By Anthony Foster, Freelance WriterFAVOURITES JAMAICA, led by good knocks from Ricardo Powell, Marlon Samuels and Wavell Hinds, cruised into the semi-finals of the 2003 Red Stripe Bowl tournament with an easy six-wicket victory over Canada at Port Esquivel yesterday.
In what was by far their best batting performance of the tournament, Canada, electing to bat, strolled to 196 for seven off their allotted 50 overs, to which the Jamaicans responded quickly with 198 for four in just 29 overs.
Most times, big totals always come from good starts and this was what Canada benefited from despite losing their first wicket - Asif Mulla, caught behind by Carlton Baugh Jr. off Daren Powell for nine.
Then a good Don Maxwell and captain Ishwar Maraj took things in their own hands and boosted their team with a 93-run second-wicket stand.
The two West Indians punished most, if not all, the Jamaican bowlers, and at one stage it looked as if the score was heading towards 250, but when Daren Powell and Baugh Jr. combined for the second time to remove Maraj, skipper Robert Samuels and the rest of the Jamaican team must have breathed a sigh of relief.
Maraj, who faced 80 deliveries for his 40 runs with three fours, edged a wide ball from Powell to Baugh Jr. at 114 for two. After seeing two batsmen, including Karun Jethi, five, depart and after a just over an hour and half at the crease, in which he hit five sixes and five fours off 85 balls, Maxwell fell for a well-played 65, bowled playing across the line by Andrew Richardson.
With his dismissal at 140 for four, Gareth Breese removed Afatab Shamshideen, five, and Abdool Samad, 16, while Chris Gayle bowled Austin Codrington, a Jamaican, with the last delivery of the innings.
Captain Samuels said the Canadians were helped by the good batting pitch. "It was a very good pitch for batting, as you see the Canadians got up to a 196, that's how good it was for batting.
"We gave them some 20 plus extras, but all in all they played well, they batted well."
Needing to score at 3.93 runs per over to win, Jamaica failed to get off to a good start as Brenton Parchment went to the fourth ball of the innings. Parchment, who never got a chance to settle, played across a yorker, his first ball of the innings from Ashish Patel at three for one.
BIG BLOWS
Hinds joined Gayle, 15, but after playing a couple big blows the latter went caught off a ball from Sandeep Jyoti by Aftab Shamshideen at short mid-wicket.
However, solid innings from Marlon Samuels, 48, and Hinds, 45, steadied things before Hinds, who struck six fours and a six, fell to a fine catch at long-off by Asif Mulla off Patel. Then it was time for Ricardo Powell to take charge.
Despite a shaky innings, Powell joined Marlon Samuels and the two added 67 for the fourth-wicket before Samuels went to a catch by Codrington at long-leg off Kevin Sandher.
Powell, who was put down three times, recovered to take the attack to the Canadians and despite going down twice because of upset stomach, the right-handed batsman was in a punishing mood.
In his unbeaten 71, Powell struck four sixes and six fours off just 55 deliveries in 78 minutes.
Trinidad will play Windward Islands today at Kensington Park.
