Trinidad and Tobago outplays Jamaica to win T-20 Championship

T and T Winning Team

BRIDGETOWN, Barbados – Trinidad & Tobago claimed the Caribbean Twenty20 cricket title Sunday as effervescent West Indies allrounders Dwayne Bravo and Kieron Pollard inspired an emphatic 70-run victory over Jamaica in the final.

Bravo hit a top score of 49 at Kensington Oval, while Pollard blasted an unbeaten 39 off 13 balls as Trinidad & Tobago amassed 168-6 off 20 overs.

Leg spinner Odean Brown led the Jamaicans with 3-22. Jamaica lost two early wickets and its pursuit never gained momentum as it limped to 105-5 off 20 overs. Carlton Baugh’s unbeaten 39 came with the result virtually sealed.

Trinidad & Tobago, the defending champions, won the toss and got a stirring start from openers Adrian Barath and Lendl Simmons. They raced to 35 off the first five overs before Brown stalled the charge.

Simmons, after hitting two fours and a six in 19 balls, edged to wicketkeeper Carlton Baugh. West Indies left-hander Darren Bravo also edged to Baugh off his international teammate Andre Russell as the innings wobbled. Jamaica gained further momentum when Brown claimed Barath and Captain Denesh Ramdin in quick succession.

Barath compiled 21 with two fours and a six before he was stumped by Baugh missing a big heave. Ramdin was bowled as he tried to make room to cut and Trinidad & Tobago dipped to 65-4 in the 12th over. But Dwayne Bravo rebuilt strongly in a stand of 42 with Sunil Narine.

Narine, promoted above Pollard in the order, contributed 22 off 15 balls with a four and two sixes. Bravo, dropped on 20 in the deep by Shawn Findlay, began to open his shoulders and he and Pollard provided the acceleration toward the end with 68 runs off the last five overs. Bravo hit three fours and four sixes off 43 deliveries. Pollard, floored by the luckless Samuels in the deep when just two off Krishmar Santokie, ended the innings in style by carting the same bowler, the tournament’s leading wicket-taker, for 26 off the final over, including three sixes off successive balls.

Jamaica’s reply never really threatened once opener Nkrumah Bonner and Marlon Samuels fell cheaply. Bonner was run out after a mix up with Danza Hyatt and Samuels notched his third duck of the tournament when he was bowled through the gap driving at a Samuel Badree googly.

Hyatt struggled to 12 off 23 balls before Dwayne Bravo, the eventual Man of the Match, claimed him to a catch at long-off. Captain David Bernard tried gamely by scoring 25 off 29 balls, but when he and Andre Russell were caught in the deep, the match was as good as over. Pollard claimed both catches and gave the cutthroat signal following Russell’s dismissal as the hundreds of Trinidadians in the crowd celebrated.

Pollard earned the Man of the Tournament award for his 153 runs, which included 16 sixes.

Earlier, left-arm pacer Delorn Johnson claimed 5-5, the best ever figures in regional Twenty20 history, to set up an easy Windward Islands victory over Barbados in the third place play-off.

Barbados was bowled out for 101 and Andre Fletcher and Devon Smith ensured the target was chased down comfortably with 13 balls to spare.

Summarized scores:
Third place play-off: Windward Islands beat Barbados by seven wickets.
Barbados 101 all out off 20 overs (Jonathan Carter 42, Alcindo Holder 24; Delorn Johnson 5-5).

Windward Islands 105-3 off 17.5 overs (Andre Fletcher 42, Devon Smith 34).
The final: Trinidad & Tobago beat Jamaica by 63 runs.

Trinidad & Tobago 168-6 off 20 overs (Dwayne Bravo 49, Kieron Pollard 39 not out, Sunil Narine 22, Adrian Barath 21, Lendl Simmons 19; Odean Brown 3-22).
Jamaica 105-5 off 20 overs (Carlton Baugh 39 not out, David Bernard 25, Shawn Findlay 17 not out).