BRIDGETOWN, Barbados, CMC – Left-handers Jonathan Carter and Shayne Moseley struck half-centuries as Barbados Pride rattled off their third straight victory to move into semi-final contention in the Regional Super50 here yesterday.
Asked to chase a modest 213 at 3W’s Oval, Pride overcame a few hiccups to reach their target in the 36th over, beating USA Cricket by four wickets to close in on second place in Group B held by Combined Campuses and Colleges Marooners.
Both opener Moseley and Carter top-scored with 60 while captain Shamarh Brooks chipped in with 35, as Pride got their final four bid back on course after a shaky start to their preliminary campaign.
USA Cricket had earlier rallied to 212 for eight off their 50 overs on the back of opener Monank Patel’s 80 and 40 from Alex Amsterdam.
Left-arm seamer Dominic Drakes claimed four for 44 to lead the Pride attack while veteran left-arm spinner Sulieman Benn conjured up a stingy 10-over spell which yielded two wickets for 27 runs.
The visitors were wobbling on 21 for two in the eighth over when Drakes struck in successive deliveries, having Jaskaran Malhotra caught at the wicket for nine and then trapping left-hander Steven Taylor lbw without scoring.
However, Patel held the innings together in a knock lasting 103 balls and including four fours and two sixes, anchoring two half-century stands which propelled USA up to their eventual total.
First, he put on 77 for the third wicket with Amsterdam who struck five fours in a 69-ball innings before adding a further 54 for the fifth wicket with Jannisar Khan who made 27 from 50 balls. In reply, there was never really any doubt about the result once Moseley dominated a 76-run opening stand with Kevin Stoute who made 17.
Moseley struck nine fours and a six in a stroke-filled innings that required 48 balls, en route to notching his maiden regional 50-overs half-century.
However, he fell in the 14th over, bowled playing back to one from left-arm spinner Steven Taylor that skidded on, and Stoute followed in the 18th over, lbw to slow bowler Usman Ashraf (2-34) also playing back.
On 90 for two at that stage, Pride were in need of a solid partnership and got it in the form of a 80-run third wicket stand between Carter and Brooks.
Carter, already with three half-centuries under his belt, dominated the USA attack with four fours and three sixes in a breezy 43-ball innings while Brooks counted two fours and a six off 37 deliveries.
When seamer Kyle Phillip removed Brooks to a return catch in the 28th over, Pride lost four wickets for 33 runs as left-arm spinner Nosthush Kenjige (2-54) triggered a slide but by then the result was all but secured.
