BASSETERRE, St Kitts, CMC – Paul Palmer’s maiden List A hundred went in vain as reigning champions CCC Marooners said goodbye to the Regional Super50 Cup, with a 51-run defeat to minnows Canada here yesterday.
Asked to chase 253 for victory at Conaree, Marooners collapsed for 210 all out in the 45th over, despite a fine 105 from Jamaican Palmer.
Romaine Morris chipped in with 58 but other than opener Gian Benjamin with 10, no other batsman made it to double figures as left-arm seamer Kaleem Sana (4-24), off-spinner Harsh Thaker (3-29) and left-arm spinner Shahid Ahmadzai (3-37) combined to wreck the innings.
Thaker had earlier top-scored with an unbeaten 68 of 67 balls batting at number 10 as Canada got up to 252 all out off their 50 overs, after they were sent in.
Opener Rayyan Pathan struck a lively 41-ball 46 while Kaleem Sana produced a busy 38 off 37 deliveries at number nine.
Pathan put on 44 for the first wicket with Jeet Metha (10) before speedster Jalarnie Seales (3-62) struck twice in the 10th over to reduce the innings 47 for two.
And though Pathan added 36 for the third wicket with Kanwarpal Tathgur (29), Canada lost a cluster of wickets courtesy of off-spinner Larry Joseph (3-38) to slip to 149 for seven in the 38th over.
However, Thaker took command for the Canadians, striking half-dozen fours and two sixes in a 92-run eighth wicket partnership with Kaleem, to rally the innings.
In reply, Marooners were slumping at 17 for three in the fifth over after Thaker struck twice with the new-ball in the fourth over as Canada got the better of the early exchanges.
Left-hander Benjamin played back and was trapped lbw, two balls later new batsman Jonathan Drakes departed without scoring, driving lazily to be caught at cover before Odain McCatty chopped on to Kaleem in the following over also without scoring.
Palmer then stitched up the innings in a 103-run, fourth wicket stand with opener Morris, as Marooners made a recovery.
Left-hander Palmer faced 123 balls and counted 12 fours while Morris belted a six and a four in a 59-ball innings.
Morris’s demise in the 25th over – tugging a simple catch to short mid-wicket off Ahmadzai – marked the final decline for Marooners as the last seven wickets fell for 81 runs.
The defeat was Marooners’ sixth in eight games and the victory Canada’s second also from their complement of eight matches.
