PORT OF SPAIN, Trinidad, CMC – Evergreen all-rounder Chris Barnwell agonisingly missed out on a maiden List A hundred as Guyana Jaguars picked up their second win of the Regional Super50 by easily brushing aside minnows Canada by seven wickets here Tuesday night.
Chasing 203 for victory at the Brian Lara Stadium, Jaguars recovered from a concerning position of 51 for three in the eighth over to reach their target in the 30th over, in a match reduced to 47 overs per side due to rain.
The 31-year-old Barnwell smashed an unbeaten 99 while West Indies all-rounder Raymon Reifer stroked exactly 50 not out, in an unbroken 153-run, fourth wicket stand which dashed any hopes Canada entertained of an upset.
Canada had earlier ridden on opener Navneet Dhaliwal’s top score of 88 to get up to 202 for nine, after choosing to bat first.
The 30-year-old right-hander faced 109 balls and struck seven fours and three sixes to help pull Canada out of trouble at 15 for two in the fifth over.
He anchored a 45-run, third wicket stand with Harsh Thaker (11), put on a further 43 for the fourth wicket with Nitish Kumar (14) before adding 59 for the fifth wicket with in-form captain Davy Jacobs who made 44 from 66 deliveries with three fours.
Dhaliwal’s dismissal in the 38th over, however, led to a slide where Canada lost five wickets for 37 runs.
New-ball seamers Clinton Pestano (2-30) and Reifer (2-33), along with leg-spinner Ramaal Lewis (2-30), all finished with two wickets.
Jaguars made a strong start to their reply when West Indies one-day recruit Chandrapaul Hemraj (33) and Trevon Griffith (12) put on 49 off 34 deliveries for the first wicket.
With the match getting away from Canada, left-arm seamer Romesh Eranga got the breakthrough, when he bowled Griffith in the sixth over and in the next over with two runs added, pacer Sukhdeep Brar also bowled captain Leon Johnson for one.
Hemraj had struck seven fours in a breezy 22-ball innings when he became Eranga’s second victim in the eighth over, leaving Jaguars in a tight spot.
However, Barnwell arrived to unveil a career-best knock, carving out seven fours and four sixes off just 76 deliveries. The left-handed Reifer, meanwhile, faced 58 balls and counted three fours and a six. The victory saw Jaguars continue in second spot on Group B on 10 points, three behind unbeaten leaders Trinidad and Tobago Red Force.
