BRIDGETOWN, Barbados, CMC – A Devon Smith half-century, backed up by disciplined bowling, propelled the Windward Islands to a 17-run win over Jamaica and into the semi-finals of the Caribbean Twenty20 Championship on Thursday night.
The left-handed Smith, chosen in the West Indies 15-man World Cup squad on Wednesday, cracked an unbeaten 58 as the Windwards totalled 159 for four after West Indies skipper Darren Sammy won the toss and elected to bat.
Captain Wavell Hinds (54 not out) and Marlon Samuels (53) then lashed half-centuries but Jamaica were restricted to 148 for five. The Windwards finished on top Group A with 12 points while Jamaica was second with eight points, to also clinch a place in the final four.
Playing in the feature game of the evening’s doubleheader at Kensington Oval, Windwards opener Johnson Charles set the stage with an entertaining 25 from 23 balls with two fours and a six over wide long on off seamer Andre Russell.
He put on a brisk 35 off 28 balls for the first wicket with Andre Fletcher who scored 19 from 15 balls with three fours before being bowled by pacer Krishmar Santokie (3-29), shaping to back away and hit through the off-side in the fifth over.
Santokie also claimed Charles, bowled off the final ball of the seventh over just as the score reached 50 but Smith and Keddy Lesporis, who stroked an even fifty, repaired the innings by an adding an invaluable 91 from 67 balls for the third wicket.
Lesporis counted three boundaries and a six – a clean hit over midwicket off Russell – off 40 balls while Smith stroked six fours and a six in a sensible innings that required 39 balls.
Just when he seemed set to push on, Lesporis was bowled by Jerome Taylor (2-32) off the first ball of the 19th over and five balls later, Sammy holed out to long on for three at 149 for four.
Smith clobbered a six in the final over that cost 16 as the Windwards finished with a flourish.
Jamaica opted to open with Dave Bernard and Horace Miller but were quickly reduced to seven for two after 15 balls, as both went cheaply in successive overs.
Bernard was caught by Peters in the deep off left-armer Gary Mathurin for five while Miller perished to a great catch by Mathurin running back from point off fast bowler Nelon Pascal.
When Danza Hyatt’s 10-ball struggle for two ended with Sammy’s catch at midwicket off Peters, Jamaica were in strife but Samuels and Hinds restored order with a 67-run, fourth wicket stand off 48 balls.
