Bajans head Super-50 Final in search of fourth straight title

By Morissa Lindsay

A strong all-round display with bat and ball from Barbados propelled the defending champions to a convincing nine-wicket semifinal victory over Trinidad and Tobago in the Cricket West Indies CG United Women’s Super-50 Competition played at Providence Stadium in Guyana today.

In the rain-affected encounter that caused the Duckworth–Lewis–Stern system to come into play, Trinidad and Tobago women won the toss and posted 133 all out in 31.2 overs, which were an over and four balls short of their allotted 33 overs.

Barbados led by captain Hayley Matthews made light work of the target scoring 137 for one in 30.2 overs and sent a strong message to the winners of tomorrow’s second semifinal between host Guyana and Jamaica that they will need to come extremely good to derail Barbados’ championship quest.

Matthews once again led from the front with 53 not out from 86 balls. Kyshona Knight at the other end scoring at almost a run per ball, ended on 49 not out in what was a brilliant half-century second-wicket partnership between the two.                                       

Interestingly, Mathews and Knight were both on 49 runs with one run to score to win the match and it was Matthews who was fortunate to face the balls at that stage of the game.

She worked the ball bowled by her opposite number Anisa Mohammed down to fine leg for four runs. That brought up a well-deserved victory for the Bajan ladies who are chasing their fourth consecutive Super-50 trophy.

The reduction of overs came after the rain came while Trinidad and Tobago led by senior West Indies player Mohammed were 21 runs without loss after 2.4 overs.

On resumption at 1 p.m., the overs were reduced to 33 from 50 and it was Barbados who got the early breakthrough when right-arm fast bowler Aaliyah Alleyne uprooted the stumps of Reniece Boyce for five with the score on 26 with just 3.1 overs bowled. Two balls later and fellow opener Rachael Vincent was dismissed bowled also by Alleyne
for one.

It was an exceptional spell of medium-pace bowling from Alleyne who ended with four wickets for 31 runs from seven overs. Alleyne produced good line and length mostly placed on or about the off-stump that continuously forced the Trinidad & Tobago batters to play.

Besides the wickets of Boyce and Vincent, Alleyne also captured the wickets of West Indies player Britney Cooper who had a mere contribution of one run and then picked up her fourth wicket of Shenelle Lord trapped lbw for four.

The Soca ladies were 51 for four in 12 overs but Lee-Ann Kirby did a good job of steadying the innings with a top score of 41 runs off 73 balls. The next best scores were nine each from Mohammed and Leandra Ramdeen.

Matthews also caused some trouble for the Trinidadian batters taking three wickets for 20 runs from seven overs while fast bowler Shanika Bruce accounted for one wicket.

During Barbados’ innings, Matthews and Kycia Knight got them off to a wonderful start in pursuit of their target. Knight scored 32 before she departed playing a sweep to backward short leg and being caught by Djenaba Joseph off the bowling of all-rounder Ramdeen.

Barbados were 61 for one in 16.4 overs when Kyshona Knight joined her captain and the pair steered the national side to their comprehensive win.

Trinidad and Tobago’s tardiness in the field did not help their case either.

(morissalindsay@barbadostoday.bb)