Shamarh Brooks carved a masterful match-winning knock on Wednesday night as Super Centre Spartan beat LIME by five wickets in the first quarter-final of the BCA Sagicor General Twenty20 Championship at Kensington Oval.
The Parkites, chasing LIME’s total of 129 for seven to reach the semi-final, scored 133 for five to win with eight balls remaining.
Brooks’ unbeaten 81 from 51 balls with six fours and four sixes rescued Spartan from 10 for four at the end of the fourth over. LIME’s captain and seamer Ryan Nurse fired out three batsmen in an impressive two-over new-ball burst.
Brooks’ sublime innings showcased that he has both the temperament and technique to bat in tough situations.
Rashidi Boucher ran out captain Akeem Springer without him facing a ball in the first over and was then bounced out in the next over for a duck, trying to hook a short ball from Nurse. Marrodon Bend (5) tried to lift the burly Nurse over extra cover only to find Alex Browne and then Jameel Stuart became Nurse’s third wicket when he misjudged the length of a delivery to be leg before wicket without playing a shot.
Nurse pulled himself from the attack with figures of three for seven in two overs and Spartan’s recovery started with Brooks and wicket-keeper Jabbar Niles (12) adding 41 for the fifth wicket.
After Niles departed at 51 for five in the 12th over, LIME had their opponents with their backs against the wall. Left-arm seamer Kevin Callender, Nurse and spinners, Dayley Hurley and Nekoli Parris all bowled economically on a pitch that assisted both seam and spin.
But LIME’s fifth and sixth bowlers were not so disciplined.
Brooks and Andre Gill counter-attacked Michael Agard to the extent that 39 runs came from his 2.4 overs while Jason Hinds was taken for 19 from his solitary over as the two shared an unbroken stand of 82 in 7.1 overs. Gill’s contribution was an undefeated 26 from 21 balls with two giant sixes.
Earlier, veteran keeper Courtney Browne top-scored with an unbeaten 45 off 44 balls including three fours and two sixes to rescue LIME from 61 for six after 10 overs. Spartan seamer Reco Webb, with four for 23, rocked the LIME top order but a seventh-wicket stand of 54 in 8.3 overs between Browne and Nurse (16) gave LIME a total that they could fight with.
