FRESH from their commanding second-round victory over the Leeward Islands, hosts Guyana sent newly crowned three-day champions Jamaica crashing to their third successive defeat when they came away with a tense two-wicket victory at the Demerara Cricket Club ground yesterday. Winning the toss and opting to have the Jamaicans bat first, Guyana kept a tight rein on things until the final three overs where they scored 48 runs on their way to an imposing 200 for 8, with Rovmon Powell blasting five sixes and three fours in his 63- ball 66.
Guyana reached 202 for 8 from 35.5 overs in reply, thanks to Joemal La Fleur’s agressive 67 which came off 58 balls and was decorated with 10 fours, while Dominique Rikhi offered support with 46 (4×4, 2×6) in their opening stand of 127 scored off 20.1 overs.
Brian Gayle with 24 and John Campbell 23 with three fours, offered support to Powell who beefed up the Jamaicans innings, when he struck Ronsford Beaton for four consecutive sixes in the penultimate over before he was caught  off the final ball of the 50th over.
Powell’s half-century took him 48 balls to accumulate and it was decorated with two fours and four sixes, as he reached the landmark with his fourth six struck off Beaton.
First class leg-spinner Amir Khan took 3 for 25 while fast bowler Clinton Pestano took 2 for 31 for Guyana who raced to 127 without loss from 20 overs, before they lost five quick wickets, including the prized one of La Fleur.
The home team’s batting slide started when Rikhi was run-out in bizarre fashion, after Marquino Midley got his fingertips onto a vicious on-drive from La Fleur, who lost his off stump to the same bowler two balls  later.
Midley followed it up with the wicket of Chandrapaul Hemraj who was also bowled without scoring and when James McDonald sent back both Clinton Pestano (0) and Linden Austin (0) in the 22nd over, Guyana were 127 for 5.
They progressed to 166 before Kevon Boodie who  made 19, was run-out by Oshane Walters at mid off after he was sent back by Kwame Crosse who lost his off stump to Brian Gayle for 19 three overs later, to leave the host team on 176 for 7.
Even though they lost Beaton (7) at 185, Khan and Ricardo Adams saw their team home, but not before Khan dispatched a Donovan Nelson free hit for six over wide long off.
Adams was unbeaten on 15 with one four while Khan made 8 against the bowling of Mc Donald and Midley who finished with two wickets each for 23 and 41 runs respectively.
The action continues today with Guyana, who played an unchanged team against the Jamaicans, taking on Barbados at the Blairmont ground while Jamaica take on the Windward Islands at the Demerara Cricket Club ground.