Barbados Pelicans held their nerve in another tense finish to clinch their second win of the West Indies T20 Breakout League, as they edged Jamaica Titans by a narrow three-run margin in a thriller at the Brian Lara Cricket Academy on Friday.
The Pelicans, sent in to bat, posted a modest 155-7 built on the back of top-order partnerships and a late flurry from Joshua Bishop before their bowlers stepped up with disciplined lines and clever variations to restrict the Titans to 152-7, their second tight loss in as many matches.
It was a game that swung like a pendulum, with neither side able to dominate for long stretches. The Titans, once again undone by a faltering middle order, will rue another missed opportunity, especially after having the Pelicans pegged back at 126-7 before Bishop’s game-changing cameo.
The Pelicans' innings began tentatively as Shian Brathwaite (eight) departed early, as he was removed by Jeavor Royal in the third over with the score at 17. But a calm and calculated rebuild came through Kadeem Alleyne and Shaqkere Parris, who put together 58 runs for the second wicket, blending caution with calculated aggression.
Alleyne struck four boundaries and two sixes in his 30-ball 38, while Parris looked the more explosive, clearing the ropes three times in a 22-ball 41. Their fluent stand threatened to put the Pelicans on track for a big total, but quick wickets shifted momentum.
Alleyne gifted a return catch to Andrew Rambaran, and Parris followed not long after, caught off Tamarie Redwood. That triggered a middle-order slide — Leniko Boucher (13) and Nyeem Young (10) briefly resisted but could not kick on as Michael Clarke (2-23) and Royal (2-15) squeezed the scoring with sharp spells. Rambaran (2-26) also had two wickets.
Just when it seemed like the Pelicans would fizzle out, Joshua Bishop provided the fireworks at the death. His 25 not out off just 11 balls, including two sixes and two fours, hauled the score past 150 and gave Barbados a defendable total.
The Titans chase started cautiously but once again leaned heavily on their top order. Kirk McKenzie (12) fell early to Alleyne, and though Leroy Lugg (27 off 19) tried to inject momentum alongside Jordan Johnson, the chase never quite ignited.
After a promising stand of 40 with Johnson, Lugg perished to Junior Sinclair, and things unraveled quickly. Brad Barnes (12) was bowled by Zishan Motara, and Johnson, who struck two sixes in a composed 34 off 29, became a victim of Nyeem Young.
At 109-5, the pressure began to mount. Captain Ramaal Lewis (nine), enduring a tough run with the bat, was again dismissed cheaply, this time by Bishop.
Despite the top-order wobble, the Titans were not done yet. Deethmar Anderson played a brave hand at the end, clobbering a four and two sixes in an unbeaten 21 off 14 balls, while Royal returned with 15 off 12 in a determined lower-order charge.
But the Pelicans' bowlers kept their cool, especially Ramon Simmonds, who picked up the key wicket of Royal in the final over as the Titans fell agonizingly short.
The result lifted Barbados Pelicans to two wins as they gather momentum into the middle phase of the tournament, while the Jamaica Titans are left searching for answers after back-to-back narrow defeats.