground.

Without key players

The Barbadians, on 39 points in second place behind Jamaica, are without key players who have been at the centre of their success this season, and CCC will be hoping to use this leverage to pick up valuable points.

They have experienced a stuttering season where they have won impressively but played poorly at times, in the case of their six-wicket loss away to Jamaica in the fourth round.

For the first time this season, they will be without their chief run-scorer Ryan Hinds, who has been called up to the West Indies squad for the second Test against England in Antigua.

The left-hander has been at the centre of Barbados' run gathering, amassing 585 runs from seven innings to date and will be sorely missed.

IN TRINIDAD: Stuttering Leeward Islands will be looking for an improved performance when they take on Trinidad and Tobago at the Sir Frank Worrell Grounds at UWI, St Augustine.