Barbados, led by a patient 71 from Jonathan Carter and a five-wicket haul from Man-of-the-match Fidel Edwards, defeated Leeward Islands by 14 runs in their KFC preliminary round match at the Georgetown Cricket Club (GCC) ground Bourda, yesterday despite a fighting 65 from Runako Morton.
Edwards took 5-61 from ten overs of hostile pace bowling as he rocked the opposition to have them reeling on 67-4 in 14.1 overs in reply to Barbados’s 230 all out from 48.3 overs.
Asked to take first strike on a pitch that was offering the fast bowlers some assistance early on, Barbados lost an early wicket that of Wayne Blackman caught by Morton at second slip without scoring as he drove loosely to a delivery from Lionel Baker that swung across him.
Kirk Edwards and Dale Richards (57) then shared a partnership of 67 runs from 13.5 overs for the third wicket, a stand which began the recovery for Barbados.
Richards, batting with authority, pulled and drove the Leewards’ bowlers with disdain. One such shot, in Baker’s fourth, was driven through extra cover for four.
The two posted the team’s 50 from 10.1 overs and then brought up their 50-run stand from 60 balls with ten fours.
Richards reached his fifty with a deft cut to short third man for two off the bowling of Omari Banks, having pulled the previous delivery to the backward square leg boundary. He counted ten fours in his fifty that lasted 52 balls. But shortly after that landmark, Edwards went via the lbw route as he attempted to sweep at a delivery from Chaka Hodge and missed.
In strode Carter and the 19-year-old batted with aggression while showcasing a sound defence.
Richards, who looked set for a big score when he pulled Tonito Willet in his first over through forward square for four and followed it with a square cut to the point boundary, was unlucky to be given out lbw to a ball that appeared to hit him outside the off stump off the bowling of Hodge.
He made 57 from 61 balls with 11 fours.
West Indies batsman Dwayne Smith did not hang around long enough as he was bowled by Banks attempting to hit the bowler over midwicket from outside the off stump. Kirk Wiggins, the lone change from the team that destroyed the West Indies Under-19 by eight wickets at Blairmont on Wednesday, joined Carter and added 86 for the fifth wicket from 85 balls with some positive batting and running between the wickets. Carter in particular, was very harsh on any ball that was full or short, as he drove and pulled with authority.
One such shot off Banks, which set tongues wagging, was an exquisite drive that bisected short cover and mid-off and sped to the boundary. He also drove the young Justin Athanaze for successive fours reaching his 50 from 67 balls with seven fours.
Wiggins was not to be outdone and drove Hodge through the cover region for four to post the 150 for Barbados in the 29th over of their innings.
But when he was well set, he went forward driving at an Athanaze delivery but succeeded only in getting an edge through to wicketkeeper Joel Simmons to depart for 39 in the 39th over. He faced 52 balls and struck five fours.
Athanaze (2-33); Baker (2-39) ;Hodge (2-51); Roberts(1-27) and Banks(1-44) were the successful bowlers for the Leewards who saw their innings off to a flyer by Javia Liburd (30) and Shane Jeffers (25) who posted 41 from 9.3 overs as they dispatched the bowling of west Indies fast bowlers Pedro Collins and Fidel Edwards, giving them no chance to repeat the performance they achieved against the WI Under-19 team in their previous game.
They hooked, pulled and drove with authority at anything that was up for those shots with Jeffers hitting Edwards for six over extra cover from a free hit delivery following one of the eight front foot no balls that Edwards delivered.
Liburd also got into the act with a flick off his pads from a Collins delivery and followed it up with an audacious front foot drive all along the ground. Barbados’s captain Corey Collymore was forced to introduce left-arm orthodox spinner Benn into the fray and got immediate success as Liburd was trapped lbw playing back to a straight ball. He faced 42 balls and struck five fours.
Morton and Jeffers then posted 21 from 20 balls before Jeffers went caught by Blackman at cover as he attempted to hit Edwards over the top for 25. His innings lasted 30 balls and he struck two fours and one six. Edwards soon found himself on a hat-trick when he removed the experienced Tonito Willet lbw as he too was trapped on his crease. He bowled a wide from the first delivery of his next over before hitting back the middle and off stumps of Banks. At this stage the Leeward Islands were 67-4 from 14.1 overs.
