ST GEORGE’S – An astonishing 26 wickets fell on the second day as Barbados emerged from a low-scoring slugfest with Windward Islands with a 71-run victory inside two days in their Regional Four-Day match yesterday.
Off-spinner Shane Shillingford snatched a career-best eight for 33 in Barbados’ second innings of 85 to finish the game with amazing match figures of 14 for 110, which seemed to put the Windwards on top.
However, seamer Javon Searles, in his first match of the season, answered with a career-best showing of his own, securing match figures of 11 for 83, to bowl the Barbadians to victory late in the day at the Queen’s Park Stadium.
Barbados finished the preliminaries 48 points – to be assured to second spot and a place in the semi-finals – while the Windwards remained on 28.
There was no indication of what was to come when the Windwards resumed the day on 65 for four, in reply to Barbados’ first innings of 192.
However, the hosts suffered a collapse, losing their last six wickets for 68 runs to tumble to 133 all out, with Searles adding two more wickets to his overnight four to finish with six for 44.
Sergio Fedee topscored with an unbeaten 31 while captain Liam Sebastien scored 28. The pair extended their fifth wicket stand to 39 before being separated, when Sebastien was lbw to Searles.
Behind by 53 runs on first innings, the Windwards then tore through the Barbados innings, as the visitors’ batsmen found Shillingford virtually unplayable.
Set 144 for victory, the Windwards shockingly lost their first three wickets without a run on the board as Atticus Browne, Andre Fletcher and Devon Smith all departed without scoring.
Sebastien (4) gave Searles (5-39) a return catch with the score on five as the Windwards’ slump continued before Fedee (17) and Keddy Lesporis (15) stopped the hemorrhaging by adding 27 for the fifth wicket.
Four wickets – including Fedee and Lesporis – fell for 12 runs before Nelon Pascal, who top-scored with 20 and Shillingford (17) held up the inevitable with a 29-run, ninth-wicket partnership.
Left-arm spinner Sulieman Benn, who claimed four for 32, accounted for Shillingford at 73 for nine before Jomel Warrican, another left-arm spinner, prised out Pascal with no runs added. (CMC)
