GEORGETOWN, Guyana - THE Jamaica Tallawahs sprung a surprise on the St. Lucia Kings team to come away with a 33-run win at the National Stadium in Guyana last evening (Sept. 27).
Playing under clear evening skies with heavy dew, the Kings won the toss, inserted the Tallawahs and they made inroads by pegging them back early up, when they quickly removed opener Brandon King.
Fellow opener Kennar Lewis soon followed with the score on 21 inside 5 overs, as the Tallawahs never got out of first gear in the Powerplay overs.
But a 51-run partnership between Shamar Brooks (47) and Raymon Reifer (25) propelled the Tallawahs close to the hundred mark.
However, it was Mohammed Nabi’s quickfire 31 from 15 balls that ensured there was a competitive total on a pitch that was two-paced.
They ended on 148/8 off their 20 overs as David Wiese ended with 3 for 19 from 3 overs.
Conditions did not get any better for batting in the second half of the game, as the pitch played slower and provided lower bounce.
Nabi played a critical role in restricting the Kings, bagging 3 wickets and was supported by Fabian Allen.
The Kings, known for their free scoring at the top the order, struggled after losing opener Johnson Charles in the third over when he was bowled by Mohammed Amir with the score on 10.
Captain Faf Du Plessis (41), who was in top form, again led from the front in a vain effort.
He looked in prime position to lead the chase and take his team to the semifinals, until a delivery from Allen did not rise more than 2 inches off the ground to slip under the bat and shattered his stumps.
There were no considerable efforts from the other batters to scare the Tallawahs and the Kings were bowled out for 115 in 18 overs.
Speaking after the game, Tallawahs skipper Rovman Powell explained that the team came in with good spirits and felt upbeat that they could be victorious.
He commended his bowlers, saying that his decisions of who bowled was based on the approach and findings from the first innings.
“We batted second and we watched how St. Lucia bowled on the wicket, and we realised that spinners were difficult to get off the wicket. So I decided that I would use as many spinners as possible…that is why I only bowled 3 overs of pace,” Powell added.
With the win, the Tallawahs will now take on the Guyana Amazon Warriors this evening for a place in Friday’s showpiece Final.
Action gets underway from 7:00 p.m.
