TAROUBA, Trinidad, CMC – Jason Mohammed lashed an astonishing century as Group B hosts Trinidad and Tobago Red Force trounced winless United States by 43 runs, to maintain their bid for a semi-final spot in the Regional Super50 Cup.
In a game reduced to 30 overs per side at the Brian Lara Stadium here late Friday, Mohammed starred with an unbeaten 101 off a mere 62 balls to propel Red Force to 244 for four.
United States made a good fist of the run chase but ended on 201 for seven off their 30 overs with ex-West Indies batsman Xavier Marshall top-scoring with 53 and Nisarg Patel getting 31.
Red Force lie second on 12 points, behind leaders West Indies Emerging Players also on 12 points, with Guyana Jaguars third on the same number of points.
Choosing to bat first, Red Force found themselves on 66 for three in the 13th over after left-arm spinner Karima Gore (2-21) removed both openers Jeremy Solozano (12) and Tion Webster (23), and off-spinner Steven Taylor had star batsman Darren Bravo caught down the leg-side for 20.
At that point, the scoring rate was just over five runs per over but Mohammed then led a fierce assault on the USA attack to change the momentum for Red Force.
The right-hander bludgeoned two fours and nine sixes as he put on 78 off 62 balls for the fourth wicket with Kyle Hope (47), and exactly 100 off 43 deliveries in an unbroken fifth wicket partnership with Odean Smith, whose unbeaten 31 came from just 17 balls with three fours and two sixes. Mohammed raced to his first fifty off 45 balls and then needed only another 17 balls to raise his fifth List A hundred.
Taking strike in the final over on 85 and with four deliveries left to reach triple figures, Mohammed punched seamer Ian Holland for a four off the third ball, smashed a six off the fourth before being held scoreless off the fifth ball.
On 95, Mohammed drilled the final ball of the innings for a straight six, to reach his hundred in sensational style.
Marshall, with five fours and two sixes and Monank Patel, who struck a nine-ball 18, then gave the US a swift start by posting 43 off 32 balls for the first wicket.
When Monank and Taylor (1) fell in successive overs, Marshall combined with Aaron Jones (16) in a 47-run third wicket partnership to restore order.
Both fell with the score on 98 in the space of three deliveries in separate overs and despite a 41-run, fifth wicket stand of 41 between Elmore Hutchinson (23) and Holland (18), the required rate of 13 runs an over proved burdensome.
