BELFAST, Ireland, CMC – Teddy Bishop hit a half-century. Still, the career-best spell from Matthew Humphreys once again cruelly exposed the Cricket West Indies Academy batting against hosts Emerging Ireland in their second four-day match on Tuesday.
Bishop hit the top score of 69, but Humphreys, a left-arm spinner, bagged five for 57 from 12 overs, and the Caribbean side were bowled out for exactly 200 in their first innings on a rain-marred first day of the first-class match at Stormont.
Emerging Ireland, whose side has been boosted with the addition of several international caps that returned during the past week from their failed campaign at the ICC Men’s Twenty20 World Cup in the Caribbean and the United States, were 18 without loss at the close.
Bishop struck 11 fours from 110 balls in close to 2-1/2 hours at the crease, but there were few substantial partnerships from the visitors, and their batting crumbled after play did not start until after the scheduled lunch interval.
A second wicket stand of precisely 50 between wicketkeeper-batsman Jewel Andrew and opener Ackeem Auguste gave the CWI Academy innings early stability. Still, they were dismissed before the Caribbean stumbled to 113 for five at tea.
After Andrew was caught behind off Liam McCarthy for 27, the turning point in the innings came when international pacer Curtis Campher trapped Auguste lbw for 26 and bagged the scalps of Carlon Bowen-Tuckett and Jordan Johnson for ducks in the space of five balls in his second over.
A sixth-wicket stand of 83 on either side of the tea break between Bishop, leading the CWI Academy in this match, and Nyeem Young, the regular captain, brought some respectability back to the visitors. Still, Humphreys bowled Young for 29 in the second hour after tea, which triggered a batting collapse.
The Caribbean side lost their last five wickets—all to Humphreys—for 23 in the span of 50 balls, leaving the home team about half an hour to bat before stumps were drawn.
Emerging Ireland leads the two-match series 1-0 after winning by 72 runs in the first match, which ended last Friday at the Green.
CWI Academy made three changes to its lineup for the match, replacing Leonardo Julien, McKenny Clarke, and Onaje Amory with Andrew, left-arm pacer Ramon Simmonds, and fellow pacer Kelvin Pitman.
Emerging Ireland made sweeping changes to their lineup, with only Humphreys, opener James McCollum, and pacers Liam McCarthy and Matthew Foster surviving from the squad that won the first match.
T20 World Cup captain Paul Stirling, as well as World Cup teammates Campher Andrew Balbirnie, Harry Tector, and Lorcan Tucker, have significantly boosted the squad. In contrast, long-standing batting all-rounder Andy McBrine and pacer Fionn Hand, both not part of the World Cup squad, have been given playing time.
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