Jamaica score third straight outright

BRIDGETOWN, Barbados:  Tournament leaders Jamaica tiptoed to their third win on the trot yesterday, as they sneaked home by ten runs in a thriller against defending champions Barbados, on the third day of their third-round Carib Beer Series match at Windward Club in St. Philip. Kurt Wilkinson hit a superb 61 but the home team, chasing a modest target of 158, never recovered after losing their first five wickets for 27 runs and were bowled out for 147.

Fast bowler Daren Powell completed a fine all-round match by ripping out the off stump of last man Jason Bennett with a yorker to end the match with a day to spare. The 26-year-old, who earlier completed a maiden first-class 50 to boost Jamaica’s second innings, claimed four for 43. His match figures of eight for 90 helped him earn the Man of the Match award. Fellow pacer Jerome Taylor took two for 20 before leaving the field with stiffness in his back. Left-arm spinner Nikita Miller contributed with two for 16.

Jamaica was always on top once they reduced the Barbadians to 13 for four at the lunch break. Taylor struck from the first ball of the innings as the aggressive Martin Nurse swatted an ill-judged pull to mid-on. Fellow opener Dale Richards should have followed six runs later after he, too, skied a pull at Taylor. Instead, he was run out as Miller recovered from dropping the simple chance to send a pinpoint return to the wicketkeeper as Richards stumbled when sent back by his skipper Sherwin Campbell. But the silky Wilkinson and level-headed wicketkeeper Patrick Browne shared a restorative stand of 49 for the sixth wicket. Browne scored a composed 21 off 85 balls in just under two hours but was bowled by Nikita Miller just before tea was taken at 80 for six.

Ryan Hurley seemed intent to end the match with a flurry of  strokes after the break as he dominated a 42-run partnership with Wilkinson. Hurley lashed Miller for a mighty six over extra-cover and added another off Taylor as Jamaica was temporarily shell-shocked. But Hurley’s aggression soon brought his downfall as Taylor flattened his off stump when the diminutive right-hander essayed another expansive pull. Hurley’s 27 spanned just 39 deliveries in 41 minutes and also included one four. Wilkinson was not prepared to concede defeat and he passed his half century with a spanked square cut for four off Powell at 130 for eight. He found an able ally in Corey Collymore as the tail-ender batted with solid defence. The pair put on 22 for the ninth wicket before Miller landed the killer blow with one of his worst balls of the day.