© WICB Media/Ashley Allen
Kraigg Brathwaite scored an unbeaten 86 in his first match back from the West Indies tour of Australia as Barbados kept their Nagico Super50 semi-final hopes alive with a four-wicket win over ICC Americas at Queen’s Park Oval. Brathwaite’s innings came after Barbados were reduced to 0 for 2 in response to ICC Americas first innings total of 202.
Timroy Allen bowled Dwayne Smith and had Shai Hope caught fending to second slip to put Barbados in an early hole before Brathwaite added 61 for the third wicket with Jonathan Carter inside the powerplay. Part-time spinner Nitish Kumar eventually claimed Carter edging behind for 35 and had Shamarh Brooks chipping to midwicket for 25 to make it 109 for 4 before Brathwaite and Shane Dowrich took back momentum with a brisk 76-run stand. Brathwaite eventually brought up his 50 off 71 balls and struck the winning runs in the 37th over to secure a bonus point.
ICC Americas had won the toss and chosen to bat with opener Steven Taylor and No. 4 Srimantha Wijeratne adding 55 for the third wicket. Taylor blazed his way to 41 off 48 balls before he was out leg before missing a sweep to Ashley Nurse but Wijeratne batted until the 34th over, making a top score of 46 before he holed out to long off against Carter, the first of Carter’s four wickets as a good platform was scuttled.
Trinidad & Tobago maintained their unbeaten record with a seven-wicket win over Jamaica at Shaw Park. Jamaica were held to 176 after winning the toss and batting as Devon Thomas was the lone star of the innings, making 70 off 87 balls including four fours and two sixes. Only two fours and a six were struck by the rest of the Jamaican batting card as Jon-Russ Jaggesar claimed 4 for 32.
Evin Lewis continued his solid form in the competition by scoring a century, which featured eight fours and six sixes, before retiring hurt on 102. Fellow opener Kyle Hope scored 43 and victory was achieved with 11.1 overs to spare to capture a third bonus point in three wins for the home side.
Leeward Islands notched their first win of the competition in Group B with a 14-run triumph over Combined Campuses and Colleges in St Kitts. Montcin Hodge and Nkrumah Bonner scored 66 and 79 respectively and teamed up for a 98-run third-wicket stand in a total of 242 for 8 after being sent in.
Vikash Mohan got the CCC chase going with 79 off 96 balls and his side appeared on course for victory at 183 for 4 in the 40th over, needing just another 60 at less than a run a ball. His wicket sparked a dramatic collapse which saw CCC lose their last six wickets for 45 runs. Rahkeem Cornwall claimed Mohan and finished with 4 for 21 while Daron Cruickshank helped wipe out the tail with 3 for 28.
Windward Islands knocked off Guyana by two wickets with three balls to spare at Warner Park to stay in first place in Group B. Mervin Matthew and Kyle Mayers ripped through the Guyana top order to leave them struggling at 25 for 5 in the 11th over before 68 from Royston Crandon at No. 7 gave Guyana hope and helped prop them up to 209 for 9.
Windwards similarly found themselves in a shaky position early on in the chase at 35 for 4 before No. 6 Sunil Ambris fought back with a patient 56 off 101 balls, including a 74-run stand for the sixth wicket with captain Liam Sebastien. When Ambris was the eighth man to fall with the score on 156, victory seemed well out of reach as Windwards needed 54 off 27 balls with only two wickets in hand.
But Shane Shillingford (21* off 13) and Keron Cottoy (23* off 13) stunned Guyana by knocking off the remaining runs in the space of 24 balls. The pair hit four sixes between them but were also aided by some sloppy bowling with Guyana conceding 10 wides in the same timeframe.
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Source: ESPN Crickinfo