An unbeaten half-century from veteran Jason Mohammed helped the Trinidad & Tobago Red Force earn a nervy draw against the Windward Islands Volcanoes in their first round West indies Championship fixture at the St. George’s Cricket Ground in Grenada on Friday.
The Windwards entered day four in a dominant position, finding themselves 397-3 with a huge 325-run lead over the Red Force on first innings with captain Alick Athanaze (49) and Sunil Ambris (42) at the crease.
The pair started the day looking for quick runs and both batsmen brought up their half-centuries before Athanaze went off the bowling of Terrance Hinds for 51. Ambris ended up finishing not out on 55 while Justin Greaves (6) and Tevyn Walcott (6 not out) provided late cameos as the Volcanoes declared on 425-5 off 113.4 overs, leaving the Red Force needing 355 for victory.
With Vikash Mohan once again unable to open the innings, the Red Force went with Jeremy Solozano and fast bowler Uthman Muhammed to open the innings.
The move did not work as Muhammad only lasted six deliveries before he was dismissed by Darius Martin for four.
With the score on 43, the Red Force lost their second wicket when skipper Darren Bravo was bowled by Ryan John for 23 in the 13th over.
On the stroke of lunch, John picked up his second wicket, removing Solozano for 22 to leave the Red Force reeling at 55-3 off 16.3 overs.
After the break, the vastly experienced pair of Jason Mohammed and Yannic Cariah carried the score up to 93 in the 38th over before Cariah was dismissed by Kavem Hodge for 12.
Tion Webster, who got 79 in the first innings, joined Mohammed at the crease and the pair batted well to put on 49 before the tea break. Trinidad & Tobago entered tea 142-4 with Webster on 38 and Mohammed on 31.
The pair resumed their fight after the break, needing a further 213 runs for victory.
Mohammed brought up his fifty off 111 balls in the 52nd over before Webster brought up his half-century off 50 balls in the 53rd over.
With the partnership on the brink of 100, Webster’s stay was brought to an end for 58 by John in the 58th over to leave the Red Force 191-5, needing 163 runs to win.
The volcanoes were able to take the wickets of Amir Jangoo (8) and Terrance Hinds (0) before the match came to an end with the red Force on 225-7 off 83 overs.
Mohammed ended not out on 79 from 201 balls while Khary Pierre ended eight not out.
Scores: Windward Islands Volcanoes 243 off 63.1 overs (Tevyn Walcott 87*, Sunil Ambris 55, Bryan Charles 4-46, Terrance Hinds 4-72) & 425-5 off 113.4 overs (Kimani Melius 192, Kavem Hodge 80, Sunil Ambris 55*, Alick Athanaze 51, Bryan Charles 2-92)
Trinidad & Tobago Red Force 315 off 92.1 overs (Amir Jangoo 86, Tion Webster 79, Terrance Hinds 52, Ryan John 5-18, Darius Martin 2-80) and 225-7 off 83 overs (Jason Mohammed 79*, Tion Webster 58, Ryan John 3-27, Kavem Hodge 2-54)
Bradley Jacks is a budding journalist and an avid sports fan. His love of research and sports has led him to SportsMax.tv, a place where those passions work hand in hand to allow him to produce content.
Hazlewood moves top of ICC's ODI bowling rankings ahead of Boult and Siraj
Australia's Josh Hazlewood has moved to the top of the ICC's ODI bowler rankings for the first time in his career after Mohammed Siraj slipped to third.
Siraj conceded 37 runs off just three overs in India's 10-wicket loss to Australia on Sunday, which caused the paceman to slump behind Hazlewood and New Zealand's Trent Boult.
Mitchell Stark took 5-53 in that rout, equalling the record number of five-wicket ODI hauls by an Australian bowler.
Hazlewood's rise to the top of the rankings comes despite the 32-year-old having not played in an ODI since November, while his last appearance in any format came in January.
However, he is expected to be back playing for this year's Ashes series in England, which commences on June 16 at Edgbaston.
Meanwhile, Kane Williamson has moved up four spots to second in the Test batting rankings behind Marnus Labuschagne.
Williamson scored a remarkable 215 runs in New Zealand's victory over Sri Lanka in their two-match series, which the Black Caps won 2-0.
Delhi Capitals advance to WPL final, Mumbai Indians to play UP Warriorz in eliminator
The Delhi Capitals have advanced to the final of the inaugural Tata Women’s Premier League after a five-wicket win over the UP Warriorz at the Brabourne Stadium in Mumbai on Tuesday.
The Warriorz made 138-6 off their 20 overs after being put in to bat by the Capitals. Talia McGrath made 58* and captain Alyssa Healy made 36 against 3-26 off four overs from off-spinner Alice Capsey.
Meg Lanning (39), Capsey (34) and Marizanne Kapp (34*) then led a successful Delhi chase as the finalists needed just 17.5 overs to reach 142-5.
Pacer Shabnim Ismail took two wickets for the Warriorz.
With the league phase of the tournament now complete with all teams having played eight games, the Capitals, after finishing top-of-the-table with 12 points, are automatically into the final.
The Warriorz will have an opportunity to meet them there when they take on the Mumbai Indians, who finished as runners-up in the league phase, in the eliminator on Friday.
Earlier on Tuesday, Mumbai also finished the league phase with 12 points after a four-wicket win over the Royal Challengers Bangalore at the Sr DY Patil Sports Academy in Mumbai.
RCB made 125-9 from their 20 overs after losing the toss. Ellyse Perry and Richa Ghosh both made 29 for RCB as Amelia Kerr continued her good form with the ball with 3-22 from her four overs for Mumbai. Nat Sciver-Brunt and Issy Wong also took two wickets each.
Kerr then completed a fine all-round performance with an unbeaten 31 while Yastika Bhatia made 30 and Hayley Matthews 24 as the Indians reached 129-6 in 16.3 overs.
The eliminator will be held at the Dr DY Patil Sports Academy on Friday while the final will take place at the Brabourne Stadium on March 26.
Klaasen masterclass sees South Africa coast in third ODI to tie series
Heinrich Klaasen brilliantly took the third ODI away from West Indies with his unbeaten century to give South Africa a four-wicket win and tie the three-match series.
Klaasen scored 119 off just 61 deliveries, completing a routine victory with three consecutive boundaries.
There were still 123 balls remaining, with South Africa's number five batter having accelerated the scoring just as the tourists had recovered some hope at Senwes Park in Potchefstroom.
The Windies were all out for 260, losing their way after a strong start from Brandon King (72) lifted them to 110-1 in the 19th over.
King contributed to his team's downfall when he chose not to run and left partner Shamarh Brooks (18) stranded, slipping in the middle of the pitch for a run out that triggered a steady stream of Windies wickets.
It was still no sure thing the Proteas would chase down their target despite scoring at a good rate, losing four wickets inside 13 overs – including that of captain Aiden Markram for 25.
Yet Klaasen came to the fore, bringing up his hundred off just 54 balls to swiftly bring the finish line into sight.
A showstopping finale saw poor Yannic Cariah punished, conceding 49 runs off only three and a half overs as the Windies' hopes of a rare series win against South Africa were wiped out.
Windies' wait for series win goes on
West Indies have not beaten South Africa in a multi-game ODI series since April 1992, but this represented a real opportunity, leading 1-0 ahead of the final match after the opener was abandoned without a ball bowled.
A failure to capitalise on competitive starts to both innings extended that wait, although the Windies at least ended South Africa's run of seven straight series victories.
Klaasen crashes six after six
Coming into this match, South Africa had hit only 70 sixes in ODIs since the start of last year, compared to 143 for West Indies over the same period.
But Klaasen alone matched the Windies in that regard on Tuesday, smashing five maximums – as many as the entire touring team – to go with 15 fours in South Africa's fourth-fastest ODI century.
SportsMax is the Caribbean sports channel of choice, committed to providing sporting content of the highest quality to the Caribbean, delivered by a team of highly innovative, passionate and qualified professionals.
(876) 619-7629
digitalmedia@sportsmax.tv
