TAROUBA, Trinidad, CMC – Test discard Nkrumah Bonner returned to form with a half-century. Still, abject Jamaica Scorpions crashed to a four-wicket defeat to Windward Islands Islands here Sunday to continue their miserable campaign in the Regional Super50 Cup.
In the battle of the only two winless sides in the competition, Scorpions could only muster 158 all out in the 43rd over at the Brian Lara Stadium, with Bonner top-scoring with 72 off 110 balls with five fours.
Sent in, Scorpions never found any stability and were routed by fast bowler Sherman Lewis (3-18) and leg-spinner Darel Cyrus (3-40).
In reply, Volcanoes made hard work of the small total before eventually crawling over the line in the 37th over.
Trinidadian left-hander Jeremy Solozano top-scored with 40 from 75 balls, and West Indies left-hander Alick Athanaze got a breezy 36 from 28 deliveries. In comparison, Shamar Springer saw his side home with an unbeaten 24 off 45 balls.
The defeat was the fifth on the trot for title-holders Scorpions, leaving captain Rovman Powell lamenting his side’s woes.
“It’s tough. It’s been a tough season as a team, but today, the guys showed some fight after scoring [158]. I think we made a game of it,” the West Indies T20 skipper said.
“I think it’s a lot of inconsistency in all three departments. None of our batters have accumulated 200 runs, and we’ve already gone five games.
“None of our bowlers – especially our spinners – are closing in on ten wickets. If you struggle in these departments, you’ll get results like we.”
Volcanoes, meanwhile, picked up their first win in five outings, but captain Andre Fletcher’s delight was tempered with disappointment.
“It’s a good feeling, but I’m not happy, to be honest. It should be a convincing win,” he said.
“We were trying our best to go after the points, which we all know play a vital role in the tournament.
“Yes, it’s good to have a win under your belt, but at the same time, you don’t want to win games like this. You want to make sure you send a message to the other teams that you have to play.”
Both innings needed to have genuine interest. Scorpions tumbled to 48 for four in the 12th over, recovered slightly through a 36-run, fifth wicket stand between Bonner and Brad Barnes (10) before losing their last six wickets for 74 runs.
Bonner’s fifty was his 13th in List A cricket and came on the heels of scores of 24, 9, and 0 in the tournament.
Volcanoes then flourished early in their chase, Athanaze slamming half-dozen fours to inspire a 41-run, first wicket stand off 38 deliveries with Johnson Charles (13).
When four wickets tumbled for 30 runs, Solozano put on 40 for the fifth wicket with Sunil Ambris (15) and a further 24 for the sixth wicket Springer, who then kept his wits to see Volcanoes to victory.
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