NORTH SOUND, Antigua – Captain Shai Hope’s composed half-century kept Barbados Pride dreaming before fast bowlers Nicholson Gordon and Odean Smith wiped out the lower order to hand Jamaica Scorpions an emphatic 64-run victory in the Super50 Cup here late Thursday night.
Asked to chase a challenging 278 under lights in the Zone B contest at the Vivian Richards Cricket Ground, Pride recovered from a shaky start to be in command at 139 for two in the 29th over courtesy of Hope’s 86 and 57 from all-rounder Roston Chase.
The pendulum swung when left-arm spinner Dennis Bulli (2-57) triggered a slide to leave Barbados Pride on 167 for five in the 34th over but Hope remained entrenched, once again leading a recovery in an innings lasting 103 balls and including seven fours and a six.
He and Roshon Primus (15) had ground out a 39-run, sixth-wicket stand to push Pride past the 200-run mark when Gordon (3-21) and Smith (2-24) produced incisive bursts to send the last five wickets tumbling for seven runs in the space of 19 balls, leaving the innings 213 all out at the start of the 45th over.
Captain Rovman Powell had earlier blasted 80 from 54 deliveries and Test star Nkrumah Bonner, 59 from 82 balls, as Scorpions rallied to 277 for six off 50 overs after opting to bat first.
When Chase pulled back the innings in a 10-over spell which yielded three for 33, Smith arrived to blast 44 from 35 deliveries, to give Scorpions late impetus.
The victory was the first for Scorpions following a defeat in their opening match to Leeward Islands Hurricanes while for Pride, the loss was also their first following an opening win over West Indies Academy.
Test vice-captain Jermaine Blackwood struck a patient 31 from 51 deliveries as he put on 33 for the first wicket with Brandon King (25) and a further 61 for the second wicket with Bonner who counted half-dozen fours.
Bonner also added 44 for the third wicket with Andre McCarthy (26) before both fell to Chase in a slide that saw three wickets go down for 33 runs to leave the innings tottering on 171 for five in the 40th over.
However, Powell belted four fours and five sixes and Smith, one four and three sixes, the pair posting a whirlwind 90 for the sixth wicket.
Left-arm spinner Jeavor Royal then knocked over both Pride openers cheaply to leave the chase precariously placed at 33 for two in the eighth over before Hope and Chase combined in a 106-run, third-wicket stand to repair the damage.
Hope faced 103 balls and struck seven fours and a six while Chase produced an identical boundary count in a 67-ball knock before pulling a long hop from Bulli into McCarthy’s lap at deep mid-wicket in the 29th over.
Chase’s wicket was one of three to tumble for 28 runs and Hope’s efforts to salvage the innings ended in the 43rd when he too pulled an innocuous delivery, this time from Gordon for Smith to take a low catch at square leg.
-CMC
