The Big Bash League (BBL) Technical Committee has allowed the Melbourne Renegades to replace Marlon Samuels with England batsman Alex Hales, after the West Indian was ruled out of the remainder of the tournament due to the injury sustained during Sunday night's fiery clash against the Melbourne Stars.
Samuels suffered a suspected fracture of the eye-socket when struck in the face, via a top-edge, while facing Lasith Malinga. The injury brought to an end a turbulent tournament for Samuels. Brisbane Heat coach Darren Lehmann and Adelaide Strikers coach Darren Berry had been charged for breaches of the Code of Behaviour when they publicly questioned the legitimacy of Samuels' bowling action. Berry got into a heated discussion with Samuels prior to his side's match with the Renegades, before Samuels became the pantomime villain again against the Stars on Sunday when he embroiled himself in arguments with both David Hussey and Shane Warne, who was later fined and suspended for the incident.
Chris Gayle is not playing for Jamaica in the ongoing Caribbean T20 because the selectors decided to omit him from the squad, after the batsman said he would be available only if his Big Bash League franchise, Sydney Thunder, did not make the knockouts of Australia's ongoing domestic T20 competition.
Thunder failed to make it past the league stage of the BBL but, according to the Caribbean T20 playing conditions, Gayle cannot be added to Jamaica's squad unless one of their players is injured.
Barbados thrashed Leeward Islands by nine wickets, after dismissing their opponents for 87 and then achieving the target in 8.2 overs at Queen's Park Oval. Only one Leeward Islands batsman, Chesney Hughes, reached double figures while the other ten managed only 42 runs together. Barbados fast bowler Tino Best finished with figures of 4 for 26, his best in a domestic T20 match.
Leeward Islands chose to bat and Best started the collapse by dismising Kieran Powell with the first ball of the match. Hughes was the only man to provide resistance with a 23-ball 34. The next best score was 8 and extras contributed 11 to Leeward Islands' total.
A fighting knock of 40 from skipper Merissa Aguilleira was the only sparkle as West Indies suffered a batting collapse and lost to South Africa by 80 runs in the first of their five-match one-day international series at Warner Park here yesterday.
Aguilleira cracked seven fours in her gutsy innings, facing 43 balls, to lead a Windies fightback, as the home side spluttered to 126 all out in 35 overs, chasing the visitors' 206 for eight off 50 overs.
The collapse began without a run on the board after losing the prized scalp of Stafanie Taylor for a duck to Marizanne Kapp, the slow medium bowler.
PORT OF SPAIN, Trinidad, CMC – Trinidad and Tobago and Jamaica played to a no result in the opening match of the Caribbean Twenty20 at Queen’s Park Oval here Sunday.
Rain intervened after just eight balls of the Jamaica innings with the visitors on on five without loss.
Scores:
T&T 128 for nine off 20 overs (Dwayne Bravo 30, Denesh Ramdin 19; Krishmar Santokie 2-17, David Bernard 2-24)
