COOLIDGE – Trinidad & Tobago Red Force are the champions of the West Indies Super50 Cup.
Kieron Pollard’s side relied upon a record, seventh List A hundred from veteran opener Lendl Simmons and a destructive spell of seam bowling from experienced pacer Ravi Rampaul to romp to a commanding, 152-run win over Guyana Jaguars in the day/night final at the Coolidge Cricket Ground in Antigua.
The result meant Red Force played unbeaten throughout the tournament, handing them their 13th title and the Clive Lloyd Trophy, symbol of West Indies Super50 supremacy, for the first time in five years.
Simmons celebrated his return to the West Indies line-up for the forthcoming Twenty20 International series against Sri Lanka, starting this coming Wednesday at this same venue, with a masterly 146.
He belted 15 fours and seven sixes from 145 balls and propelled Red Force to their second highest Super50 total of 362 for five from their allocation of 50 overs, after they were put in to bat on another easy-paced pitch.
Rampaul followed up by leading the destruction of the Jaguars’ run chase with four for 52 from 10 overs, becoming only the fourth bowler and first pacer to take 100 wickets or more in the West Indies Super50.
The former Windies pacer now has 101 wickets and trails retired Guyanese leg-spinner Mahendra Nagamootoo (107), retired Barbadian left-arm spinner Sulieman Benn (106) and Jaguars left-arm spinner Veerasammy Permaul (102) on the list of most successful West Indies Super50 bowlers.
Chasing such an imposing target in an effort to break their 16-year wait for a 10th Super50 title was always going to prove challenging for Jaguars.
Once Rampaul removed the cream of their batting in an opening burst that sent them stumbling to 55 for six in the 10th over, the match was well and truly over as a genuine contest for Jaguars.
The 36-year-old paceman had Shimron Hetmyer caught behind for 20 in the sixth over and Jaguars captain Leon Johnson caught at short third man for a five-ball duck in the eighth over before he bowled big-hitting all-rounder Romario Shepherd for four with the final ball of the Power Play.
Barbadian all-rounder Raymon Reifer eased the pain of defeat for Jaguars and brought some respectability to their batting with a career-best 97 not out from 112 balls that included seven fours and three sixes.
He added 39 with new West Indies white-ball selectee Kevin Sinclair for the seventh wicket, put on 38 with Permaul for the eighth wicket and shared the best partnership of the innings of 71 with Gudakesh Motie for the ninth wicket.
Former West Indies Under-19 pacer Jayden Seales formalised the result, when he bowled last man Niall Smith for a one-ball duck with 19 balls remaining in the match, leaving Reifer stranded within striking distance of a maiden List A hundred.
Seales ended with three for 40 from 7.5 overs and fellow pacer Anderson Phillip captured two for 40 from seven overs.
Earlier, Simmons reached his hundred from 118 balls, when he drove left-arm pacer Reifer through cover for two in the 37th over.
Simmons shared successive stands with the three international left-handers in the Red Force top order.
He put on 121 with fellow opener Evin Lewis, added 100 with Darren Bravo and shared 67 with Nicholas Pooran.
The 36-year-old opener led Red Force past 300 before he was caught at mid-off, slicing a drive off pacer Romario Shepherd in the 45th over to finish with the highest score by a Red Force batsman in the West Indies Super50.
The previous best was 134 by Denesh Ramdin against Barbados Pride eight years ago at Queen’s Park Oval in the T&T capital of Port of Spain.
No Jaguars bowlers distinguished himself and Shepherd was not only the most successful, but the most expensive, taking two for 105 from his allotted 10 overs.
Summarised scores:
Red Force 362 for five off 50 overs (Lendl Simmons 146, Evin Lewis 57, Darren Bravo 47, Nicholas Pooran 39, Denesh Ramdin 27 not out, Kieron Pollard 23; Romario Shepherd 2-105).
Jaguars 210 all out off 43.5 overs (Raymon Reifer 97 not out, Gudakesh Motie 28, Shimron Hetmyer 20, Kevin Sinclair 19, Chandrapaul Hemraj 14, Veerasammy Permaul 13; Ravi Rampaul 4-52, Jayden Seales 3-40, Anderson Phillip 3-40).
(AR)
