Fantastic batting, backed by excellent bowling, put paid to the defending champions

The Barbados Pride revenged themselves on the Trinidad & Tobago Red Force on Wednesday, beating them by 153 runs in the first semifinal of the CG United Cricket West Indies Super50 Cup. Barbados are in the regional List A final for the first time since 2018.

The revamped Bajans compiled a mammoth total of 339-7 at the Brian Lara Cricket Academy in Tarouba, Trinidad & Tobago, behind three half-centuries and an excellent all-round performance from Roston Chase.

The Red Force won the toss and elected to field first in the day-night tilt. Terrance Hinds and Jyd Goolie come into the playing XI for Khary Pierre’s men. Chase, Nyeem Young, and Chemar Holder came into the side for the Pride.

It was the second matchup between the two in the past five days. The defending champions defeated the Pride by nine wickets on Saturday at Queens Park Oval in the final preliminary match, topping the table and dropping Barbados to fourth.

On Wednesday, however, Zachary McCaskie and wicketkeeper-batter Leniko Boucher laid a perfect platform, amassing the first 100 partnership this season for the Pride. By the 18th over, they were in three figures, mainly thanks to McCaskie.

The 28-year-old had made 162 from six innings, including two half-centuries, but also ducks in his last two matches, the most recent against the Red Force on the weekend. Here, though, he made his first 50 off 48 balls.

Isaiah Rajah bowled his first over of leg breaks in the 19th over, and McCaskie met him with three sixes. The 32-year-old Rajah had not appeared in this competition before last Saturday, and he neither batted nor bowled. Bringing his arm over for the first time since 2018 in List A cricket, his first six balls went for 20.

Not dissimilarly, Mark Deyal had not featured in the Super50 until last weekend, but he took 3-32 in that game with his offbreaks. On Wednesday, McCaskie chose to challenge the spinner, losing the challenge, and losing his wicket for 94 off 82 balls, six fours and six sixes.

Boucher brought up his fourth 50 this campaign, facing 62 balls and hitting four boundaries. At the halfway mark, the Pride were on 155-1, with captain Raymon Reifer at the other end with Boucher, the leading scorer this term for Barbados.

With the Pride cruising, however, Deyal struck again to have Boucher stumped for 69 from 84 balls, ending the 50 partnership. The Pride, though, were still well placed at 192-2 in the 32nd over, and centurion Kevin Wickham coming to the wicket to join his captain.

Wickham, 21 years old, hit 118 against the Leeward Islands at the end of October, but he would not play a major role in the semifinal, out for 14 off 15 balls, bowled by Khary Pierre.

Reifer now became the third man to get to 50, reaching the landmark off 51 balls, his second consecutive half-century. And he added another 50 in partnership with Chase, before yielding to Deyal for 65 off 60.

Chase rushed to 43, facing only 31 deliveries, and hitting two boundaries and a six. He departed in an eventful 47th over, comprising 18 runs, including two sixes, two no balls. and Chase’s wicket, brilliantly caught by Pierre.

There would be no catching Matthew Jones off his first ball from Gabriel, bringing up the 300 with a six. After the all-rounder launched a high full toss past the ropes, the umpire added insult to injury by signalling a no-ball.

The previous highest score in this year’s Super50 had been 307 by the Windward Islands Volcanoes, beating Combined Campuses and Colleges by 98 runs in Tarouba last Wednesday. A week later, Barbados raced past that total, laying down their highest total ever in List A cricket.

The Red Force played unbeaten last season, and had lost just once this year. They had not lost to Barbados in five years. But the bowling in Wednesday’s semifinal was just as good, and just as balanced as the batting.

Saturday centurion Kjorn Ottley was out for nine, but Tion Webster and Amir Jangoo contrived a slick recovery. They took the score to 83 before Jangoo, too, was gone. Jason Mohammed was run out for one, and Chase ended Jangoo’s vigil for 56 off 47 balls.

Jyd Goolie lasted only 13 balls and added just four before Chase had him caught behind. Terrance Hinds was caught behind off Kemar Smith for 22, and Smith broke up a secondary recovery effort by Rajah and Deyal, dismissing the latter for 34 from 32 balls.

Rajah followed in the next over, trapped leg before by Dominic Drakes. Drakes then bowled Charles for a duck, and in his next over, the 37th of the innings, took Gabriel via the same route for one to end the Trinidadian resistance.

Drakes took 3-24 from 4.3 overs, Chase had 2-40 from 10, and Kemar Smith grabbed 2-42 from eight. Chemar Holder and Matthew Jones took a wicket apiece.

The Barbados Pride now await the winner of the second semifinal, Jamaica Scorpions versus the Leeward Islands Hurricanes, on Thursday. The final will be played on Saturday at Tarouba.

(TF)