Defending champions Jamaica Tallawahs held their nerve in the last over to record a win against Guyana Amazon Warriors in the Caribbean Premier League 2014.
The Warriors, who were chasing 149 for victory, lost by four runs and in the process suffered their first defeat in the tournament. Jamaica are yet to lose a game and sit on top of the points table now.
Guyana were left needing 11 of the last over. They had batsmen Lendl Simmons, batting on 66, and Christopher Barnwell at the crease. With a set batsman in Simmons in the middle Guyana would have been hopeful of winning, however it was not to be.
Windies medium pacer Andre Russell bowled the crucial final over which turned out to be an excellent one. Simmons and Barnwell failed to hit boundaries and clear the ropes and could only manage six runs in the entire over. Simmons was unbeaten on 68.
In the penultimate over bowled by Jerome Taylor skipper Denesh Ramdin, who made a useful 32, was forced to retire hurt after a top edge off a full toss over the waist hit him on the helmet. The Guyana management thought it best to have him not bat anymore. As 17 were needed of the final seven balls, Barnwell came and struck the first ball that he faced for six. Thereafter in the final over they could only manage ones and twos as they let the game slip away from them.
Veteran Kiwi Daniel Vettori was the most economical bowler for the Tallawahs as only 15 runs came from his four overs. Guyana only lost two wickets in their chase but failed to get going as the asking rate kept climbing. Simmons batted well for his 68 but he too could only strike three fours. James Neesham, the Kiwi, a surprise choice for an opener in place of Martin Guptill, made 16 off 16 deliveries before Rusty Theron bagged his wicket. Pakistan T2O veteran Mohammad Hafeez could only stick around for nine runs before Nikita Miller castled him.
Thereafter Ramdin and Simmons stuck around and tried the keep the scoreboard ticking but the lack of a four or a six at regular intervals meant that the run rate always kept going up. Despite this, 11 of the last over seemed manageable; however, Russell kept his head and ensured his team won.
Earlier in the day the Jamaica Tallawahs managed to post 148 after useful contributions from opener Chadwick Walton and middle-order batsman Adam Voges. Chadwick Walton and fellow opener Chris Gayle put on 49 runs for the first wicket. Walton surprisingly was the aggressor in the opening stand as the Tallwahs skipper could only make a scratchy 11.
Walton went on to make 52 before Sunil Narine accounted for him. Adam Voges, after Owais Shah was out for a duck, held the innings together with his 48. Voges and Russell added useful runs in the end as Jamaica reached 148, which proved to be enough.
Points Table-
1) Jamaica Tallawahs- 6 points
2) Guyana Amazon Warriors- 6 points
3) Red Steel - 4 points
4) Barbados Tridents- 2 points
5) Antigua Hawksbills- 0 points
6) St.Lucia Zouks- 0 points
