JAMAICA defeated Sagicor HPC by one wicket in one of the most nerve-racking, low-scoring encounters of the West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) Regional Super50 Competition, to enter the final and square off with Trinidad and Tobago for top honours. Yesterday the Guyana National Stadium, Providence, witnessed an unhurried see-saw battle as HPC won the toss and batted.
The side was only able to score 175-9 in their allotted 50 overs before Jamaica crawled to 178 in 49.5 overs, surprisingly losing nine wickets.
HPC were all smiles when they removed the tournament’s leading scorer Chris Gayle for six as Jamaica were 18-1 in the sixth over.
Gayle’s opening partner Kennar Lewis (17) and Xavier Marshall took the score to 44 then Lewis lost his wicket to Veersammy Permaul who was bowling the 16th over. Marshall not long after fell for 18 as Jamaica slumped to 61-3.
Jermaine Blackwood (31) and Tamar Lambert (21), put on 42 runs in the fourth-wicket partnership, but the latter fell with Jamaica on 103. Blackwood departed at 105 leaving Jamaica to get 72 runs in 71 balls with five wickets in hand.
Chadwick Walton (3) was dismissed cheaply but Russell (24) and Nikita Miller (10) accelerated the run-scoring to get Jamaica ahead of the run rate before leaving their side to get 13 from 12 balls. The final pair Krishmar Santokie and Odean Brown prevailed under pressure.
The tail-enders picked up just singles and a double in the penultimate over, which left the Jamaicans six runs to get in the final over. The final over had dot balls; a run-out chance and nothing short of pressure, but with three runs left to get from two balls, Brown slapped one back over the head of  bowler Nkrumah Bonner to take Jamaica to victory.
Jason Holder was the pick of the bowlers for HPC as he finished with 3-52 from 11 overs and received help from Permaul (2-34), Brandon Bess (1-21) and Shannon Gabriel (1-23).
Earlier in the day, Santokie took three early wickets which left the opposition in shambles as they struggled to pick up runs off the tight bowling.
Opening batsman, Rajendra Chandrika, and number three batsman Nkrumah Bonner were Santokie’s first two victims who both fell in his second over. Chandrika was trapped lbw for one on the first ball of the over then Bonner, who also made one, slashed one in the air to point on the fourth ball of the over. HPC were 12-2.
Kyle Corbin and Devon Thomas’ third wicket stand of just 11 runs was ended by Santokie when Corbin came forward to drive a delivery which popped up causing a leading edge to Nikita Miller at point.
HPC captain Shamarh Brooks and Thomas tried to stage a recovery against the Jamaican side, with good running between the wickets and intelligent shot selections which got them to 72 before Thomas was stumped for 33 by Walton off the bowling of Miller.
The removal of Brooks (20), Shane Dorwich (6) and Holder (0) in the space of four runs once again left the HPC team in disarray as the bottom order became exposed and the run rate began to escalate, they were 86-7 at the end of 28 overs.
However, Permaul, who was left unbeaten on 39, stood firm in front of his home crowd alongside teammate Keron Cottey and put on a 60-run eight-wicket partnership. Cottey was the next to fall when he was caught in the slip for 35 which left HPC at 146-8.
The final wicket to fall was that of Gabriel as he was run-out without scoring which brought Brandon Bess to the middle with the score on 153. The Guyanese pair added 23 from the final six overs before the innings expired.
Santokie’s three-wicket haul was backed up by Miller and Findlay who both claimed two wickets each and Gayle who picked up one wicket.