- Junior Dowie/Staff Photographer
David Bernard Jnr lofts the ball for six on his way to 81 against Barbados in their Carib Beer Series match at Sabina Park yesterday.
Tony Becca, Contributing Editor
THE CARIB Beer Series cricket match between Jamaica and Barbados at Sabina Park is living up to expectations.
On the eve of the contest, the prediction was for a close and exciting battle and although Jamaica, thanks to a superb innings of 81 by David Bernard Jnr., snatched first innings lead, the action so far suggests that that is how it will end.
At stumps on the second day, the scoreboard read Barbados 198 and 54 for two off 20 overs, Jamaica 205, and with two days to go, the match is still up for grabs.
Traditionally, the Sabina Park pitch plays faster on the second day than on the first, yesterday was no exception, and Tino Best bowling fast and mixing some well-pitched bouncers with some well-pitched yorkers and left-hander Pedro Collins swinging the ball both ways unsettled Jamaica's batsmen and but for Bernard, who played some delightful strokes, were simply too good for them.
Best, who finished with five for 46 off 19.1 overs, peppered Brenton Parchment and Keith Hibbert with some good bouncers and had them digging out some good yorkers before he ripped out Hibbert's offstump with a yorker at 12 for one.
Then Collins, who finished with two for 42 off 16 overs, sent Maurice Kepple packing at 19 for two when the right-hander moved back and across, shouldered arms to a delivery pitched a shade outside the offstump and was leg before wicket as the ball came back and hit him in front of the middle stump.
EDGED CATCH
Parchment and Bernard battled for a while and took the score to 82 before Parchment went on to the back foot to medium-pacer Antonio Mayers, attempted to square-drive, and edged a catch to wicketkeeper and captain Courtney Browne.
After that, despite some attractive strokes by Tamar Lambert who hooked at Best and was caught by the wicketkeeper running to his left, Gareth Breese who attempted to square-drive left-arm spinner Sulieman Benn and was bowled off the inside edge, and Mario Ventura who drove at Best and lost his offstump, Jamaica lost wickets at regular intervals with the last five falling for 24 runs in 11 overs.
Bernard, whose drives through the offside won rounds and rounds of applause from the appreciative fans, stroked 11 fours and hit one six a straight drive off Benn, and looked set to chalk up his second century in the regional competition when, without getting his left foot close to the ball, he drove at a wide delivery from Benn and nicked a catch to slip.
Batting a second time, Barbados lost Sherwin Campbell in the first over when the batsman drove at Jerome Taylor and Ventura took the catch at first slip, and in the over before bad light stopped play with four overs to go, when the left-handed Ryan Hinds pushed forward to left-arm spinner Ryan Cunningham and edged a catch to wicketkeeper Hibbert.
Barbados first innings 198
Jamaica first innings
(Resumed at 9-0)
B. Parchment c Browne b Mayers 27
K. Hibbert b Best 1
M. Kepple lbw Collins 5
D. Bernard c Reifer b Benn 81
T. Lambert c Browne b Collins 21
M. Ventura b Best 24
G. Breese b Benn 17
L. Ingram c Browne b Best 8
J. Taylor c Hinds b Best 6
R. Cunningham c Mayers b Best 1
A. Richardson not out 0
Extras (nb14) 14
TOTAL (all out) 205
Fall: 1-12, 2-19, 3-82, 4-120, 5-161, 6-181, 7-192, 8-199, 9-202.
Bowling: Collins 16-3-42-2 (nb8); Best 19.1-6-44-5 (nb2); R. Nurse 8-1-33-0
(nb1); Benn 16-4-47-2 (nb3); Mayers 9-2-39-1.
Barbados second innings
S. Campbell c Ventura b Taylor 0
M. Nurse not out 20
R. Hinds c Hibbert b Cunningham 30
P. Collins not out 0
Extras (lb2, nb2) 4
TOTAL (for two wkts) 54
Fall: 1-1, 2-54.
Bowling: Taylor 5-0-20-1 (nb2); Richardson 4-0-13-0; Bernard 2-0-5-0;
Cunningham 5-2-7-1; Breese 4-2-7-0.
