Guyana guaranteed themselves a spot in the playoffs of the 2018 Cricket West Indies (CWI) Regional Super 50 with a nail-biting four-wicket victory over the Jamaica Scorpions in a rain- affected match yesterday in Antigua.
0-3-3-0-4 off Fabien Allen is what the final over of the Jaguars’ innings looked like as they reached 213 which was the second revised total of the innings but the match looked to have swung in favour of the Scorpions after the rains came down.
Newcomers in the side turned up for the most important match of the Jaguars 50-over season in practically a do or die situation as Tagenarine Chanderpaul opened up with Chandrapaul Hemraj to hammer a 64-run stand in their chase of a mammoth 265. While Chanderpaul fell for 27, Hemraj went on to team up with in-form Christopher Barnwell who added 86 for the third wicket as Guyana seemed on course in their chase.
However, prior to the rains Hemraj fell for 80 with Guyana on167-3 in the 24th over. When the rains came down, Barnwell was three short of back-to-back half centuries with debutant Richardo Adams who was at that point in the match yet to score after facing some 17 balls.
Now faced with a revised total of 212 with seven wickets in the bag, the Jaguars began to fall apart as Barnwell was trapped LBW to Peat Salmon for 56 and Adams on five from 25 deliveries.
Wickets began to tumble regularly with Anthony Bramble and Sherfane Rutherford both back in the shed for just one and Jaguars 17 runs from their target.
As the overs went by rapidly, Romario Shepherd and Lewis struggled to find the gaps as well as the singles but when Shepherd cracked Steven Taylor for a boundary in the final delivery of the 38th over, the pressure was released and the pair saw Guyana over the line.
All the hard work of stand-in skipper, Chadwick Walton who smashed his second century of the tournament was undone. Walton fended off the new bowling line-up of Ramaal Lewis, Paul Wintz and Adams who all made their first appearance in the tournament this season as he coasted to 105 before departing to veteran Veerasammy Permaul.
But it was not only Walton but the efforts of Taylor (32), Brandon King (28), Alwin Williams (27*) and Odean Smith (31*) who propelled the Scorpions to the massive total.
Guyana is now on 26 points at the top of the table having completed their group matches with Jamaica on 19 points and Kent on 21 points, both with one match to go
