BASSETERRE, CMC – A run-a-ball 49 from Kycia Knight topped a run-a-ball, even half-century from Qiana Joseph, and recently-minted Super50 champions Barbados clinched a four-wicket win against leaders Windward Islands off the last ball in the West Indies Women’s Twenty20 Blaze on Thursday in St Kitts, raising their hopes of double title success.
Knight struck five fours from 49 balls, and the Barbadians defied a brief stoppage for rain in the closing stages, and two run outs in the final over to successfully chase 129 in the final match of the fourth round triple-header under the lights at Warner Park.
The long-serving left-handed opener shared a crucial second wicket stand of 66 with Under-19 international Naijanni Cumberbatch that was the rock upon which Barbados built their assault on the highest target in this year’s tournament.
Cumberbatch made 22, but she and Knight fell with victory in sight before left-hander Kyshona Knight, Kycia’s twin sister, guided the Barbadians to the promised land, formalising the result when she pulled Joseph, bowling her left-arm spin, through mid-wicket for a single to seal the deal.
The result gave Barbados their third win of the tournament, moving them to 12 points at the top of the standings with Guyana, winners over last year’s champions Jamaica in the first match of the day; Windwards remained on eight points from two wins in four matches.
In the fifth and final round today, Barbados play hosts Leeward Islands at Warner Park, Trinidad & Tobago face Guyana at St Paul’s Sports Complex and Jamaica meet Windwards at Conaree Cricket Ground.
The Barbadians were set back when opener Aaliyah Alleyne was lbw to Joseph for nine in the fourth over, but they reached 35 for one at the close of the Power Play.
Kycia and Cumberbatch carried on merrily and scored at six runs an over to set Barbados on course before Zaida James removed both of them in the 16th over on the cusp of rain forcing the umpires to stop play for about 15 minutes.
Knight was lbw to the first ball of the over, and with the drizzles getting heavier, Cumberbatch gave a tame return catch off the last ball, and the weather interrupted with Barbados needing 28 from the last four overs.
They got seven in the first over after the resumption from Joseph; nine in the second over from James, including a boundary for Kyshona; and six in the penultimate over from Afy Fletcher that included their captain Shakera Selman being stumped for eight and a boundary for Shamilia Connell.
This meant six were needed from the final over, and though Connell and Trishan Holder were needlessly run out off the second and penultimate deliveries, Kyshona drew on her experience and ushered the Barbadians over the finish line.
Earlier, Joseph cracked six fours and one six in 50 off 50 balls and anchored the Windwards to the highest total of the tournament this year of 128 for eight from their 20 overs after they were put in to bat.
Batting at five, Joseph rescued her side after they wobbled to 33 for three at the close of the Power Play, and she shared two valuable partnerships of 36 with Pearl Etienne for the fourth wicket and 45 with Malika Edward for the fifth wicket before falling with two balls remaining in the innings.
Edward made 20, but no other Windwards batsman reached that score, and they endured a further setback when Etienne retired hurt on 17 with a leg injury when they were 66 for three in the 13th over.
Connell, the West Indies Women’s pacer, was the pick of the Barbados bowlers with three for 16 from her allotted four overs, and new-ball partner Allison Gordon took two for 20 from her four overs.
In the opening match of the day, a run-a-ball, even, unbeaten 50 from West Indies Women’s batsman Shemaine Campbelle anchored the Guyanese to an eight-wicket win against the Jamaicans.
Campbelle struck five fours from 49 balls and shared an unbroken third wicket stand of exactly 100 with international teammate Shakibi Ganjnabi, and Guyana successfully chased 110.
Former West Indies Women’s captain Stafanie Taylor led the way again for Jamaica with 48 off 49 balls that included five fours and one six, but they could only muster 109 for six from their allocation of 20 overs after they won the toss and chose to bat.
International pacer Cherry-Ann Fraser was the pick of the Guyanese bowlers with three for 18 from three overs.
Then, steady batting, anchored by the international trio of Shunelle Sawh, Britney Cooper, and Shalini Samaroo, propelled T&T to a six-wicket win against Leewards.
Sawh, the West Indies Under-19 Women’s wicketkeeper-batsman, led the way with 26, senior international Cooper made 21 not out, and Samaroo, another Under-19 international, got 20, and T&T chased down 121 in the second match of the triple-header.
Pacer Kirbyina Alexander and long-serving international off-spinner Anisa Mohammed bagged two wickets apiece, and T&T restricted Leewards to 120 for five from their 20 overs after the home team were put in to bat.
Divya Saxena led the way for the hosts with 37, Jahzara Claxton got 36, and Amanda Edwards added 26 in the strongest batting performance in the tournament from the Leewards.
