Bridgetown, Barbados, CMC – Jamaica withstood an inspired spell from medium pacer Kevin Stoute to clinch a one-wicket victory over Barbados on Tuesday and advance to the Final of the Regional Four-Day Tournament.
Stoute captured 5-29 from 16 overs and left-arm spinner Sulieman Benn ended with 3-78 from 26 overs, as the Jamaicans successfully chased 167 for victory on the final day of the semi-final at Kensington Oval.
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Jermaine Blackwood hit four boundaries in the top score of 64 from 98 balls in two hours and Andre McCarthy made 43, but no other batsman reached 20, as the visitors almost blew their chance to win.
Nikita Miller formalised the result about 15 minutes past the scheduled lunch interval, when he steered a delivery from Benn into square cover for a single to allow Jamaica to breathe a huge sigh of relief – but left the home team, the newly-crowned regional champions – crestfallen.
The Jamaicans will now make the short hop to St. Lucia, where they will face Windward Islands in the Final, starting on Saturday at the Beausejour Cricket Ground.
Jamaica started the day needing 61 more runs to win with eight wickets standing – but their approach was in stark contrast to the previous evening when they played aggressively to reach 106 for two.
Andre McCarthy, whose positive stroke-play helped to put the Jamaicans within sight of victory on Monday, was caught at extra cover off Benn from a leading edge, seven runs short of his half century.
He struck four boundaries from 43 balls in just over an hour and put on 91 with Blackwood for the third wicket.
It was at this stage that Stoute made his intervention into the match, bowling unchanged from the start until the finish to send shivers down the spine of Jamaica.
He had Blackwood caught behind off Stoute in his fourth over before Carlton Baugh Jr was run out for the second time in the match for one, attempting a single.
Stoute then had Jamaica captain Tamar Lambert, a century-maker in the first innings, caught at slip for 10 in his ninth over, Sheldon Cottrell, strangely promoted to eight, bowled for six in his following over and Damion Jacobs caught at gully for a duck two balls later, leaving Jamaica 139 for eight.
Jerome Taylor hit a four and a six in 12 to ease the tension, but he was caught at slip off Stoute for a duck with 12 required for victory.
Stoute and Benn bowled steadily to make the last wicket pair of Miller and Dave Bernard Jr work for the remaining runs – but the Jamaican pair inched them over the finish line.
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Summary Scores:
Barbados 1st Innings: 245 All Out (77.3 Overs). Shane Dowrich+ 69, Ashley Nurse 45, Omar Phillips 33, Shai Hope 28; Damion Jacobs 21-8-58-3, Sheldon Cottrell 8.3-1-28-3, Dave Bernard 9-2-32-2, Nikita Miller 27-6-56-0.
Jamaica 1st Innings: 302 All Out (93 Overs). Tamar Lambert* 121, Dave Bernard Jr 42, Jermaine Blackwood 37, John Campbell 31; Sulieman Benn 35-13-102-5, Ashley Nurse 16-4-47-2, Fidel Edwards 12-0-58-2, Carlos Brathwaite 14-4-31-0.
Barbados 2nd Innings: 223 All Out (69.3 Overs). Jonathan Carter 111*, Kraigg Brathwaite* 22, Shai Hope 22, Shane Dowrich+ 20; Jerome Taylor 14.3-1-37-3, Nikita Miller 17-0-52-3, Sheldon Cottrell 12-0-31-2, Damion Jacobs 13-1-50-2.
Jamaica 2nd Innings: 167/9 (57 Overs). Jermaine Blacwood 64, Andre McCarthy 43, Jerome Taylor 12, Dave Bernard Jr 12*; Kevin Stoute 16-3-29-5, Sulieman Benn 26-4-78-3, Kraigg Brathwaite 1-0-1-0, Carlos Brathwaite 2-0-3-0.
Jamaica won by 1 wicket
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Barbados 1st Innings
Kraigg Brathwaite*LBW Bernard 15
O Phillips c Blackwood b Jacobs 33
S Hope run out Blackwood 28
J Carter c Bonner b Jacobs 15
K Stoute LBW Jacobs 11
S Dowrich+ not out 69
Carlos Brathwaite run out McCarthy 4
A Nurse b Cottrell 45
S Benn c Lambert b Bernard 8
Fidel Edwards c Bernard b Cottrell 0
M Cummins hit wkt Cottrell 0
Total: 245 All Out (77.3 Overs)
Extras: (b11, w3, nb3) 17
Fall of Wickets: 1-29, 2-82, 3-92, 4-105, 5-128, 6-134, 7-235, 8-244, 9-245, 10-245.
Jamaica 1st Innings Bowling: J Taylor 11-0-50-0, S Cottrell 8.3-1-28-3, D Bernard Jr 9-2-32-2, D Jacobs 21-8-58-3, N Miller 27-6-56-0, J Campbell 1-0-10-0.
Jamaica 1st Innings
N Bonner LBW Nurse 26
J Campbell LBW Benn 31
D Jacobs c Phillips b Benn 21
J Blackwood c Phillips b Benn 37
A McCarthy c Kraigg Brathwaite b Nurse 0
T Lambert* c Carlos Brathwaite b Benn 121
C Baugh Jr+ run out Benn 10
D Bernard Jr LBW Fidel Edwards 42
N Miller c Carter b Benn 0
J Taylor c Dowrich b Fidel Edwards 0
S Cottrell not out 5
Total: 302 All Out (93 Overs)
Extras: (lb6, nb2) 8
Fall of Wickets: 1-51, 2-67, 3-98, 4-113, 5-125, 6-140, 7-254, 8-255, 9-264, 10-302.
Barbados 1st Innings Bowling: Fidel Edwards 12-0-58-2, M Cummins 7-0-33-0, A Nurse 16-4-47-2, Carlos Brathwaite 14-4-31-0, S Benn 35-13-102-5, J Carter 9-1-25-0.
Barbados 2nd Innings (Trail; 57)
Kraigg Brathwaite c Baugh b Jacobs 32
O Phillips c Baugh Jr b Cottrell 2
S Hope b Taylor 22
J Carter c Jacobs b Miller 111
K Stoute st Baugh b Jacobs 8
S Dowrich+ c Lambert b Cottrell 20
Carlos Brathwaite c Campbell b Miller 7
A Nurse c Campbell b Miller 2
S Benn c Blackwood b Taylor 8
Fidel Edwards not out 0
M Cummins c Baugh b Taylor 0
Total: 223 All Out (69.3 Overs)
Extras: (b4, lb1, w2, nb4) 11
Fall of Wickets: 1-10, 2-40, 3-100, 4-123, 5-172, 6-204, 7-214, 8-223, 9-223, 10-233.
Jamaica 2nd Innings Bowling: J Taylor 14.3-1-37-3, S Cottrell 12-0-31-2, N Miller 17-0-52-3; D Bernard Jr 6-2-17-0, J Blackwood 2-0-12-0, D Jacobs 13-1-50-2, J Campbell 2-0-5-0, T Lambert 3-0-14-0.
Jamaica 2nd Innings (Target; 167)
N Bonner c Carter b Benn 0
J Campbell c Carlos Brathwaite b Benn 10
J Blackwood c Dowrich b Stoute 64
A McCarthy c Kraigg Brathwaite b Benn 43
C Baugh Jr+ run out Kraigg Brathwaite 1
T Lambert c Benn b Stoute 10
D Bernard Jr not out 14
S Cottrell b Stoute 6
D Jacobs c Nurse b Stoute 0
J Taylor c Benn b Stoute 12
N Miller not out 3
Total: 167/9 (57 Overs)
Extras: (nb4) 4
Fall of Wickets: 1-1, 2-20, 3-111, 4-123, 5-129, 6-133, 7-139, 8-139, 9-155.
Barbados 2nd Innings Bowling: Fidel Edwards 3-1-9-0, S Benn 26-4-78-3, A Nurse 5-0-29-0, Carlos Brathwaite 2-0-3-0, Carter 2-0-9-0, M Cummins 2-0-9-0, Kraigg Brathwaite 1-0-1-0, K Stoute 16-3-29-5.
Result: Jamaica won by 1 wicket
Series: Jamaica advance to the Final
Man of the Match: Tamar Lambert (Jamaica)
Toss: Barbados won the toss and elected to bat
Umpires: Peter Nero, Joel Wilson
Match Referee: Mervyn Jones
Reserve Umpire: Jonathan Blades