TAROUBA, Trinidad – A thrilling night of records and powerful batting took center stage on Sunday as the Leeward Islands Hurricanes stormed past the defending champions Trinidad and Tobago Red Force in a seven-wicket win at the Brian Lara Cricket Academy.
The Hurricanes chased down a record 292 runs with 2.3 overs to spare, thanks largely to a stellar performance by opener Justin Greaves, who not only set a personal milestone with his third consecutive century but also reached the highest-ever score in regional 50-over cricket for the Leeward Islands, remaining unbeaten on 151.
The Red Force had set a challenging target of 291 for six, briefly achieving the highest score of the current CG United Super50 Cup. Their innings was built on solid contributions from Amir Jangoo, who scored a career-best 96, Jason Mohammed’s unbeaten 79, and Tion Webster’s swift 60, creating a seemingly formidable score after being sent in to bat by Hurricanes captain Rahkeem Cornwall.
But Greaves, already in red-hot form with 111* against West Indies Academy and 112 against Barbados Pride, continued his tournament dominance with a well-paced 151 not out, hitting 13 fours and maintaining a strike rate of 117, all without a single six. Greaves’ remarkable innings was backed by an opening stand of 124 with Mikyle Louis, who contributed an impressive 57 off 60 balls, wearing down the Red Force attack in the early overs.
A robust second-wicket partnership of 112
As the Hurricanes pressed on, leg-spinner Yannic Cariah finally broke the partnership by stumping Louis, but the home team’s bowling continued to struggle. A critical run-out opportunity was missed, allowing the Hurricanes to coast to 139 for one at the halfway point. Despite some breakthroughs, including the eventual dismissal of Chesney Hughes for 33 by Khary Pierre, Greaves remained resolute, steering his team to a historic victory.
Earlier in the match, the Red Force’s innings recovered from an early loss, with Webster and Jangoo posting a robust second-wicket partnership of 112. Webster brought up his half-century before falling to Cornwall’s off-spin, while Jangoo’s aggressive strokes took him close to a maiden century, falling just short on 96 after an unfortunate return catch to Daniel Doram.
Jason Mohammed continued to accelerate in the death overs, contributing a valuable 79 not out, but the total ultimately proved insufficient against the Hurricanes’ disciplined chase.
The Hurricanes’ commanding run chase, marked by Greaves’ milestone innings, not only secured a memorable victory but also highlighted the strength and depth of their batting line-up in this year’s Super50 competition.
