By Tony Becca, Contributing Editor
Gayle
ALPART:
JAMAICA, powered by fast bowlers Jerome Taylor and Daren Powell, and then by Brenton Parchment and Christopher Gayle defeated the Windward Islands in the Red Stripe Bowl contest at Alpart Sports Club yesterday and, like Trinidad and Tobago, are now on a perfect two from two.
Bowling brilliantly on a far from responsive pitch and before a full house, Taylor, four for 23 off nine overs, and Powell, two for 33 off 10, cut down the Windward Islands for 146 in 46 overs, and then dashed to 151 for three off 27.2 overs with Gayle leading the way with an impressive 72 not out and Ricardo Powell ending the proceedings with a superb pull for six over mid-wicket off pacer Fernix Thomas.
The Windward Islands are not numbered among the good batting teams in the region. With Devon Smith and Romel Currency, Kirsten Casimir, Junior Murray, John Eugene and captain Rawl Lewis in their line-up, however, they were expected to get a few more runs than they did, and the reason they did not had nothing to do with the pitch or reckless batting.
The Windward Islands batsmen, like the bowlers who had to deal with Parchment and Gayle, were simply unfortunate to run into two fast bowlers who were bowling fast, pretty fast, who got the ball to move away from the right-handers off the seam, and who, but for a few deliveries that slipped down the legside, bowled a consistently good line.
They were so good that but for a few dropped catches and some untidy fielding mid-way the innings, the Windward Islands may well have fallen for below 100 runs.
LOVELY OVER
After winning the toss, and like Canada against Trinidad and Tobago on the previous day, deciding to bat first, the Windward Islands lost their first wicket at six when, at the end of a lovely over from Taylor, Currency attempted to pull, was beaten for pace and was caught by David Bernard Jnr. at mid-on.
Taylor made it 13 for two when, with the ball coming into him, the left-handed Smith was bowled off the inside edge; it was 20 for three when Casimir edged to wicketkeeper Carlton Baugh Jnr. and it was 27 for four in the 11th over when a tentative John Eugene nicked Powell and Robert Samuels took the catch at slip.
Wicket number five went at 43 in the 17th when Lewis cut Marlon Samuels straight to Bernard at point; wicket number six fell at 79 when Murray went back to a faster delivery from Gayle and umpire Dalton Holder of Barbados had no choice but to raise the finger; wicket number seven went at 85 when Orlanzo Jackson was run-out; and Taylor made it 98 for eight in the 34th over when, in the first over of his second spell, he bowled Thomas with a fast, well pitched delivery.
For the Windward Islands, the only satisfaction was the batting of Darren Sammy who, joining the action at 43 for five, batted confidently and scored a face-saving 48 off 98 deliveries before he was last man dismissed when he went back to Gayle and edged a catch to Baugh.
GLORIOUS STROKES
With 50 overs to score 147, Gayle and Parchment went at the bowling immediately and played some glorious strokes before, at 74 in the 16th over, Parchment, driving at a wide delivery from right-arm legspinner Jackson, missed the ball, dragged his back foot, and was stumped by Murray for 33 after stroking three handsome fours and hitting two lovely sixes, one a majestic drive off pacer Cameron Cuffy that sailed over extra-cover, the other, a sweep in offspinner Shane Shillingford's first over, the sound of bat hitting ball echoing around the ground as the ball cleared the trees behind square-leg.
With Wavell Hinds caught on the backward square-leg boundary off Lewis after hitting the right-arm legspinner over long-on for six, going at 135 for two and Marlon Samuels, caught at mid-on off pacer Thomas, going for zero at 136 for three, the man who really entertained the fans was Gayle.
In an innings that lasted for only 74 deliveries, an innings during which he paraded his awesome power, the big left-hander, who almost knocked Sammy flat with a back foot driver for four that went between the bowler's legs as he jumped out of the way, slammed four fours and four sixes.
