THANKS to a pugnacious 83 from opening batsman and Man-of- the- Match Dwayne Smith, and four wickets from medium-fast bowler Carlos Brathwaite, Barbados defeated Trinidad and Tobago by 17 runs in the final of the West Indies Cricket Board NAGICO Super50 tournament last night, to lift the Clive Lloyd trophy.Scores: Barbados 252 all out off 48.4 overs, Trinidad and Tobago 235 all out off 45.5 overs.

Winning the toss and opting to bat first, Barbados got another raucous start from Smith and a composed looking Kraigg Brathwaite 36 (63 balls, 3×4) who posted 127 for the first wicket, but their team were bowled out for 252 from 48.4 overs, as Kevon Cooper snared 4 for 62 and got support from Sunil Narine 2 for 18 and Lendl Simmons’ 2 for 23.
In reply, T&T got a positive start from Simmons and Evin Lewis who posted 57 for the first wicket, but fell away to the pace/spin combination of Carlos Brathwaite (4 for 41), Jason Holder (2 for 30) and Suleiman Benn (2 for 29) and were bowled out for 235 in 45.5 overs, despite a resilient 68 from Denesh Ramdin.
After a sedate start in which they scored 13 from the first four overs, Smith, opened his shoulders to hit Dwayne Bravo for two fours in the fifth over, followed by a six over backward square leg off Ravi Rampaul, only to be given a life by Lewis in the same position next delivery.
The 30 year old Smith said thanks by hitting Rayad Emrit for two fours in successive overs, posting Barbados’ 50 from 8.3 overs with his second four, in front of a packed to capacity venue.
Dwayne Bravo brought Sunil Narine into the attack at the start of the 10th, but the Barbadian batsmen were watchful against him, especially Smith who posted his 50 from 47 balls with seven fours and a six.
He celebrated his half century by hitting Dwayne Bravo for a 4 and 6 off successive deliveries in the 19th over, realising Barbados’ 100 with the six, with his contribution being 67 while Brathwaite, who came into his own with a sweetly timed four on his toes off Emrit, on 27.
The introduction of Simmons in the 21st over saw the demise of Brathwaite who edged one through to Ramdin, while Smith picked out Dwayne Bravo at deep midwicket five runs later, after hitting 10 fours and two sixes in his 77 balls innings.
Their demise brought together Jonathan Carter and his skipper Kevin Stoute, who proceeded to add 63 for the third wicket from 12.2 overs, with Carter stroking three fours in his 49 before he was lbw to Narine at 195 for 3 in the 38th over.
A triple strike by Kevon Cooper who removed Carlos Brathwaite (09), Stoute (15) and Shane Dowrich (01), saw Barbados slipping to 210 for 6, after Carlos Brathwaite hit Cooper for six to raise the 200, only to lose his middle stump two deliveries later, while Stoute and Dowrich were lbw off the first and last delivery of Cooper’s next over.
When Yannick Ottley held a low return catch offered by Kenroy Williams (01) and Jason Holder was lbw to Narine for 05, Barbados were 218 for 8, losing six quick wickets for 23 runs in the space of 24 balls.
An unbeaten 22 from Benn, which included two fours and a six back over the head of Cooper, piloted Barbados who later lost Ashley Nurse (11) and Fidel Edwards (01), to 252 from 48.4 overs, as Cooper and Narine fought back for the home team.
In reply, Trinidad raced to 57 from 8 overs, with Lewis hitting Edwards for a pair of boundaries while Simmons, who was dropped by Williams at second slip off Holder, lifting the said bowler over point for 6 as the duo posted 50 from 7 overs.
However, Lewis who survived many close chances off Holder was caught at third man by Edwards off Holder for a 26 balls 27, decorated with five fours and he was followed by Ottley who failed to trouble the scorers, when he hooked at one from Holder and found Smith.
Entered Darren Bravo to a round of applause at 61 for 2 and opened his account with an audacious punch for four through extra cover off Carlos Brathwaite, but lost Simmons 19 (31 balls, 2×4; 1×6) who was bowled by the same bowler two balls later at 67 for 3.
Skipper Dwayne Bravo (06) joined his younger brother Darren, but he did not last long, as he picked out Stoute at midwicket, as his team slipped from 57 without loss to 75 for 4 in the 13th over.
A short rising delivery from Edwards was pulled for six by Darren Bravo, forcing Stoute to call on the services of the lanky Benn at the start of the 19th over, with T&T 93 for 4 and immediately he struck, inducing Darren Bravo 17 (1×4, 1×6) to edge one to Nurse at slip, at 94 for 5.
T&T inched to 100 for 5 after 27 overs with Ramdin 2 and Mohammed 9, which moved to 129 for 5, when Ramdin pulled Benn over squareleg for 6, following which he cut Carlos Brathwaite through point for four, pushing the score to 140 for 5, before Mohammed was caught at the wicket by Dowrich off Benn two runs later for 26.
When Narine (00) picked out Smith at wide mid-off, off Brathwaite one run later, the home team was staring straight down the barrel of defeat which was later underlined when Cooper (09) went lbw to Carlos Brathwaite at 160 for 8.
As he did in the preliminary round contest when T&T lost by 28 runs, Ramdin showed resistance and a fighting spirit, hitting Carlos Brathwaite for a pair of boundaries, posting his 50 from 68 balls with four fours and his second six, this time over squareleg off Edwards in the 41st over that had cost Barbados 12 runs.
Fittingly for Barbados, Smith brought Ramdin’s cameo innings to an end, trapping the batsman lbw for 68, but only after he had struck him for two of his six fours earlier in the over, which was backed by his two sixes in his 76 balls innings.
It was all over for the home team, when Emrit, who had struck both Nurse and Smith back over their heads for sixes, was needlessly run out by Edwards for 27 (18balls, 2×6, 1×4), after Rampaul (9*) steered Smith to third man.

Scorecard
BARBADOS INNINGS
D Smith c DJ Bravo b Simmons 83
K Brathwaite c wkpr Ramdin b Simmons 36
J Carter lbw b Narine 49
K Stoute lbw b Cooper 15
C Brathwaite b Cooper 09
K Williams c&b Ottley 01
S Dowrich lbw b Cooper 01
A Nurse b Rampaul 11
J Holder lbw b Narine 05
S Benn not out 22
F Edwards b Cooper 01
Extras: (w11, lb7, nb1) 19
Total (all out off 48.4 overs) 252
Fall of wickets: 1-127, 2-132, 3-195, 4-206, 5-207, 6-210, 7-210, 8-218, 9-241, 10-252
Bowling: DJ Bravo 5-0-40-0 (w5), Rampaul 6-0-25-1, Emrit 5-0-41-0 (w1), Narine 10-2-18-2 (w1), Cooper 9.4-0-62-4 (w3), Ottley 4-0-18-1, Simmons 5-0-23-2, Mohammed 4-0-18-0 (nb1, w1)

T&T INNINGS
L Simmons b C Brathwaite 19
E Lewis c Edwards b Holder 27
K Ottley c Smith b Holder 00
DM Bravo c Nurse b Benn 17
DJ Bravo cd Stoute b C Brathwaite 06
J Mohammed c wkpr Dowrich b Benn 26
D Ramdin lbw b Smith 68
S Narine c Smith b C Brathwaite 00
K Cooper lbw b C Brathwaite 09
R Emrit run out (Edwards/Dowrich) 27
R Rampaul not out 09
Extras: (w15, lb9, nb3) 27
Total (all out off 45.5 overs) 235
Fall of wickets: 1-57, 2-62, 3-67, 4-75, 5-94, 6-142, 7-143, 8-160, 9-204, 10-235
Bowling: Edwards 9-0-62-0 (w8, nb1), Holder 8-0-30-2 (w1, nb1), Smith 3.5-0-35-1 (w1, nb1), C Brathwaite 10-1-41-4, Benn 9-0-29-2, Nurse 6-0-29-0 (w1)
Written By Calvin Roberts in Trinidad and Tobago
Compliments of Carib Beer, Regal Stationery, Wartsilla, Romaine Car Wash and GT&T