BRIDGETOWN, Barbados (CMC) – A typically stroke-filled 66 from Dwayne Smith, a career-best spell from Javon Searles, and rain all combined to hand Barbados a crucial, 33-run victory, under the Duckworth-Lewis Method, over Canada in the Caribbean Twenty20 Championship on Wednesday. Smith struck three fours and six sixes from 40 balls, as Barbados, sent in to bat, were restricted to 139 for seven from their allocation of 20 overs in the rain-affected Group-B match at Kensington Oval.
Searles then collected four wickets for five runs from three overs to make him a shoo-in for the Man-of-the-Match award, as the Canadians plunged to 29 for five from the minimum six overs required to formalise a match before a second stoppage for rain came to put them out of their misery.
The result meant that Barbados now have eight points, following a four-wicket victory over Leeward Islands in their opening match also two Tuesdays ago at the Vivian Richards Cricket Ground in Antigua, where they also lost a one-over eliminator against Hampshire last Thursday.
The victory also put last year’s runners-up in third place in the group, which is headed by arch rivals and group leaders Trinidad & Tobago and Hampshire on nine points.
T&T, however, are the official leaders with a superior net run rate, and they face the Barbadians in the final group match today at the same venue.
Smith dominated an opening stand of 64 with Kirk Edwards before Barbados stumbled to 68 for two in the 11th over.
Edwards was caught and bowled off left-arm spinner Parth Desai in the 10th over before Ryan Hinds, the Barbados captain, continued his indifferent form, when Jimmy Hansra bowled him for two, eight balls later.
Smith then added 32 with Alcindo Holder for the third wicket before he was caught at long-off off Hansra in the 13th over, and sparked a batting collapse that saw the home team lose five wickets for 25 runs in the space of 28 balls.
The closing stages were horrific for the Barbadians, as they could only muster 19 from the last four overs.
Three wickets to Searles sank the Canadians to three for three in the second over before Tino Best bowled the visitors’ captain Ashish Bagai for one of five ducks in the innings.
Searles then had Jamaica-born left-hander Tyson Gordon caught at mid-wicket miscuing a hook to plunge the Canadians into crisis on 15 for five in the fourth over.
The Barbadians tried to tighten their grip, but Zubin Surkari and Hansra were just beginning to dig Canada out from under the rubble, when the weather interrupted once more.
The Canadians face Leeward Islands also today in a meaningless final match.
BARBADOS (maximum 20 overs)
D.R. Smith c Khurram b Hansra    66
K. Edwards c & b Desai    15
R. Hinds b Hansra    2
A. Holder b Khurram Chohan    19
J. Carter b Hansra    6
C. Morris b Patel    6
J. Searles b Khurram Chohan    2
A. Nurse not out    9
S. Benn not out    4
Extras: (b-1, lb-4, w-5)    10
Total: (7 wkts, 20 overs)    139
Fall of wickets: 1-64, 2-68, 3-100, 4-107, 5-120, 6-124, 7-125.
Bowling: Khurram Chohan 4-1-20-2, Rizwan Cheema 2-0-23-0, Desai 4-0-24-1, Baidwan 4-0-15-0, Hansra 3-0-22-3, Patel 3-0-30-1.
CANADA (target: 62 off six overs)
H. Patel c Smith b Searles    0
N. Kumar c wkpr Morris b Searles    0
R. Gunasekera c Nurse b Searles    0
Z. Surkari not out    11
A. Bagai b Best    0
T. Gordon c Nurse b Searles    0
J. Hansra not out 8
Extras: (b-1, w-9)    10
Total: (5 wkts, 6 overs)    29
Fall of wickets: 1-3, 2-3, 3-3, 4-14, 5-15.
Bowling: Best 3-0-23-1, Searles 3-1-5-4.
Points: Barbados 4, Canada 0