Breakout T20: Barbados Pelicans deliver knockout blow to Guyana Rainforest Rangers

Guyana Rainforest Rangers have been eliminated from the West Indies Breakout T20 League after losing to Barbados Pelicans in their final match on Tuesday afternoon at the Brian Lara Cricket Academy in Trinidad and Tobago.

In a decisive match that both sides needed to win to stay alive and finish in the top three, the Pelicans came out trumps in a commanding seven-wicket victory.

This meant the Rainforest Rangers ended the campaign with four defeats and one victory.

Batting first, the Rangers struggled to build partnerships, despite another top innings from the in-form Kevlon Anderson, who, at this stage, is the only batsman in the tournament to surpass 200 runs.

Anderson struck six fours and a maximum in his 69 from 61 balls and added 76 for the sixth wicket with Quentin Sampson.

The duo took the Rangers from 53-5 in 10.1 overs to 129-6 in 18.4 overs, after which Sampson showed his power to strike an unbeaten 43 (4x4s; 2x6s) from 23 balls.

Rivaldo Clarke 15 (2x4s) from 14 balls was the only other batsman to reach double figures as medium pacer Kadeem Alleyne led with 2-19 from four overs.

In contrast, the Pelicans batsmen were immensely fluent in the crunch match, coasting to victory thanks to Shaqkere Parris’s superb knock.

The elegant right-hander faced 46 balls and struck seven sixes and five fours, which reduced the pressure the Rangers tried to build with their spinners.

Alleyne returned to hit a 13-ball 23 to give early momentum, while Kevin Wickham anchored in 23 from 30 balls.

Ashmead Nedd was miserly again, taking 1-18 from four overs while Ronaldo Alimohamed took 1-16 from two overs, and left-arm pacer Jediah Blades, who has been lethal force, proved costly today with 1-40 from 3.2 overs.

FULL SCORECARD: https://matchcentre.windiescricket.com/match/1646cef4-3c83-40b0-b248-9338b1905ab0/scorecard/2