Samuels leads the way for Windies B
ITAROUBA, Trinidad (CMC):
N WHAT was a perfect example of a captain’s knock, Marlon Samuels stroked a brilliant century to lead the West Indies B to a thrilling 10-run victory over Canada in a high-scoring affair in the opening round of the Regional Super50 on Wednesday.
The skipper’s knock overshadowed an exceptional bowling performance from Canada’s Romesh Eranga, who took a five-wicket haul on his way to running throughtheWindies’lowerorder.
Samuels made 101 and, together with Yannic Cariah, who made 73, shared a fourth-wicket partnership of 165 to be the backbone of their eventual total of 302 for eight off their 50 overs.
Canada then put up a valiant effort but fell just short as they ended on 292-8 from 50 overs.
The Windies didn’t get off to the best of starts, with Keagan Simmons (1) and Kirstan Kallicharan (7) losing their wickets cheaply.
Samuels found a reliable partner in Kimani Melius who made 46, and the duo took the score to 83-2 before Melius became the second of Salman Nazar’s three scalps.
His departure signalled the arrival of Cariah, and for the next 25 overs, the Canadian bowlers were put to the sword, with the two batsmen scoring at almost seven runs an over.
The 37-year-old Samuels was the more aggressive of the two, hitting 10 boundaries and four sixes during his 131-minute stay at the crease.
Not to be outdone, Cariah needed just 77 balls and smashed four fours, as well as four sixes.
But just as they were looking to press on, they fell in the space of three balls, with Nazar dismissing Samuels and Eranga accounting for the wicket of Cariah.
Eranga finished with the spectacular figures of 5-31 from eight overs, and Nazar claimed 3-60 from ten overs.