(CMC): Unbeaten Trinidad and Tobago Red Force romped to their 14th Super50 title last night when they whipped the Leeward Islands Hurricanes by seven wickets under Duckworth-Lewis-Stern in a lopsided final at the Brian Lara Stadium.
In a match reduced to 43 overs per side following two breaks for rain, Red Force routed the Hurricanes for 135 in the 42nd over, with fast bowler Terrance Hinds (3-16) and veteran off-spinner Sunil Narine (3-17) spearheading the attack.
Jahmar Hamilton top-scored with a valiant 62 off 102 deliveries, but Hayden Walsh (20) was the only other batsman to show any enterprise.
Asked to chase a revised target of 138, captain Darren Bravo struck 40 off 35 deliveries to end as the tournament leading scorer with 416 runs at an average of 83, while left-hander Nicholas Pooran finished off the game in style with a sensational 20-ball unbeaten 39 as Red Force clinched victory in the 24th over.
“We always knew that if we controlled the power play, the quality of our spinners coming into the back end of the innings was going to be a threat for them,” said Bravo, who was featuring in his 200th List A game.
“Our fast bowlers [also] came on really nicely at the end of this tournament.”
Hurricanes captain Alzarri Joseph lamented his side’s under-par effort with the bat.
“It’s clear—we didn’t score enough runs. In a 50-over game, if you only score 135, it’s not going to win you the game,” the West Indies fast bowler said.
“I think all in all, we had a good tournament. We just have to go back to the drawing board for next season.”
Hurricanes found themselves immersed in strife from the outset. Left-hander Kieran Powell was bowled by fast bowler Shannon Gabriel for eight in the fourth over with only 11 runs on the board.
They suffered an even greater setback at the start of the seventh over when their leading scorer Justin Greaves retired hurt on 11, and Narine then triggered a slide, striking twice as three wickets tumbled for three runs in the space of 17 deliveries.
Keacy Carty nicked Hinds behind for 12 in the 13th over, Terrance Warde played down the wrong line to his third delivery and was lbw to Narine in the next over without scoring, before Rahkeem Cornwall played back to his fifth ball and plumb lbw for one in the 16th from Narine.
Tottering on 43 for four, the Hurricanes were once again rescued by Hamilton, the right-hander punching three fours and a six in a controlled inning in a valiant attempt to hold his side together.
He put on 27 for the fifth wicket with Kofi James (7) and a further 46 for the sixth with Walsh before a swift collapse saw the last five wickets crash for only 19 runs.
Walsh faced 38 balls and struck two fours before providing wicketkeeper Pooran with a low catch off Hinds in the 36th over, while Joseph (2) perished at the end of the next over, missing a forward defensive prod and falling lbw to Narine, who finished as the joint leading wicket-taker with 20 scalps.
Greaves (12) returned to the crease but lasted only another two deliveries before top-edging left-arm spinner Akeal Hosein to short third man, and Hamilton finally perished in the 41st, deceived by a slower ball from Hinds and watching as Khary Pierre held a stunner in the deep.
“Genuinely, I don’t think I could ask for a better ending,” said Man-of-the-Match Narine, who was playing his final domestic 50-over game.
“The way the boys played the entire season and truly dominated the last two games, genuinely, I couldn’t ask for more.”
Faced with a straightforward run chase, Joshua Da Silva struck a run-a-ball 28 in a 45-run opening stand with Kjorn Ottley (23) who then put on a further 39 for the second wicket with Bravo as Red Force flourished.
Leg-spinner Walsh bowled Ottley in the 17th over and then went through Bravo’s defence with a googly to rattle the stumps in the 21st over, after the left-hander had punched three fours and two sixes.
Pooran then took matters into his own hands, blasting a four and four sixes in a 30-run, unbroken fourth wicket partnership with Jason Mohammed (five not out) to finish the game quickly.
