Narine puts Jamaica in a spin

GEORGETOWN, Guyana (CMC):

Sunil Narine continued to bamboozle batsmen, bowling Trinidad & Tobago to a confident 34-run victory over Jamaica under the Duckworth-Lewis Method in the Regional Super50 tournament here yesterday.

The 23-year-old off-spinner grabbed the chance of opening the bowling, taking five wickets for 37 runs from 10 overs to earn the man-of-the-match award, as Jamaica finished on 154 for nine, chasing a revised target of 191 from 40 overs, in their rain-affected top-of-the-table Group-B match at the Everest Cricket Club.

Chief among Narine's scalps was Jamaica captain and rampaging West Indies batsman Chris Gayle, whose dismissal for 31 in the 11th over swung the match decisively T&T's way.

Narine now has 12 wickets at 10 runs apiece in the tournament and is the leading bowler.

Tamar Lambert hit the top score of 48 not out from 91 balls, and Andre Russell chipped in with a cameo 31 from 27 balls.

The result meant that Jamaica finished at the top of the Group B standings with 14 points and T&T secured second place ahead of the Combined Campuses & Colleges with 12 points.

T&T will face hosts Guyana in the first semi-final tomorrow under the lights at the Guyana National Stadium, where the second semi-final, also under the lights, takes place the following day between the Jamaicans and West Indies High Performance Centre.

The final will be contested at the same venue on Sunday under the lights again at the same venue.

West Indies all-rounder Dwayne Bravo lived up to his name, defying a blow to his leg that hobbled him to lead the T&T batting with 55 from 87 balls, which included seven fours and one six.

Jason Mohammed supported with 43 and T&T captain Daren Ganga made 30, as the Red Force reached 196 for eight from their allocation of 50 overs, after they were sent in to bat.

Left-arm spinner Nikita Miller was the most successful Jamaica bowler with three for 32 from his allottment of 12 overs.