Carter, Chase steer Pride to victory

It was reassuring to see two Barbadians batting intelligently with maturity, responsibility and authority yesterday.

Jonathan Carter and Roston Chase were the epitome of excellence as they guided Barbados Pride to a comfortable seven-wicket victory over English county Hampshire in their Regional Super50 Cup cricket match at the 3Ws Oval.

The pair mixed defence with controlled aggression as Barbados Pride, chasing Hampshire’s total of 227 for seven, coasted to 231 for three in 46.2 overs to win with 22 balls to spare.

Carter was deserving of a century as he finished on 92 not out off 113 balls while Chase ended on a career-best One-Day score of 85 not out off 93 balls.

Left-hander Carter hit seven fours in his measured knock while tall, elegant right-hander Chase also stroked seven fours and climaxed the match with the second of his two sixes when he hoisted left-arm seamer Chris Wood over mid-wicket.

They featured in an unbroken fourth-wicket stand of 168 runs in 31 overs to carry Barbados Pride to their second straight victory.

Earlier, Hampshire, sent in, posted a respectable total, with former Zimbabwe left-handed batsman Sean Ervine hitting the top score of 63 off 68 balls and rookie 21-year-old right-hander Joe Weatherley making 51 off 78 balls in his third List A game.

Wicketkeeper Lewis McManus also weighed in with a breezy career-best knock of 47 off 42 balls, laced with three sixes and three fours.

Fast bowler Miguel Cummins led Pride’s bowling with three for 27 off eight overs to follow up his four-wicket haul in Saturday’s lopsided opening victory against Trinidad and Tobago Red Force.

Ervine, who hit five fours and two sixes in his knock, and Weatherley rescued Hampshire from the early woes of 29 for three with a 112-run fourth-wicket partnership in 22.1 overs after the English team was sent in on an easy-paced pitch.

After both batsmen fell within six runs of each other to leave Hampshire on 147 for five in 37 overs, McManus and all-rounder Bradley Taylor, who made 20 with one six off 24 balls, added a further 48 for the sixth wicket.

Chase held a simple return catch as Ervine got a leading edge while he held a smart head-high catch at cover point offered by Weatherley off experienced left-arm spinner Sulieman Benn.

Benn, with one for 45 and captain Kraigg Brathwaite, who took one for 43 with his cheeky off cutters, were the only Barbadian bowlers who completed their full allotment of ten overs.

Brathwaite had surprisingly introduced himself from as early as the ninth over and the move paid off initially as he bowled opener Thomas Alsop with a faster delivery for 12.

Off-spinner Ashley Nurse also bowled captain James Adams for three as he pushed forward but Brathwaite, after introducing Benn, switched himself to the southern end instead of recalling Roach and Cummins in the middle overs.

Strangely, burly fast-medium bowler Carlos Brathwaite was not used until the 48th over.

The 35-year-old Ervine, who didn’t face a single over of seam in his innings, cashed in on the spin offerings. He lifted Nurse over long-on for a six and also swung Kraigg over mid-wicket for another six before sweeping him to the fine leg boundary.

Weatherley got into the act, swinging Benn for a six over mid-wicket and in his next both Ervine and Weatherley dispatched him through extra cover for boundaries.

After their dismissals, Roach was brought back on at 149 for five after 38 overs, and Cummins finally returned at 178 for five with six overs left.

Cummins duly accounted for McManus and Taylor but still had two overs remaining when the innings closed.

In reply, Barbados Pride lost openers Kevin Stoute and Kraigg Brathwaite cheaply for two and 12 while Shai Hope went for 34.

Stoute edged a wide outswinger from Bradley Wheal to wicketkeeper McManus while Brathwaite, playing across a yorker from Fidel Edwards which seamed through the air, had his centre stump uprooted.

When Hope drove Wood straight to short cover after a 44-ball cameo in which he struck four boundaries, it was 63 for three in the 16th over and Barbados Pride were in a spot of bother.

Chase, fresh from a half-century against Red Force and Carter, eager for a recall to the Windies’ One-Day side, joined forces and sensibly steered Barbados Pride’s ship with scintillating stroke-play.

Carter hit Taylor over long-off for four and also pulled a short ball one-bounce into the mid-wicket boundary before bringing up his half-century with a straight four off Wood.

Chase also whipped Wood off his legs and pulled a short ball through square leg for boundaries. A classic cover-driven boundary followed in his next over while he also essayed a couple of classic cover drives to the off-spin of Taylor.

After launching Wheal wide of long-off a couple times, Carter, with victory approaching, superbly stroked Weatherley’s gentle off-spin for a straight four before Chase sealed the outcome.

 

Source: Ezra Stuart – Weekend Nation

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *