SUPER50: Johnson, Chanderpaul take Jaguars to victory; Pride also win
Captain Leon Johnson stroked his second successive half-century as Guyana Jaguars won their third straight game with an easy six-wicket triumph over Combined Campuses and Colleges Marooners on Friday night.
Set a straightforward target in the day/night affair at Kensington Oval, Jaguars got home with 25 balls remaining to continue their revival after losing their opening two games of the Regional Super50 last week. Man-of-the-Match Johnson followed up his 78 last Monday with a composed 71 off 115 balls but it was veteran left-hander Shiv Chanderpaul who put the finishing touches on the victory with a fluent unbeaten 58 from 61 deliveries.
Fast bowler Ronsford Beaton had earlier taken three for 52 and left-arm spinner Veerasammy Permaul, two for 29, as Marooners were limited to 188 off 49.2 overs. Opener Amir Jangoo, already with two half-centuries in the tournament, top-scored with 30 while captain Jamal Smith weighed in with 28 not out and Nino Henry, 26.
Marooners’ start was less than decisive as seamer Paul Wintz had Vikash Mohan caught at mid-on by Chris Barnwell for eight at 17 for one in the fourth over. Two small partnerships then propped up the innings as the left-handed Jangoo put on 25 for the second wicket with Kyle Corbin (11) and a further 30 for the third wicket with Cassius Burton (20).
Jangoo’s run out in the 21st over at 73 for three triggered a collapse where four wickets fell for 45 runs to leave Marooners on 117 for six in the 33rd over. Smith and Henry then staged the best partnership of the innings, posting 41 for the seventh wicket to bolster the Marooners effort.
In reply, Jaguars were stunned by Marooners as they lost Rajindra Chandrika (9) and Shimron Hetmyer (5) cheaply to slump to 19 for two in the ninth over. Chandrika fended one from fast bowler Jermaine Levy to Corbin at gully in the sixth over with the score on 11 and Hetmyer top-edged a cut behind off pacer Keon Harding 21 balls later.
However, Johnson then settled the innings, anchoring two key stands to erase any hopes of a Marooners victory. First, he put on 54 for the third wicket with Assad Fudadin who made 25 and then added 85 with Chanderpaul for the fourth wicket. All told, Johnson hit nine fours while Chanderpaul struck four fours and two sixes to extend his purple patch that has already brought him a century.
The left-handed Johnson seemed poised to see his side home when he picked out Burton at third man with off-spinner Mohan in the 42nd over but Barnwell, 11 not out, joined Chanderpaul to formalize proceedings in an unbroken 31-run stand.
Meanwhile, opener Kraigg Brathwaite’s second Regional Super50 hundred inspired unbeaten Barbados Pride to a commanding 171-run victory over ICC Americas in a one-sided contest at Windward Cricket Ground on Friday.
In another imperious display by the hosts, they stormed to 282 for nine off their allotted 50 overs after opting to bat first, and then bundled out ICC Americas for 111 in the 34th over, to seal their fifth straight win.
Test batsman Brathwaite followed up his 101 against Guyana Jaguars just over a week ago with 108 off 134 deliveries, while left-hander Jonathan Carter sustained his good form with 57 and Roston Chase, 40. Leg-spinner Timil Patel (3-57) and fast bowler Cecil Pervez (3-58) claimed three wickets apiece.
Captain and seamer Jason Holder then crippled the ICC Americas run chase with a brilliant spell of three for 25 from 10 overs while left-arm spinner Jomel Warrican (2-18) and fast bowler Kemar Roach (2-22) supported with two wickets apiece. All-rounder Timroy Allen stroked a typically whirlwind 36 off 25 balls while Alex Amsterdam chipped in with 30.
But they were the only two to pass 20 as ICC Americas slumped to 39 for six in the 12th over and never really recovered.