Pride bulldoze their way past defending champs Red Force

PORT-OF-SPAIN, Trinidad (CMC):

A SUPERB display of batting by Barbados Pride’s top order propelled them to the finals of the Regional Super50 and sent defending champions Trinidad & Tobago Red Force crashing out of the competition yesterday.

Zachary McCaskie (94), Leniko Boucher (69), and captain Raymon Reifer (65) all scored half-centuries, which helped them to post the highest total of the competition to date, a mammoth 339 for seven from their 50 overs, after they were sent in to bat at the Brian Lara Cricket Academy.

Red Force were cruising at 83 for one early on but suffered a dramatic collapse to be dismissed for a paltry 186 in 38.3 overs to lose by 153 runs.

It was sweet revenge for the Pride, who were trounced by the Red Force by nine wickets in their final preliminary match and who were also eliminated at the semi-final stage in last year’s competition.

Their victory was set up by a 142-run opening stand between McCaskie and Boucher, the highest so far in the tournament.

The pair started slowly, picking up just nine runs from the first three overs, until McCaskie drove former West Indies fast bowler Shannon Gabriel for two boundaries through the offside in the ensuing over.

McCaskie took a liking to Gabriel, hitting him for a four and a six in his next over, and Boucher brought up the Pride’s 50 in the 10th over by driving spinner Jyd Goolie to the boundary for four.

Legspinner Isaiah Rajah’s solitary over went for 20 runs as McCaskie bludgeoned him for three huge sixes.

McCaskie looked well on his way to a century but would have been disappointed when he hit offspinner Mark Deyal straight into the hands of Goolie at long off to be out for 94 from 82 balls, including six fours and six sixes.

Reifer joined Boucher at the crease, and they added 50 in eight overs to keep the scoreboard ticking.

Just as he was looking to accelerate, Boucher was deceived by a wider delivery from Deyal to give wicketkeeper Amir Jangoo an easy stumping.

Boucher scored 69 from 84 balls and struck seven boundaries.

225 FOR THREE

Kevin Wickham only made 14 before he was bowled by Khary Pierre to leave the Pride 225 for three in the 37th over, but new addition Roston Chase added exactly 50 with Reifer to further put his side in control.

After scoring 65 from 60 balls, Reifer, too, picked out Goolie at long off trying to hit Deyal out of the ground, and shortly after, Chase was spectacularly caught at cover by Pierre off the bowling of Gabriel for 43 as the Pride slid to 297 for five.

Cameos from Nyeem Young, Matthew Jones, and Dominic Drakes carried the Pride past the 300 mark and installed them as favourites to win the contest.

Deyal was the Red Force’s best bowler with figures of 4-53 from his 10 overs.

The Red Force suffered an early setback when fast bowler Chemar Holder had Kjorn Ottley caught at deep cover for nine with 15 runs on the board.

Tion Webster and Jangoo then solidified the innings in a 68-run partnership that saw them reach 83 for one inside 13 overs.

However, the Red Force lost five wickets for 42 runs in the space of 11 overs to find themselves on the backfoot.

Left-arm spinner Matthew Jones got rid of Jangoo for 19, Jason Mohammed was run out for one, Webster was bowled by Chase for the topscore of 56 from 47 balls, while Chase also accounted for Goolie, and Kemar Smith dismissed Terrance Hinds to see the Red Force slip to 125 for six.

There would be no recovery by the home side as Dominic Drakes wrapped up the tail to send the Pride into the final.

Drakes ended with 3-24, and Smith and Chase took two wickets apiece.