After two rounds of the Busta Cup in the West Indies, England A lie in joint second place with Leeward Islands after earning three points from their draw against Trinidad and Tobago at Port of Spain last Sunday.

Leading the series are Jamaica, who took first innings points in the drawn match against Barbados on Tuesday. They have a three-point lead over the rest ahead of the third-round matches starting on Friday.

Twelve points are awarded for a win in the Busta Series, which features West Indies B, England A and six regional sides, but in a format similar to the state competition in Australia, first innings efforts are handsomely rewarded. Sides leading at the halfway stage who then draw a match earn six points, the opposing side three and sides that win first innings but are then defeated gather four points.

On the slow West Indian pitches, some claim the system encourages dull cricket with teams batting defensively to build up large first innings totals, allowing precious little time over four days to push for a result.

England A captain Mark Alleyne has said he will not fall into the "negativity" trap after the experience against Trinidad and Tobago at Port of Spain where his batsmen became bogged down by leg-spinners Dinanath Ramnarine and Rajindra Dhanraj and lost out on vital bonus points by an eight-run margin.

The focus in training this week in Grenada therefore, in preparation for the match against Carl Hooper's Guyana side, has been on dictating the pace of the game and when the England A squad is announced tomorrow, the line-up is expected to reflect a more dynamic approach.

Guyana, who are currently lying in fourth place with 12 points after two draws against Barbados and Leeward Islands, are one of the favourites to win the tournament but time will tell whether their tactic of accumulating first innings bonus points, as they have in both games at the cost of a result, will ultimately prove a winning one.

England A players are already wising up to the small print in the rules of the competition that may make their progress in the Busta Series all the more difficult. Regional sides are heavily incentivised, financially, to score points against them – players win US$2,500 for completing a first innings lead over England A while their regional boards – who as hosts are also charged with appointing umpires for the match - make US$5,000.

If that lead converts into a victory, the rewards are even greater and at Port of Spain, the President of Trinidad and Tobago Cricket Board announced mid-way through the match, that the US$10,000 promised to the Board by the sponsors in the event of victory over England A would be handed over to the players to add to the US$5,000 the team would receive.

The West Indies Cricket Board have also put up US$50,000 for the first Caribbean batsman to reach 1,000 runs and another US$50,000 for the first bowler to take 65 wickets.

Such substantial financial incentives may impact on game plans, making it harder for England A to achieve the win points they will need to qualify for the semi-finals and with the Boards also controlling England A's travel schedule, which have already involved two disorienting 5am flights, the challenge for the England A management will be to offset any player frustration that might arise from the tournament rules.

© CricInfo Ltd.