Barbados gained a psychological advantage over Sagicor High Performance Centre (HPC) when they crushed them by six wickets in a practice game yesterday in preparation for the West Indies Super 50 tournament at Queen’s Park.
HPC, who will be Barbados’ first-round opponents on Wednesday in Guyana, set the Bajans 169 to win which they achieved with 22.4 overs to spare for the loss of four wickets.
Led by a 53-ball 72 from opener Dale Richards, Barbados coasted to an early victory.
Richards was extremely severe on recent West Indies Twenty20 international leg-spinner Nkrumah Bonner whom he struck for three of his six sixes.
With Rashidi Boucher, who batted beautifully for a brief 34 from 27 balls with three fours and two sixes, Richards shared an opening stand of 64.
It was ended in the eighth over when Boucher was magnificently caught and bowled by leg-spinner Keron Cottoy.
Former Barbados skipper Ryan Hinds batted solidly for 33 from 66 deliveries in a second-wicket partnership of 77 with Richards, which ended in the 21st over with the score on 141.
Richards, in advancing to strike Bonner for another six missed and was neatly stumped by Dowrich.
Ryan Hinds and Kyle Hope perished before Barbados erased the target but the small crowd was richly entertained by the left-handed Jonathan Carter who hastened the end by belting an unbeaten 26 from 12 balls with three massive sixes.
Earlier, HPC won the toss and batted poorly in conditions that might be similar to what they are likely to face in Guyana next week. On a slow pitch, they were skittled out for 168 in 48 overs.
Only Jamaican Andre Creary performed with credit, adjusting to the conditions while compiling a patient 45 from 69 balls with one six and three boundaries.
HPC struggled from the beginning when they lost Rajendra Chandrika (1), Kyle Corbin (19) and Nkrumah Bonner (23) by the time the score reached 67 in the 20th over.
The innings was revived somewhat by a 25-run stand between former West Indies keeper Devon Thomas (26) and Creary before the former was run out attempting a quick single by a direct throw from behind point by Jonathan Carter.
The HPC innings went into terminal decline when off-spinners Kenroy Williams and Ashley Nurse were introduced.
