JAMAICA, led by a brilliant 21-ball unbeaten 45 from Marlon Samuels and some disciplined bowling, made hay after the rain stopped to thrash English county, Somerset by 61 runs in a severely rain-affected Caribbean Twenty20 cricket match which was reduced to six overs per innings at Kensington Oval, last night.
Jamaica rattled up 85 for one in six overs and then undermined the Somerset batting to such an extent that they were left reeling on 24 for eight in their six overs as Krishmar Santokie and Nikita Miller both took two wickets for just four runs.
Play was delayed by three hours after steady rain, which began about half-hour before the scheduled 4 p.m. start, finally abated just after 6 p.m., allowing the match to get underway at 7:02 p.m. with Somerset winning the toss and inserting Jamaica.
Samuels, promoted to opener, lashed three sixes and four fours in an attacking knock, which was adorned by some audacious and attractive shots. He shared an enterprising 47-run opening stand with Danza Hyatt, who hit a six and two fours in a breezy 21 off nine balls.
Shawn Findlay chipped in with 13 not out off seven balls.
Jamaica went into high gear from the very first over bowled by Somerset captain Alfonso Thomas which yielded 14 runs with both Hyatt and Samuels gathering boundaries from pulls. The stylish Samuels leg-glanced left-arm South African-born pacer Charl Willoughby’s first ball of the second over for four and then cut him over point before lifting the same bowler over long-on for sixes as 17 runs came.
16 runs
The third over from Gemaal Hussain cost a further 16 runs as Hyatt cleared midwicket with a savage pull and slashed the next over point for four.
It took leg-spinner Max Waller to stop the onslaught as he bowled Hyat, who missed a slog sweep.
New batsman Shawn Findlay was badly dropped by Thomas in the same over from Waller but Samuels tored into fast-medium bowler Steve Kirby, whose only over went for 21 runs. Samuels smashed a slower ball over long off for six and then powerfully but pleasantly essaying a drive between extra cover and long-off for four.
Samuels was denied a half-century as he was off strike for the last two balls but Shawn Findlay hit a straight six off the penultimate ball from Waller.
In reply, opener Nick Compton was dropped by Krishmar Santokie off the first ball but Jos Butler was not so lucky, pulling a delivery to mid-on where David Bernard took a leaping catch over his head.
Direct throw
Santokie made amends by bowling James Hildreth while Bernard ran out James Hildreth with a direct throw from mid-off and then struck with his third ball in the next over which Compton lifted into Samuels’ hands on the extra cover boundary, leaving Somerset on eight for four.
It soon became 20 for seven as left-arm spinner Nikita Miller made a double strike in his first over, as Arul Suppiah, who had hit a six over wide long-on off Bernard and Callum Haggett lifted catches to Findlay while Hussain gave Samuels catching practice at deep extra cover off Andre Russell.
When Kirby skied the fourth ball of the final over from Santokie for wicketkeeper Carlton Baugh to take a running catch, around the middle of the pitch, there was a possibility that Somerset could’ve been bowled out.
But Waller came in with his skipper Thomas played out the final two balls to avoid such embarrassment. It was Jamaica’s second victory in three matches, taking them to eight points.
SCOREBOARD
Jamaica
D. Hyatt b Waller 21
M. Samuels not out 45
S. Findlay not out 13
Extras (w5, nb1) 6
TOTAL (1 wkt, 6 overs) 85
Fall of wicket: 1-47 (Hyatt, 3.1)
Did not bat: *W. Hinds, D. Bernard, H. Miller, +C. Baugh, N. Miller, A. Russell, J. Taylor, K. Santokie.
Bowling: Thomas 1-0-14-0 (w2), Willoughby 1-0-17-0 (w1), Hussain 1-0-16-0 (w1), Waller 2-0-17-1, Kirby 1-0-21-1 (nb1).
Somerset
N. Compton c Samuels b Bernard 3
+J. Butler c Bernard b Taylor 0
J. Hildreth b Santokie 1
C. Meschede run out 0
A. Suppiah c Findlay b Miller 8
C. Haggett c Findlay b Miller 2
G. Hussain c Samuels b Russell 3
*A. Thomas not out 1
S. Kirby c wk Baugh b Santokie 1
M. Waller not out 1
Extras (lb2, w2) 4
TOTAL (8 wkts, 6 overs) 24
Fall of wickets: 1-1 (Butler, 0.3), 2-5 (Hildreth, 1.4), 3-5 (Meschede, 1.6), 4-8 (Compton, 2.3), 5-15 (Suppiah, 3.2), 6-17 (Haggett, 3.5), 7-20 (Hussain, 4.4), 8-23 (Kirby, 5.4) Did not bat: C. Willoughby.
Bowling: Taylor 1-0-3-1 (w1), Santokie 2-0-4-2 (w1), Bernard 1-0-9-0, Miller 1-0-4-2, Russell 1-0-2-0.
Result: Jamaica won by 61 runs.
Man of the Match: Marlon Samuels
Umpires: Billy Doctrove, Gregory Brathwaite.