NORTH SOUND, Antigua – Marlon Samuels drew on all of his experience, smashing an unbeaten 66 that trumped the same score from compatriot Chadwick Walton, to usher Jamaica to a thrilling, run over the Combined Campuses & Colleges (CCC) in the Caribbean Twenty20 Cricket tournament on Tuesday.
The West Indies batsman struck two fours and five sixes from 52 balls, as Jamaica successfully chased down 132 with just three balls remaining in the second match of Group B, at the Vivian Richards Cricket Ground.
Samuels, the top scorer in last year’s tournament, formalized the result for the reigning regional four-day and Super50 champions with a towering six over long off and into the second deck of the Grand Stand at the southern end of the ground off little-known medium-fast bowler Herman Henry, another compatriot on the “wrong” side.
Yannic Ottley, whose left-arm spin was a revelation in a pre-tournament series in Barbados last week, was the pick of the CCC bowlers, grabbing three wickets for 20 runs from his allotted four overs and Jason Holder took two for 33 from four overs.
Wicketkeeper/batsman Walton, a member of the Jamaica side last year when Carlton Baugh Jr was away on international duty with West Indies, had set the tone for an intriguing contest with a top score of 66 from 59 balls that included four fours and five sixes, as CCC reached 131 for nine from their 20 overs after they chose to bat.
Kyle Hope supported with 32 and they revived CCC with a stand of 92 between the third and 16th overs, as left-arm medium-fast bowler Krishmar Santokie with four for 17 from four overs and Nikita Miller, three for 32 from four over, threatened to run amok.
But Jamaica’s typically free-scoring, top-order batting came under early pressure from the CCC’s spin bowlers and they limped to 108 for eight in the penultimate over.
The Jamaicans seemed headed for defeat, when Krishmar Santokie was run out for a duck off the first ball of that over – from Jason Holder – trying to get Samuels the strike.
A huge slice of fortune for Samuels followed, when he was dropped at wide long-on by West Indies Under-19 all-rounder Kyle Mayers off the next delivery. This proved to be the crucial turning point in the closing stages and Samuels, like most top-of-the-line batsmen, made Mayers and CCC pay.
He reached his 50 from 49 balls just three deliveries later with a straight six and celebrated with another six over mid-wicket from the final delivery of the over to leave Jamaica needing ten from the final over.
Nikita Miller, batting at ten, was also fortunate, when Henry dropped a sharp, but high return chance off the first ball of the final over, but Samuels ended Jamaican concern with a savage, back-foot drive over cover for four off the next ball, and duly took them over the finish line.(CMC)
