LONDON, CMC – Two players with Caribbean roots got their names in the bright lights in separate English county competitions on Sunday.
Trinidad & Tobago mystery spinner Sunil Narine gave a timely reminder of his quality when he bowled Oval Invincibles to a 39-run win over Welsh Fire with an incisive spell in the Hundred.
At the same time, Barbadian all-rounder Nico Reifer struck a measured half-century and helped Surrey to a miracle One-day Cup tie against Warwickshire in front of a captivated crowd of almost 5 000 at the Oval.
Narine, 34, grabbed 3-21 from his 20 balls, and the Fire were restricted to 119 for six in their chase of 159 for victory in the match of the tournament at Sophia Gardens in the Welsh capital of Cardiff.
England international Tom Curran supported with 2-14 from his 20 balls, and the Fire failed to ignite in their chase though they got a top score of 37 from their captain Joe Clarke and 25 from Ben Duckett.
The Fire were 46 for one when Narine trapped opener Tom Banton for 15 with the 35th ball of the innings, and they 66 for one at the halfway point of the chase.
The wickets of Clarke, England international Ollie Pope bowled by Narine for a four-ball duck, and South African David Miller for three in the space of 14 deliveries sent the Fire stumbling to 77 for four and doused their vigour for the chase.
Earlier, Narine was not out on six, but opener Will Jacks struck seven fours and four sixes in 81 from 45 balls to anchor the Invincibles to 158 for five from their 100 balls.
Reifer, 21, hit three fours and two sixes in 53 from 72 balls and helped to bring stability to the Surrey chase, as they replied to Warwickshire’s 293 for five.
But Surrey needed six sixes and six fours from Nick Kimber in a remarkable 51-ball 84 and fellow tailender Matt Dunn then hit Ollie Hannon-Dalby for two sixes in 34 before he was bowled by a Liam Norwell yorker trying to hit the winning runs from the first ball of the final over with the scores level and every fielder up in the ring.
Dunn, with only 19 runs in total from his previous 13 One-day matches, almost got the hosts over the finish line after Kimber had been dismissed with 31 needed from the last 27 balls
Reifer, batting at six, had joined Josh Blake with Surrey 72 for four in the 17th over and stitched together a fifth wicket stand of 57 to get the run chase back on track.
Blake was caught behind off Craig Miles for a 55-ball 40, but Reifer stayed and brought up his maiden List “A” half-century before he was caught at deep mid-wicket off Norwell with 125 needed from the last 80 balls.
Kimber’s big hitting in the closing stages gave Surrey a chance – and they almost pulled it off.
