King powerless to prevent Scorpions loss
Published:Friday | February 12, 2021 | 12:24 AMLennox Aldred/Gleaner Writer
Despite a half-century from middle-order batsman Brandon King, the Jamaica Scorpions went down by five wickets to the Trinidad and Tobago Red Force in their opening encounter of the Cricket West Indies Regional Super50 tournament at the Sir Vivian Richards Stadium in Antigua.
King played a delightful hand, falling just three runs short of a well-deserved century, as the Jamaicans, batting first, posted 258/6 from their allotted 50 overs.
King’s 97 runs from 114 deliveries also included six fours and three towering sixes. The right-hander shared in a crucial 116 run third-wicket stand with Andre McCarthy, who weighed in with a valiant 40 from 63 balls.
The Scorpions had lost debutant opener Romaine Morris earlier for five, and wicketkeeper-batsman Aldane Thomas for 20.
Captain Rovman Powell was also among the runs as he scored a fighting 43 runs from 44 balls to share in a 46-run fifth-wicket partnership with Paul Palmer Jr, who contributed 21.
Red Force pacer Anderson Phillip bowled with pace and accuracy to snare three wickets for 66 runs from his 10 overs, and there was a wicket each for Akeal Hosein, Ravi Rampaul, and captain Kieron Pollard.
The Trinidadians began their run chase in questionable fashion as opener Lendl Simmons went leg before wicket for a duck to the second ball bowled in the innings by Jamaican pacer Sheldon Cottrell without a run on the board.
Fellow opener Evin Lewis made his intentions clear from the beginning as he hit the first ball bowled by pacer Oshane Thomas for six to start the proceedings for the Red Force.
The left-hander would go on to play a masterful innings of 107, to set up the win for the Red Force.
His knock came off 92 balls and included eight fours and seven sixes as he and Jason Mohammed (28) added 112 for the second wicket.
Daren Bravo then joined Lewis, and they added a further 49 runs before Lewis was caught by Fabian Allen off McCarthy.
The in-form Nicholas Pooran would then join Bravo, and they added 62 runs for the fourth wicket, to pull the Red Force closer to their target.
Bravo would eventually fall for 59 and Pooran 43, however, Denesh Ramdin, 11, and Pollard, one, would see the Red Force over the line without any further hiccups at 259/5 in 40 overs and five deliveries.
McCarthy ended with 2/30 from his 10 overs, and Dennis Bulli picked up two expensive scalps for 84 runs in nine overs and five deliveries.