The Georgetown-based Malteenoes All-Stars are to a blistering start in the University of the West Indies (UWI) – Unicom T20 Tournament, demolishing two Trinidad and Tobago (T&T) sides in their opening matches at the Sir Frank Worrell Cricket Ground at UWI SPEC.
In the first match on Friday against Tobago’s Marlin, the visitors won the toss and elected to bat in the sweltering morning heat before a small crowd.
National players Trevon Griffith and Jonathan Foo lead the way with a boundary-laden 53 from 29, and a stroke-filled 41 from 30 respectively. Quintin Sampson chipped in with a quickfire 36 from 14, and Winston Forrester with a useful 23.
At the end of their allotted overs the All-Stars mounted a total of 209-8 before proving that their bowling and fielding too, were of superior quality.
This time, it was captain Steven Jacobs, whose 5-27 helped to restrict the hosts to 127 in 19.3 overs, thereby handing the Thomas Street boys a healthy 82-run victory in their first match.
Unfavourable windy conditions in the second match saw the All-Stars being bowled out for 151 in 18.1 overs, after being asked to bat first by Preysal Cricket Club.
Raj Nannan hammered a few boundaries before being dismissed for 25 (13), while Sampson again showed his brilliance with the bat, scoring a quick 21 from just eight balls.
Preysal’s Stephon Ramdial and Varoon Samaroo copped three wickets apiece before showers descended at the break. The Duckworth Lewis method was employed and the hosts were handed a revised target of 135 to be made in 17 overs.
But the likes of Kellon Carmichael, who bagged 4-4 in two overs, Jacobs, who copped 3-7, and Nannan, who took 2-14, proved that the Guyanese boys were not there to waste time.
In just 9.5 overs, the hosts were dismissed for 45, despite an attempted resistance by Kamil Pooran, who scored an 11-ball 22, and 10 from former West Indies captain Denesh Ramdin.
With the two victories, the team advances to the quarter-finals, and will play the T&T Defense Force on Tuesday evening under floodlights.
According to the team’s coach, Darien Best, both matches solicited “good all-round performances” from the players, and this is what will be relied on for the remainder of the tournament.
“The skipper and I try to play horses for courses by utilising certain role players. For instance, in the second match we were under some pressure when Nannan came to bat and he gave the innings some impetus and momentum,” the West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) Level One coach shared.
He added that the team is a balanced one with experienced players and what remains important to their success is consistency.
The Malteenoes All-stars, which ends at the top of their group, is the second team from Guyana to participate in the tournament, which offers a TT$40,000 prize to the first place winner, and TT$15,000 to the runner-up.
The team is being sponsored by Jacobs Jewelry and Bhagwansinghs of T&T.
