Jamaica survived a spirited fight-back from Trinidad and Tobago to secure the 2011 Regional 50 title now heralded the Clive Lloyd Trophy, with a five-wicket victory, at the Providence Stadium, last evening.
In a low-scoring final on a difficult batting wicket that assisted the spinners on both sides, an efficient team bowling performance, aided the boys from the “Land of Wood and Water” to bundling Trinidad and Tobago out for paltry 118 in 46.1 overs, before attaining the target with 85-balls to spare, despite some mid-innings hiccups.
The win gave Jamaica her eight Regional limited overs title in the competition’s 36-year history and their first since 2007.
They also secured the prestigious domestic double for 2011, after they had won the four-day title earlier this year.
In blazing afternoon sunshine, as opposing skippers Daren Ganga and Chris Gayle stepped onto the arena for the toss, it was Ganga who called correctly and elected to take have first batting use of the slow Providence wicket, which was undoubtedly going to get more difficult to bat on.
Trinidad remained unchanged from their semi-final victory over hosts Guyana, while Jamaica welcomed back top-order batsman Danza Hyatt.
The opening hour of proceedings was totally dominated by the Jamaicans with West Indies all-rounder Andre Russell and left-arm spinner Nikita Miller combining to slice through the Caribbean Twenty20 champions top-order.
Left-handed opener Justin Guillen (8) was the first to perish in the fourth over of the innings caught at the wicket by wicket-keeper Chadwick Walton, chasing a wide delivery from Russell. Three-overs later, the aggressive opener William Perkins (7) became Russell’s second victim, when he mistimed his lofted drive and caught by Sean Findlay running back at mind-off, leaving his side in a spot of bother on 21/2 in the eight over.
Miller then joined the wicket-taking party and in his second over, bowling Dwayne Bravo (1) with a trademark left-arm spinners dismissal to a right-handed batsman. A wonderful delivery, that pitched on the line of leg-stump and spun back to hit off-stump.
Skipper Ganga then capped off a miserable personal tournament with the willow, in which he scored 62 runs at an average of 15, when Miller trapped him leg-before, as his side collapsed to 30/4 in the 15th over.
Ganga’s sibling Sherwin, in partnership with Trinidad’s leading competition run-scorer Jason Mohammed and the pair in the face of some tight Jamaican bowling, tried to bring some normalcy to a degenerate batting display.
Mohammed immediately announced his intentions hitting Gayle from two elegant square cut and cover-driven boundaries, taking the Red Fury crawling past the 50 mark in the 21st over.
However, it was Gayle who broke the partnership when he fired in a sharp quicker delivery into the pads of Sherwin Ganga to send him packing for 19 (54 balls, 1×4) with Trinidad precariously placed on 74/5. That alliance was worth 44 in 13.4 overs.
Sunil Narine known more his bowling, was promoted ahead of Kevon Cooper in what seemed to be a pinch hitting role. He got his account rolling with a slog-sweep to the mid-wicket boundary and a lofted straight six off Gayle in consecutive overs.
This vigil soon ended in back-to-back overs with Gayle who couldn‘t stay out of the game at this stage, being involved in both dismissals. Gayle had his second leg-before dismissal for the day accounting for Narine 16 (16 balls, 1×4), as he attempted a paddle sweep to straight delivery.
Then the massive wicket of Mohammed, caught by Gayle brilliantly at short extra-cover off Brown for 32 (54 balls, 3×4), sinking the boys from the “Twin Island Republic” into further despair on 98/7 in over number 35.
Trinidad’s remaining batsman squirted out a further 20 runs in eleven overs of painstaking viewing , before Dave Mohammed gave Brown his second wicket of the day, hitting a catch to long-on, ending his side’s miserable innings at 4:15 pm.
Drama struck first-ball of the Jamaican reply, when star spinner Narine trapped opener Kennar Lewis leg-before for a golden-duck, as he prodded forward extremely tentatively.
Two overs later Xavier Marshall (5) also perished in similar fashion, playing back to delivery from Sherwin Ganga, plummeting the Jamaican’s to 14/2 in the fifth.
When lunch was taken the game was evenly poised with Jamaica on 24/2 after 9 overs, with Gayle being the key, batting sedately on 9 at that stage.
Soon after the after the interval Trinidad struck two big blows to revive their hopes. In the fourth after the break, pandemonium struck, when Gayle was adjudged leg-before to Samuel Badree for an uncharacteristically patient knock of 12 (40 balls).
Then, the promoted Odean Brown Dave Mohammed to his namesake Jason at long-off, slumping Jamaica to 42/4 in the 16th over.
However, that was to be last period of ecstasy for Daren Ganga’s side. The remaining Jamaican batsmen Danza Hyatt 29 (78 balls, 3×4), Tamar Lambert 30 not out (54 balls, 1×4) and Sean Findlay 25 not out (21 balls, 3×4) wrested the initiative back, batting with great calm and poise, to take their side home when Findlay smashed a Sherwin Ganga full-toss to the cover-boundary, ushering wild celebrations amongst grateful team-mates rushing onto the field.
At the presentation ceremony Nikita Miller claimed the player of match award for his spell of spin bowling that rocked Trinidad’s innings.
Jason Mohammed was then adjudicated player of the tournament for his competition aggregate of 256 runs from 5 matches, at an average of 56.75, with two half-centuries and highest score of 77.
Scoreboard
T&T Innings
W. Perkins c Findlay b Russell 07
J. Guillen c Walton b Russell 08
D. Ganga lbw Miller 07
D J. Bravo b Miller 01
S. Ganga lbw Gayle 19
J. Mohammed c Gayle b Browne 32
S. Narine lbw Gayle 16
K. Cooper c Russell b Miller 06
R. Emrit run out (Marshall/Browne) 03
S. Badree not out 10
D. Mohammed c Miller b Browne 02
Extras: (lb1, w5) 06
Total (all out off 46.1 overs) 118
Fall of wickets: 1-15, 2-21, 3-25, 4-30, 5-74, 6-92, 7-98, 8-102, 9-111, 10-118
Bowling: Santokie 6-0-23-0(w4) Russell 7-0-10-2, Miller 12-2-19-3 (w1), Gayle 10-3-31-2, Browne 11.1-2-34-2
Jamaica Innings
+C. Gayle lbw Badree 12
K. Lewis lbw Narine 00
X. Marshall lbw S. Ganga 05
D. Hyatt lbw Emrit 29
O. Browne c J. Mohammed b D. Mohammed 06
T. Lambert not out 30
S. Findlay not out 25
Extras (w13, b2)
Total (for 5 wickets off 35.4 overs) 122
Fall of wickets: 1-1, 2-14, 3-31, 4-42, 5-77,
Bowling: Narine 11-3-32-1(w2), S. Ganga 9-0-31-1(w9), Badree 8-0-21-1, D. Mohammed 4-0-18-1 (w1), Emrit 4-0-18-1(w1)
