COOLIDGE – Barbados Pride will chase 219 for victory against Jamaica Scorpions and a place in the semi-finals of the West Indies Super50 Cup.
This followed a career-best spell from left-arm spinner Joshua Bishop that wrecked the top-half of the Scorpions’ batting, after they chose to bat in the final preliminary match for the two sides.
Bishop grabbed five for 35 from his allotted 10 overs and the Scorpions were bowled out for 218 in 45.3 overs in the day/night contest at the Coolidge Cricket Ground.
The former West Indies Under-19 spinner, 23, became only the third Barbados Pride slow bowler to take five wickets or more in a West Indies Super50 match.
He joined an exclusive club that includes only off-spin bowling teammate Ashley Nurse and retired fellow left-arm spinner Sulieman Benn.
At the start of the match, both teams knew they needed to win this match and confirm a place in the semi-finals for a chance to play for the title.
Bishop, sharing the new ball with his captain Jason Holder, gave Pride an early grip on the contest, when he reduced Scorpions to 32 for five in the ninth over – taking all the wickets that fell.
Nurse added the scalps of West Indies pair, Rovman Powell, the Scorpions captain, for 19 and Fabian Allen for 23 before pacer Akeem Jordan trapped Derval Green lbw for 10, sinking the Jamaican franchise to 87 for eight in the 25th over.
But Pride met resistance, when Odean Smith led a fight-back for the Scorpions with a career-best top score of 68 not out from 75 balls that included five fours and four sixes.
The Barbadian franchise took their foot off the gas in the second half of the Scorpions innings and Jamie Merchant made 37 and Jeavor Royal added 16 to breathe life into the Scorpions innings with stands of 80 and 51 respectively, with Smith.
Summarised scores:
Jamaica Scorpions 218 all out off 45.3 overs (Odean Smith 68 not out, Jamie Merchant 37, Fabian Allen 23, Rovman Powell 19, Jeavor Royal 16, Brandon King 10, Derval Green 10; Joshua Bishop 10-3-35-5, Ashley Nurse 2-51) vs Barbados Pride. (AR)
