Jamaica fall short - Barbados score big win despite Russell's six-wicket haul

Jermaine Lannaman, Gleaner Writer

Jamaica fell short in their bid to make the final of the West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) Regional 50 Over Tournament, going down to a 58-run defeat at the hands of Barbados, in semi-final action at Sabina Park yesterday.

Jamaica, who were failing to advance to the final for the third time in as many seasons, restricted Barbados to a competitive 249-9 off their allotted overs, with new West Indies call-up and Man of the Match, Andre Russell, claiming six for 45 off 10 overs.

Jonathan Carter hit 59 off 57 balls and Dwayne Smith made 55 off 50, to lead the Barbados batting.

four wickets for 19

Needing to score at a run-rate of five per over, Jamaica were dismissed for 191 off 44.1 overs. Brendan Nash led the home team's scoring with a fighting 52 from 93 balls.

Left-arm spinner and captain, Ryan Hinds, claimed four for 19 off 9.1 overs and 23 year-old pacer, Javon Searles, three for 51 off eight overs, to spearhead the Barbados bowling.

"It's a disappointing end to the tournament," said Jamaica's captain, Chris Gayle.

"But congrats to Barbados, they put us under a lot of pressure and eventually pulled through.

"It would have been good if we could have pulled it off and advance to the final, but that's how it goes," added Gayle. "We will now just have to turn our attention to the Twenty20 tournament, which will be held early next year."

After winning the toss and electing to field, Gayle must have been kissing his lucky stars as after just 3.4 overs, Jamaica had the visitors tottering at 27-2, with hard-hitting opener, Dale Richards, falling leg before wicket to the bowling of Russell for a two-ball duck, and Hinds caught behind by wicketkeeper Carlton Baugh Jr for three.

However, the Barbadians did not roll over and die, and thanks to a 36-run third-wicket stand between opener Jason Haynes, who made a 29-ball 14, and stylish middle-order batsman, Kirk Edwards, who made 53-ball 34, they were able to stage a brief recovery before the former was dismissed, also off the bowling of Russell, with the score on 38.

Then came 22-year-old Carter, who, along with Edwards, put on 82 for the fourth wicket, before the latter was adjudged lbw off leg-spinner, Odean Brown ( one for 36 off eight overs) in the 25th over, with the score on 120.

With the platform laid for a challenging total, Barbados then capitalised on the situation, courtesy of the hard-hitting Smith, who batted with uncharacteristic patience in the early part of his innings, and the last-wicket pair, Kemar Roach (13 not out) and Tino Best (15 not out), who put on an unbroken 34-run partnership, they were able to able to end their innings on a high.

no meaningful partnership

Jamaica got off to a fairly good start with openers Gayle (16 off 19) and Marshall (20 off 31) putting on 32, before Gayle was caught behind off the bowling of the fiery Best.

However, they failed to put together any meaningful partnerships thereafter, with a 58-run sixth-wicket partnership between Nash and David Bernard Jr, who made an equally fighting 28 off 38 balls, being the only bright spark in the host team's challenge - which ended with the tournament's largest crowd thus far, walking out in disappointment.

"I thought Russell bowled extremely well to put us under pressure. However, we have a fairly decent middle-to-lower-order batting and today they came to the party," said Hinds.

"It's now on to the final where we will be looking to put in a similar performance, as we seek our first title in seven years."

Barbados will play the Leeward Islands in tomorrow's final, also at Sabina Park.

The Leewards defeated the Windward Islands by four runs in the first semi-final on Thursday.