By Sham Ali
(Celebrating 32nd Anniversary):- On a burned out bone dry outfield Floyd Bennett was blazing runs and consequently wrote the script for a thriller with one ball to spare. The man in the leading role was Sadique Henry who wielded his willow as Lucas gunned down the 291 runs off 40 overs posted by Cosmos last Sunday. It was Cosmos’s first lost, and a tough one indeed, that shifted them from the top of the points table with two more matches to be played in the 2015 Metropolitan Cricket League 40 overs competition.
Sadique Henry smashed an unbeaten 120 from 67 balls.
Sadique Henry was a man on a mission when he walked in to bat at #5 after Cosmos had struck at regular intervals to send Aldaine Thomas (46), Zeniffe Fowler (15), and John Ross (32) all back in the shade. With the score on 103 for 3 in the 16th over Cosmos then missed two crucial opportunities to remove the next two batsmen; in the 17th over O. Crawford offered a simple catch at short mid wicket and then in the 18th over Henry was reprieved at deep mid wicket.
That miss resulted in crucial 4th wicket partnership of 92 runs between Crawford and Henry and it kept Lucas eyes fixed on the target as Cosmos allowed another four chances from Henry to slip through their fingers. With that the picture of this match was beginning to look blurry on one side and delightful on the other. It was an unusual series of blunders from Cosmos since they have been outstanding in the field throughout the season but looked terribly below par in this match. Lucas subsequently reaped the rewards as they pushed the score to 194 for 4 off 29 overs before Crawford (39) went via lbw. Henry was still there out of breath; he looked possessed but was full of fight as he advanced fearlessly. He proceeded to carve out brilliant inning that was full of purpose coupled with some powerful hitting. I will hit it, catch if you can, and all six of them were gassed. His intentions were evident from the start and confidence and comfort with the chances offered.
Cosmos did not have such fortune; however, they had their moments of sparks at the wicket after they won the toss and elected to bat. The platform for Cosmos was set by a fighting 2nd wicket partnership Between Andy Mohamed and Keith Edie after Faisal Taj went early. Andy Mohamed stroked a classy half century while Keith Edie put together a composed one.
Mohamed looked solid as he used the fast outfield to his advantage against paceman R. LIveridge (2 for 71 off 8 overs). Liveridge is touted as the fastest paceman in Jamaica presently, he brought the Floyd Bennett wicket alive, but Mohamed was equal in measure. He was neat and crisp through cover point and extra cover and looked set to follow-up on his century from the last match. On 59 off 51 balls with 6 fours and 2 sixes, he sent a tracer bullet to the man on the ropes at cover point who took an excellent catch above his head 125 for 2 off 21 overs. The partnership had worth 105 with Keith Edie.
Rasheem James (29) and Edie took Cosmos total to 180 in the 32nd over before Edie went lbw for 60 off 67 balls with 7 fours. David Mohamed showed his abilities with the bat in the closing stages of the match with a little cameo of 89 runs off 36 balls which propelled Cosmos to respectable total of 291 with 116 runs coming in the last 10 overs.
Cosmos defense fall short of any real meaning and did not matched the belligerence of Henry’s inning. They didn’t show the mental toughness that was present in the previous encounters and that which was required rise to the challenge against a formidable Lucas outfit. At times, their fielding looked like a broken faucet it leaked runs with untold fumbles and the occasional ones that trickled to the boundary. Conversely, there was grit in left arm orthodox spinner Ralston Levy who bowled with flight, turn, and bounce. He bagged 4 for 43 off 8 overs, however, he needed support but the remainder of Cosmos attack was wayward at crucial times a received the appropriate treatment as runs leaked unnecessarily.
At 243 for 5 off 35 overs, it was the perfect response from the opposition and Lucas was on course. However, there was still a battle to be won by either side with 49 needed of the last 5 overs. The danger-man Henry was still at the wicket in partnership with P. Walfall when Andy Mohamed was brought back into the attack. Henry swung at the first ball, it took the outside edge a lobbed in and out of Faisal Taj‘s hands at point. Ricky Kissoon replaced Levy for the 37th over, Henry heaved again to the midwicket boundary, and James settled under it, he’s got hands like a bucket, the bucket has a hole.
Lenroy Whyte replace Mohamed, 17 runs needed off 2 overs. Henry swung at the first ball again, it flew to extra cover, David Mohamed got under it, got it in his hands, nope, it was on the grass a second later, really? Catch #11 spilled! By the time the leak dried up and Cosmos wrapped their heads around the unimaginable and inexplicable Henry had punished the Cosmos attack with 17 fours and 2 sixes for an unbeaten 120 runs off 67 balls. When he swung the penultimate delivery to the mid wicket boundary Lucas camp were triumphant and rightly stormed the field as “King” Henry coined and ended the script of the season thriller in emphatic style.