Scorpions slump despite Blackwood, Green fifties
PORT OF SPAIN, Trinidad, CMC — A breezy half-century from Test batsman Jermaine Blackwood failed to prevent a Jamaica Scorpions batting collapse on the opening day of their eighth round game against Trinidad and Tobago Red Force here yesterday.
The right-hander punched 68 off 84 balls Scorpions, asked to bat first at Queen’s Park Oval, were bowled out for a disappointing 201.
Red Force, however, lost a cluster of wickets to end the day on 79 for three, with captain and opener Kyle Hope unbeaten on 33.
The hosts were tottering 49 for three but Hope combined with left-hander Yannic Cariah, who made 19 not out, to prop up the innings in an unbroken 30run, fourth wicket partnership.
Hope has so far faced 121 balls in 2-1/2 hours at the crease and struck three fours.
Earlier, Scorpions, attempting to avoid a third straight defeat, did themselves no favours with a disappointing batting display.
Slumping at 150 for nine, they needed number 10 Derval Green’s robust 53 off 54 deliveries with eight fours and two sixes, to crest the 200-run mark.
Devon Thomas was the only other batsman to pass 20 with 23 of 35 balls.
Leg-spinner Imran Khan wrecked the innings with four for 28 while leftarm seamer Sheldon Cottrell picked up three for 34 and off-spinner Bryan Charles, two for 55.
Wobbling on 50 for three, Scorpions were rescued by a 51-run fourth wicket stand between Blackwood and Paul Palmer (13).
The right-handed Blackwood struck nine fours in an attractive innings but was one of six wickets to fall for 49 runs as Scorpions fell apart.
attacking opener Shimron Hetmyer fell cheaply for one to the fifth ball of the innings, caught at short-leg by Anthony Alleyne off fast bowler Miguel Cummins.
Test batsmen Rajindra Chandrika (24) and Leon Johnson (15) then added 52 for the second wicket, a partnership that saw Jaguars to the break on 30 for one.
Both failed to build on resumption, however, falling within 12 deliveries of each other. Chandrika drove Chase to substitute Justin Greaves at midwicket while skipper Johnson played back and was lbw to the same bowler.
Left-hander Vishaul Singh spent an hour over 15 before clipping a legside catch to wicketkeeper Shane Dowrich off seamer Kevin Stoute.
Earlier, Hope took centre stage in an innings which spanned 391 balls and a shade over eight hours, and included 24 fours and three sixes.
Resuming on 118, he raced to his 150 on the stroke of the first hour and then raised his double hundred about 45 minutes after lunch off 378 balls. PRIDE 1st Innings (overnight 293 for two) *K Brathwaite lbw b Shepherd A Alleyne c wkp Bramble b Reifer S Hope not out S Brooks c Chandrika b Shepherd R Chase not out Extras (lb4, w5, nb5) TOTAL (3 wkts decl., 137 overs) Did not bat: K Stoute, +S Dowrich, K Harding, A Nurse, J Warrican, M Cummins. Fall of wickets: 1-45, 2-250, 3-404. Bowling: Reifer 32-6-99-1 (w1, nb4), Pestano 22-2-90-0 (nb1), Shepherd 27-4-111-2 (w4), Motie 26-3-82-0, Bishoo 30-4-94-0.
JAGUARS 1st Innings S Hetmyer c Alleyne b Cummins R Chandrika c (sub) Greaves b Chase *L Johnson lbw b Chase V Singh c wkp Dowrich b Stoute S Chanderpaul not out R Reifer not out Extras (b8, lb9, nb7) TOTAL (4 wkts, 42 overs) To bat: +A Bramble, R Shepherd, D Bishoo, G Motie, C Pestano. Fall of wickets: 1-4, 2-56, 3-64, 4-86. Bowling: Cummins 9-1-25-1, Harding 8-1-26-0, Stoute 9-2-24-1, Chase 14-4-26-2, Nurse 2-1-1-0. Position: Jaguars trail by 361 runs with six first innings intact.