Regional U-19: Batting collapse sinks Guyana to another defeat

A lower-order collapse from Guyana laid the foundation for an absolute masterclass in chasing from Jamaica’s openers, as Odane Binns and Tyson Gordon Jr. orchestrated a flawless 10-wicket victory at the Bethesda Sports Ground in Antigua on Monday.

Chasing what looked to be a competitive but below-par 226, Jamaica didn’t just cross the finish line; they sprinted past it, knocking off the target in a mere 37 overs.

The result leaves Guyana’s Under-19s searching for answers after suffering their second consecutive defeat in the CWI Rising Stars Men’s Under-19 50-Over Championship.

The story of the match was one of two contrasting halves.

Electing to bat first, Guyana initially looked well on track for a commanding total. Khush Seegobin set a brisk early tempo with an entertaining 29-ball 38 that included seven boundaries, setting up a solid 73-run opening stand.

When Seegobin fell, skipper Parmeshwar Ram took over the anchor duties as he compiled a composed 78 off 93 deliveries and found a reliable ally in wicket-keeper Shamar Apple, who ground out a patient 50 off 72 balls.

At 204 for 4, Guyana had laid the perfect platform to launch past the 250-mark.

Then, the wheels came off in spectacular fashion as Jamaica’s Jahdae Moore turned executioner, ripping through the middle and lower order to trigger a sensational collapse.

Guyana panicked under pressure, losing their final six wickets for a meagre 21 runs as Moore finished with magnificent figures of 5 for 36, while Perico Henry chipped in with 2 for 51, wrapping up the Guyanese innings for 225 in 44.4 overs.

If Guyana harboured any hopes that their total of 225 was defendable, those illusions were rapidly shattered.

Binns and Gordon Jr. treated the Guyanese bowling attack with utter disdain from the outset. Binns was the primary aggressor, smashing a magnificent, unbeaten 104 off 109 balls, punctuated by nine fours and five towering sixes.

At the other end, Gordon Jr. played the perfect foil, anchoring his side with a classy 83* from 115 balls, balancing the strike and finding the ropes ten times himself.

The duo’s unbroken 229-run double-century stand made a mockery of the target, sealing the match with 13 overs to spare and leaving Guyana completely deflated ahead of their crucial Round 3 clash against Barbados on Wednesday.

SUMMARISED SCORES OF OTHER MATCHES:

At Liberta Sports Club: Barbados 439-8 from 50 overs (GadsonBowens 209, Jahidi Hinds 53, Demarko Wiggings 53, R’Jai Gittens 40, Kelani Clarke 31; Matthew Miller 4-68) beat Leeward Islands 181 all out from 23.5 overs (Kunal Tilokani 59, Tanez Francis 55, J’Quan Athanaze 17; Jahidi Hinds 4-39, Justin Paris 2-3, Zarell Harding 2-60) by 258 runs

At Coolidge Cricket Ground: Trinidad and Tobago 184-7 from 38.5 overs (Brendan Boodoo 67, Tariq Richards 43, Christiano Ramanan 23*; Aravinda Bishop 3-38) beat Windward Islands 183-9 from 50 overs (Tyler Venner 62, Jonathan Daniel 27; Daniel Holder 3-38, Brendan Boodoo 2-18, Daron Dhanraj 2-27) by three wickets