CAVE HILL, Barbados, CMC – Jamaica Scorpions hauled themselves back into contention for a semi-final spot in the Regional Super50 after whipping winless ICC Americas by 67 runs, in a rain-hit contest here yesterday.
In a game reduced to 46 overs per side because of rain, Scorpions overcame a shaky start to rally to 251 for five at 3Ws Oval with Johnson Campbell (66), Andre McCarthy (63) and Rovman Powell (52) all hitting half-centuries.
Left-arm spinner Saad bin Zafar was the best bowler with two for 35.
Set a revised target of 254, Bermudian opener Kamau Leverock struck a breezy top score of 75 but ICC Americas slumped from 130 for three in the 27th over, to 187 all out off 44.3 overs.
Alex Amsterdam (20) was the only other batsman to show any resistance as the development side lost their last seven wickets for 57 runs in quick time.
The main architect of their demise was leg-spinner Damion Jacobs who snatched five for 24 – his second five-wicket haul in 50-overs cricket.
Entering the contest with two defeats in three outings, Scorpions wobbled up front as they slipped to 53 for three in the 15th over.
Chadwick Walton fell for 14 to a catch at the wicket off bin Zafar at 29 for one and in the next over without a run added, other opener Steven Taylor perished for seven to off-spinner Nitish Kumar.
When bin Zafar had Test batsman Jermaine Blackwood stumped for nine, Scorpions found themselves in danger of collapse.
However, McCarthy and Devon Thomas, who made 28, started the revival by posting 69 for the fourth wicket before Campbell and the enterprising Powell added 101 in an unbroken sixth wicket stand.
McCarthy hit five hours in a steady 86-ball knock while Thomas notched a four and a six off 47 deliveries.
Both fell in the space of 24 balls paving the way for Campbell and Powell to re-energise the innings in a partnership which required just 61 deliveries.
Left-hander Campbell faced just 64 balls and struck five fours and three sixes while Powell hit one four and four sixes in an up tempo 38-ball innings.
ICC Americas then prospered principally because of three partnerships which revolved around left-hander Leverock who faced 83 balls and counted seven fours and two sixes.
He put on 35 off 38 balls for the first wicket with Fahad Babar (5), 48 for the third wicket with Srimantha Wijeyeratne (19) and a further 33 for the fourth wicket with Amsterdam.
Leverock’s demise, caught at the wicket off Jacobs in the 28th over, signalled the end of all resistance for ICC Americas.
