Top spots up for grabs as CT20 enters phase two

Gros Islet – At the end of the action-packed first phase of the Caribbean T20 at Queens Park Oval, defending champions Trinidad and Tobago lead the points table. The Trinis played unbeaten at home to record three wins and a no-result due to a wash-out, and stand top of the charts with 13 points. They ended their home games with a rousing win over Guyana on Saturday night in front of a colourful and supportive capacity crowd at the historic Oval.

Under the new tournament format, the team which tops the preliminary round will advance to the Grand Final on Sunday, at the picturesque Beausejour Cricket Ground. The second and third placed teams will meet in a play-off on Saturday with the winner advancing to the Final.

Jamaica is in second with nine points from four matches, while Barbados, Windwards and Guyana are all on eight points. Windwards and Guyana have both played three matches while the Bajans have played four.

Combined Campuses and Colleges are sixth on four points from four matches – gained from their shock win over Barbados while the Leewards have lost all four matches and are yet to register a point.

The leading batsman is Darren Bravo, the T&T left-hander, who hit a career-best 82 not out on Saturday night against Guyana to win the Man-of-the-Match award. He has so far made 164 runs at an average of 82, and an impressive strike rate of 149.09.

Chadwick Walton of CCC is second with 131 runs at 46.33 runs per innings. He made 99 not out against Guyana, which is the highest score in the four years of the tournament, while Shivnarine Chanderpaul, the Guyana legend, who has so far scored 114 runs in three innings, is third.

The leading wicket-taker is Tino Best who has picked up 10 wickets in four matches at 7.30 runs per wicket. He had the impressive figures of 4-26 in the win against Leewards and then went even better with a career-best 4-19 in the victory over CCC.

Jamaica’s left-arm seamer Krishmar Santokie is the second highest wicket-taker with eight wickets at 9.87 runs per wicket. He is the leading wicket-taker in the tournament’s history with 41 wickets in 20 matches.

There are four bowlers on seven wickets – Carlos Brathwaite, the tall seamer and Sulieman Benn the beanpole left-arm spinner both from Barbados; Raymon Reifer CCC’s lively left-arm seamer; and Liam Sebastien the wily off-spinner from the Windwards.

Reifer, who also opens the batting, completed this tournament’s first hat-trick on debut against Guyana. His team-mate left-arm spinner Derone Davis also completed a hat-trick in the win over Barbados – with the rare feat of three wickets off the first three balls of the innings.

The Caribbean T20 continues tonight at Beausejour Cricket Ground. Guyana will face Jamaica in a bid to stay in contention for a play-off spot, while Windward Islands and T&T will meet in the second match.

Fans in the region can watch the tournament live on ESPN Caribbean – the broadcast partner of the West Indies Cricket Board. 

TOURNAMENT UPDATE

(AT QUEEN’S PARK OVAL, 
Port-of-Spain, Trinidad) January 6
T&T vs Jamaica – Match abandoned due to rain
Monday, January 7
Barbados beat Leewards by 9 wickets
Guyana beat CCC by 2 wickets
Tuesday, January 8
Barbados beat Jamaica by 5 wickets
T&T beat CCC by 7 wickets
Wednesday, January 9
Jamaica beat Windwards by 12 runs
T&T beat Leewards by 95 runs
Thursday, January 10
Windwards beat CCC by 42 runs
Guyana beat Barbados by 42 runs
Friday, January 11
Leewards vs Jamaica – TIE (Jamaica won one-over eliminator)
CCC beat Barbados by 12 runs
Saturday, January 12
Windwards beat Leewards by 10 runs
T&T beat Guyana by 80 runs
 
(AT BEAUSEJOUR CRICKET GROUND, 
Gros Islet, St. Lucia)
Today 
Guyana vs Jamaica – 4 pm
Windwards vs T&T – 8 pm
Tomorrow
CCC vs Leewards – 4 pm
Barbados vs T&T – 8 pm
Thursday 
Leewards vs Guyana – 4 pm
Windwards vs Barbados – 8 pm
Friday 
CCC vs Jamaica – 4 pm
Windwards vs Guyana – 8 pm
Saturday 
Play-off: 2nd Place vs 3rd Place – 8 pm
Sunday 
Grand Final: 1st Place vs Winner of Play-off – 8 pm
 

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TEAMS    M    W    L    NR    P    NRR
T&T    4    3    0    1    13    +3.352
Jamaica    4    2    1    1    9    -0.731
Windwards    3    2    1    0    8    +0.702
Barbados    4    2    2    0    8    +0.685
Guyana    3    2    1    0    8    -0.616
CCC    4    1    3    0    4    -0.647
Leewards    4    0    4    0    0    -2.302