KINGSTOWN, St. Vincent – Felicia Walters followed up a typically resolute half-century with a penetrative spell to earn the Player-of-the-Match award and spur Trinidad & Tobago to a 21-run victory over Barbados to retain the Women’s Regional Super50 title on Sunday.
Walters grabbed 3-25 from her allotted 10 overs, as Barbados were bowled out for 143 in 45.5 overs in the Grand Final of the Tournament at the Arnos Vale Sports Complex.
Fellow spinner KarishmaRamharack grabbed 2-10 from 8.5 overs and long-standing West Indies Women’s off-spinner Anisa Mohammed collected 2-36 from nine overs, as the Barbadians lost their last eight wickets for 73.
Kyshona Knight and Windies Women’s teammate Deandra Dottin led the way for Barbados with 32 apiece, Charlene Taitt made 24 and Shamilia Connell added 20.
Earlier, Walters hit the top score of 53 from 140 balls to anchor T&T to 164 all out in 46 overs, after they were sent in to bat.
Fellow opener Reniece Boyce scored 29 and T&T captain Merissa Aguilleira, the former Windies Women’s captain, notched 20.
Leg-spinner Keila Elliot was the pick of the Barbadian bowlers with 4-47 from her 10 overs, Dottin picked up 3-41 from nine overs and Hayley Matthews, later named the Player-of-the-Tournament, grabbed 2-17 from 10 overs.
BRIDGETOWN, Barbados, CMC – Phlegmatic right-hander Roston Chase carved out a fluent unbeaten hundred to avert another West Indies catastrophe and frustrate Pakistan, on the opening day of the second Test at Kensington Oval here Sunday.
With the innings threatening to come apart at the seams at 37 for three in the first session, the 25-year-old Chase stepped up to hit an unbeaten 131 – his second Test hundred – to propel West Indies to 286 for six at the close.
Chase got support from captain Jason Holder who struck a composed unbeaten 58 while opener Kieran Powell chipped in with 38 and wicketkeeper Shane Dowrich, 29.
New-ball seamers Mohammad Abbas (2-47) and Mohammad Amir (2-52) both finished with two wickets apiece but Pakistan’s bowlers were forced to toil without success in the final session as West Indies dominated.
BRIDGETOWN, Barbados, Apr 29, CMC – Embattled West Indies will place several decades of history on the line when they go in search of a series-levelling victory in the second Test of the three-match series against Pakistan here Sunday.
They have never lost a Test series to the visitors on home soil since the two sides first met in the Caribbean in 1958 and have also never been beaten by Pakistan at historic Kensington Oval in six previous clashes there..
But even with the weight of history looming large over the game, captain Jason Holder said his side needed to remain focused on execution over the next five days.
“We’ve got to put that aside. The only way we can keep those stats good is if we tick our boxes. There’s no point looking at the results, we need to tick our process boxes,” Holder told reporters on the eve of the match.
“There’s a process in terms of winning cricket games. We’ve got to put runs on the board, we’ve got to get 20 wickets. I think once we do these things – hold our chances in the field – we stand a very good chance of winning the game here.
“We need to get runs in both first and second innings and we need to take 20 wickets. In order to win a cricket game you have to take 20 wickets and for us to take 20 wickets we have to set the game up with the bat as well, to give ourselves the best chance to take 20 wickets. If we don’t do these things then we’ll be on the losing end.”
Arnos Vale, St. Vincent – Trinidad and Tobago Divas’ Captain, Merissa Aguilleira, is confident that her team can overcome the impressive Barbados Women in the Regional Women’s Super50 Competition, due to come to a thrilling end at the Arnos Vale Sports Complex tomorrow, Sunday, April 30. After what Aguilleira considers a ‘mishap’ in their first game, where they lost to the Barbadians, she believes the team has exhibited the necessary skills and temperament to retain their title, won last year in Guyana. It has definitely shown in the results, as their record thereafter remains unblemished, with their latest victory coming at the expense of the Windwards on Friday (April 28). She thinks due to the wealth of experience in both squads, we are bound to have a fantastic final encounter. However, Aguilleira insists that if her team sticks to their tasks and are efficient in all aspects of their game, they will come out on top. Batting for long periods is one thing she stressed on (which was reiterated by her T&T and West Indian teammate Britney Cooper), as the players and coaching staff believe that in a tournament like this, spending time at the wicket almost guarantees you big scores. With most matches turning out to be low-scoring affairs in this year’s competition, this key component could prove to be the difference between the eventual winners and the disappointed finalists.
KINGSTOWN, St. Vincent – A strong all-round performance from West Indies Women’s star Hayley Matthews allowed Barbados to crush Leeward Islands by eight wickets today and finish unbeaten in the preliminary competition of the Women’s Regional Super50 Tournament.
This result and the same for defending champions Trinidad & Tobago over hosts Windward Islands – inspired by Windies Women’s all-rounder Stacy-Ann King – set up a mouth-watering Grand Final featuring the two teams from regional sport’s fiercest rivalry on Sunday at the Arnos Vale Sports Complex.
At Sion Hill: The 19-year-old Matthews grabbed 6-16 from 7.2 overs with her flighty off-spin and the fragile Leewards batting collapsed for 65 in 27.2 overs, after they were put in to bat in the fifth round match.
Windies Women’s fast bowler Shamilia Connell took 2-12 from eight overs to help with the demolition, as Saneldo Willett, the daughter of former West Indies off-spinner Elquemedo Willett, whose sons Tonito and Akito also played regionally for the Leewards on the men’s side, was the only player to make it to double figures, leading the way with 13.
Matthews then struck six fours and one six in the top score of 43 from 31 balls to anchor the Barbadians to victory with 237 balls remaining before the scheduled lunch interval and finish the preliminary competition with 24 points.
At the Arnos Vale Sports Complex: King featured in an unbroken 98-run, third-wicket stand with opener Felicia Walters that pushed T&T past the Windwards.
King hit five fours in 58 from 109 balls and Walters was not out on 40, as T&T successfully chased 122 for victory with 85 balls remaining to claim a bonus point.
T&T were 25 for two in seventh over, after losing opener Reniece Boyce for nine and Windies Women’s batsman Britney Cooper for a six-ball duck – but King came to the crease and with the obdurate Walters guided her side over the finish line with little fuss.
Earlier, Lee-Ann Kirby was the pick of the T&T bowlers with 3-17 from 10 overs, as the Windwards were bowled out for 121 in 47.2 overs.
Spinners Karishma Ramharack and Kamara Ragoobar snapped up two wickets apiece to break the back of the Windwards’ batting which was led by veteran Juliana Nero’s 25 and 20 from Roylin Cooper.
At Park Hill: Jamaica captain Stafanie Taylor saved her best for last, hitting a fluent 89 to lead her side to their first victory of the tournament by 112 runs over Guyana.
The incumbent Windies Women’s captain gathered seven fours and one six from 117 balls innings, as the Jamaicans were dismissed for 188 – the highest total of the tournament – from their allocation of 50 overs.
The innings was built around a 106-run, seventh-wicket stand between Taylor and Tameka Sanford that rescued Jamaica from 66 for six in the 24th over.
Once Sanford was bowled by international Subrina Munroe for 31 in the 48th over, the rest of the batting, including Taylor, succumbed for 16 in the same number of balls.
Windies Women’s medium-fast bowler Chedean Nation then grabbed 3-20 from 8.3 overs and Chinelle Henry took 2-17 from seven overs, as the Guyanese were bowled out for 76 in 30.3 overs.
The run outs of openers June Ogle and Melanie Henry, as well as captain and Windies Women’s fast-medium bowler Tremayne Smartt did not help the Guyana chase – and the Jamaicans claimed a bonus point victory in a strong finish to the tournament.
