Santokie, Marshall set up easy Jamaica win

BRIDGETOWN, Barbados (CMC) – A typically enterprising half-century from Xavier Marshall followed up a decisive spell of left-arm fast bowling from Krishmar Santokie to carry Jamaica to a comfortable nine-wicket victory over Leeward Islands in the Caribbean Twenty20 Championship on Thursday. Marshall struck half-dozen fours and a pair of sixes in an unbeaten 62 from 57 balls, as Jamaica, chasing 125 for victory from their allocation of 20 overs, hit the jackpot with 14 balls remaining in the second match of the competition.
Santokie had snared three wickets for 20 runs from four overs, which earned him the Man-of-the-Match award, as the Leewards were restricted to 124 for seven from their 20 overs, after they decided to bat on a typically hard, true Kensington Oval pitch.
But Marshall celebrated his return to the Jamaican national side with a volley of strokes, particularly following the departure of West Indies captain Chris Gayle for 22.
Gayle was run-out going for a single, when he failed to beat keeper Kerry Mentore’s throw to bowler Anthony Martin in the eighth over.
Marlon Samuels arrived for his first major official match, since his two-year ban for ill-advised contacts with an Indian bookmaker ended, and looked very rusty, but Marshall was in full flow, reaching his 50 from 51 balls with a lovely drive to long-off for a single off Tonito Willett, and the Jamaicans waltzed to victory.
Leewards batting became unglued, following a sedate start from Javier Liburd and Shane Jeffers.
They lost the two openers, as well their captain Wilden Cornwall, to slip from 35 without loss to 35 for three in the space of seven deliveries.
Gayle made the breakthrough, when Liburd was caught at mid-wicket for 25, before Santokie struck from successive balls of the next over, when he bowled Jeffers for five, and Leewards’ captain Wilden Cornwall for a first-ball duck.
Television replays suggested that Santokie should have completed a hat-trick with the first ball of his next over, but umpire Peter Nero dubiously ruled “not-out” for a palpable lbw appeal to Willett.
Jamaica were then put on the back-foot, with Willett hitting the top score of 37 in a partnership of 60 for the fourth wicket with Runako Morton for the best stand of the Leewards’ innings.
The Jamaicans then regained control, as the Leewards stumbled their way through the last five overs of their innings.
Jamaica meet Canada in their second match from 16:00 h (East Caribbean Time) today, and four hours later, the Leewards face Trinidad & Tobago.
LEEWARD ISLANDS (20 overs maximum)
J. Liburd c Lambert b Gayle    25
S. Jeffers b Santokie    5
R. Morton b Gayle    22
W. Cornwall b Santokie    0
T. Willett c Bernard b Santokie    37
O. Banks c Miller b Russell    3
K. Mentore c Marshall b Miller    15
J. Athanaze not out    8
G. Tonge not out    0
Extras: (lb-5, w-4)    9
Total: (7 wkts, 20 overs) 124
Fall of wickets: 1-35, 2-35, 3-35, 4-95, 5-98, 6-109, 7-124.
Bowling: Russell 3-0-24-1, Bernard 3-0-22-0, Gayle 4-0-19-2 (w-4), Miller 4-0-26-1, Santokie 4-1-20-3, Lambert 2-0-9-0.
JAMAICA (target: 125 off 20 overs)
C. Gayle run-out    21
X. Marshall not out    62
M. Samuels not out    18
Extras: (lb-2, nb-23)    25
Total: (1 wkt, 17.4 overs)    126
Fall of wickets: 1-60.
Bowling: Baker 2-1-11-0 (w-5), Tonge 3-0-26-0 (w-6), Athanaze 4-0-19-0 (w-1), Banks 1-0-19-0 (w-10), Martin 3.4-0-15-0, Cornwall 2-0-19-0 (w-1), Willett 2-0-15-0.
Points: Jamaica 4, Leeward Islands 0

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