By Cliff Williams, Contributor
Trinidad and Tobago's Richard Smith is stumped for nine by Jamaica's Keith Hibbert during yesterday's Red Stripe Bowl semi-final at Kaiser Sports Ground in St. Ann. Trinidad were dismissed for a paltry 147 (48 overs) with Jamaica cruising to victory, reaching 151 for three in 29.1 overs. - Junior Dowie/Staff Photographer
DISCOVERY BAY:
JAMAICA, BUOYED by a superb five-wicket haul from paceman Darren Powell and half centuries from Chris Gayle and Marlon Samuels, cruised into the final of the Red Stripe Bowl with an emphatic seven-wicket victory over Trinidad and Tobago at the Kaiser Sports Ground yesterday.
Chasing 148 for victory in the first semi-final after Trinidad and Tobago fell in the 47th over for 147, Gayle (56, 5x4, 2x6), Marlon Samuels (58 not out, 4x4, 2x6) and Wavell Hinds (21) took on the red-clad side's attack with relish and polished the target off with a little more than 20 overs to spare.
The hosts' triumph, before a good-sized and enthusiastic crowd, has set them up for a date on Sunday with the winners of today's second semi-final between Guyana and Barbados at the same venue starting at 10:00 a.m.
The visitors, after winning the toss and choosing to bat, did themselves no favours with a lacklustre performance in which only Brian Lara (36, 3x4) and Shazam Babwah (30, 1-6) made significant contributions.
Darren Powell ripped through the top order on his way to outstanding figures of 5-23 off his complement of 10 overs while one-day all-rounder Gayle picked up 2-27 off his 10 including the prize wicket of Lara, leg before for 36.
Test opener Gayle also had a hand in two run outs. The first was a brilliant piece of fielding at shortish fine leg off a Lara sweep. Gayle dived to his right, trapped the ball and threw to 'keeper Keith Hibbert who, in turn, threw to the non-striker's end where Llendl Simmons had backed up too far and was sent on his way by a direct hit. Gayle then wrapped up the T&T innings with a direct hit from short cover which had non-striker Rodney Sooklal well short of his ground.
However, the tone was well and truly set by speedster Powell whose pace and line sent Andy Jackson (two runs), skipper Daren Ganga (two) and Dwayne Bravo (10) packing in the first 14 overs to have the Trinidadians reeling at 26-3.
Trinidad's batting star Lara struggled against an early two-paced, uneven pitch and tight Jamaican bowling which offered him few opportunities to play his favoured off-side strokes. His eventual demise in the 30th over with a mere 93 on the scoreboard and only four wickets remaining virtually guaranteed the hosts would be chasing no more than 150.
Jamaica lost opener Leon Garrick for one with the score at two but then bludgeoned some ordinary bowling on their way to victory.
Fittingly, the winning stroke was a huge straight driven six over the Members Pavillion by Samuels.
His brother and captain, Robert, was more than happy with his side's performance after the match against their staunch Caribbean arch-rivals.
"Darren Powell getting five wickets and we bowling them out for 147 was a tremendous effort," captain Samuels said.
"Trinidad keep coming back here with a whole lot of talk and they still keep on losing," he said, further stoking the rivalry.
As for the final on Sunday, Samuels also has a preference.
"We lost to Trinidad and we tied with Guyana and that is how we got knocked out in the semi-finals last year, so we wanted to advance against Trinidad and then meet Guyana in the final; I think that would be poetic justice," he said."
Report courtesy of Breezes Runaway Bay
