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Scorpions eye Super50 semi-final place

Published:Wednesday | November 20, 2019 | 12:45 AMLennox Aldred/Gleaner Writer
Jamaica Scorpions’ Nkrumah Bonner (right) hits a four during the first semi-final match of the Super50 Cup between Guyana Jaguars and Jamaica Scorpions last season at Kensington Oval.
Randy Brooks
Jamaica Scorpions’ Nkrumah Bonner (right) hits a four during the first semi-final match of the Super50 Cup between Guyana Jaguars and Jamaica Scorpions last season at Kensington Oval.

The Jamaica Scorpions will be keen to turn the tables on the Barbados Pride when the teams meet in the return Group ‘A’ Super50 Cup fixture at Conaree Sports Club, St Kitts and Nevis, today. The Pride continue to lead the group with 20 points from their six matches, while the Scorpions lie in third position with 12 points from five games, the same as the Leeward Islands Hurricanes, who have a better net run rate of 0.698 compared to Jamaica’s 0.195.

A win in their last two fixtures could be enough to send the Jamaicans into the final four.

Meanwhile, the Jamaicans will have to turn the tables on arch-rivals Barbados as the last time the teams met in the opening group fixture of the tournament, the Pride got the better of the Scorpions by 75 runs thanks to Nicholas Kirton and Kyle Mayers, who got 55 and 52 runs, respectively. Off-spinner Ashley Nurse bagged four wickets in that match, with Chemar Holder chipping in with three wickets.

Jamaican batsman Andre McCarthy made 95 and took four wickets in that losing cause. However, the right-hander has gone on to do well with the bat thus far in the competition, scoring 258 runs at an average of 51.66.

Consistency

The top five batters have been scoring consistently in the tournament, with opener Assad Fudadin amassing 270 runs, Nkrumah Bonner 226, and captain Rovman Powell 200. For Bonner, the key to success is to continue to ride the momentum, that the team has gained over the last couple of games.

“Momentum is everything right now. We didn’t start the competition well after losing the first two games. However, we have bounced back well, and because the tournament is a quick turnaround, you need momentum on your side heading into the final set of group matches,” said Bonner.

Left-arm Chinaman bowler Dennis Bulli has been a revelation in the team, coming in and picking up wickets at will.

Bulli grabbed 4 for 40 in the win against Canada on Monday, and the Jamaica Defence Force bowler has claimed nine wickets in the three matches he has played so far.

Once again, he will be required to come up big against the Pride along with pacer Oshane Thomas and McCarthy also expected to figure with the ball.The first ball in the Jamaica vs Barbados game is 8:00am. Jamaica time.