Hemindra Ramdihal (Right) was adjudged Man-of-the-Match for his 4 for 7 bowling spell.
Guyana and Pakistan Advance to Semi-Final
With a come from behind surge, Guyana advanced to the semi-final round of the 2017 Rockaway T20 New York Cricket Fiesta, defeating Jamaica and India on the same day. Guyana will now face Pakistan, who has been waiting in the wings 15 points, in a semi-final clash this Saturday, August 26, with the winner coming up against the unbeaten Team New York in the final later that same day.
JAMAICA VS. GUYANA
Winning the toss, Guyana elected to bowl. It was a good decision as Jamaica lost its first wicket – O’Neil Powell in the second over lbw Keon Lake, with only nine strokes on the tins. Fourteen runs later Jamaica lost its skipper Barrington Bartley for 13 caught off the bowling of Guyana’s skipper Andre Kirton. It did not get much better from there on, as Jamaica lost wickets 47, 47, 51, 65, 89, 104, 104 and 105. The only batsmen posting double-figures were Tamar lambert, 30, Tristan Coleman, 25, Barrington Bartley, 13 and Charles Watson, 12, as Jamaica was dismissed all out for 105 in 19.1 overs. It was a disappointing total for Jamaica and no doubt the scores of fans who made the early morning trek to Baisley Pond Park to see the Jamaican power-hitters post a big total.
Credit is due Guyana’s bowlers for restricting the Jamaicans to 5.25 per over, and behind some tidy spells from all the Guyana bowlers. Hemindra Ramdihal was the cream of the crop with 4-1-7-3. He was ably supported by Andre Kirton 2 for 23, R. Ivan 2 for 24, Keon Lake 2 for 27 and Alex Amsterdam 1 for 24.
Guyana in reply knew that they had to beat Jamaica and post a huge total against India, if they were to secure a spot in the semi-final this Saturday.
Guyana was off to a slightly better start than Jamaica, losing their first wicket at 21, caught off the bowling of Charles Watson for 4. However Jamaica smelled blood when opener Akshay Homraj was cleaned bowled by Watson for 14 (1×6, 2x4s). Guyana lost additional wickets along the way, but kept abreast of the required run rate establishing mini-partnerships and chipping away at the total. As the 106 target appeared on the horizon, the atmosphere was transformed to a tense one as both Guyana and Jamaica managers were observed anxiously pacing the sidelines.
Guyana lost wickets at 21, 21, 34, 45, 52, 65, 67 and 97. It was a 30-run eight-wicket stand between Guyana’s skipper Kirton, 18, and D. Lachaya, 19 (1×6, 1×4), that cemented the Guyana victory. Other worthwhile cameo contributions came off the bats of Alex Amsterdam and Derick Narine, each with 10, as Guyana emerged victorious at 107 for 8 in 19.1 overs.
Bowling for Jamaica: George Adams with 3 for 23 off his four overs was the most successful, while C. Watson and R. Burnet each captured two wickets apiece for 14 and 11 respectfully. Barrington Bartley had one for 16. Hemindra Ramdihal was adjudged Man-of-the-Match for his 4 for 7.
Guyana had successfully secured the first-order-of-business by getting Jamaica out of the way.
GUYANA VS. INDIA
India despite not really having a chance to make it to the semi-final round, none the less showed up, albeit with a less than full strength XI to challenge Guyana in the afternoon match.
Randall Wilson (Right) was adjudged Man-of-the-Match for his unbeaten century.
Winning the toss and opting to bat first in an effort to maximize its net run rate, Guyana was rocked early with the dismissal of Derrick Narine, 8, bowled Gaurav Grover. The batsman had sustained a compression injury to his left rib area when he fell after attempting a catch in the Jamaica match. However, his departure paved the way for a 62-run second-wicket partnership between Akshay Homraj, and Randall Wilson, 100 not out. Wilson batting at number three was looking to improve his confidence and form from earlier this year, and was somewhat cautious in his aggression on the less than optimal bowling offered by India. None the less he was still standing at the end with an even century (5x6s, 6x4s). He enjoyed a 129-run fourth-wicket partnership with USA national Alex Amsterdam, 71 of 29 balls (5x6s, 6x4s) caught off the bowling of India’s skipper Susanta Ghosh at the 17.4 over mark. Amsterdam, Wilson and Homraj’s contributions were enough to help Guyana post an above par score of 233 for 4 in 20 overs.
The four Guyana wickets lost were attributed to the effort of India’s Ghosh, Grover, Yusuf Panoli and Jessy Singh, each with one wicket and ranging from 33 to 50 runs each.
At the conclusion of the Guyana inning, you could have left the room or shut down your mobile device if the match was being broadcast on TV or streamed live; as a hapless India was never allowed to get a grip, to focus on the asking rate of 11.65 per over. All of the India batsmen registered scores in the single digits ranging from 0 to 5. It was no doubt a humiliating loss by India in its first entry into the tournament, now in its second season.
The Indian batsmen either had no clue how to play the Guyana bowlers, or gave up early and simply went through the motions of completing the match. Posting a total of 27 all out in 13.2 overs including three extras does indicate a bit of resistance on the part of the Indian batsmen, if not one may question why it took as many as 13 overs to skittle out the Indian side.
Bowling for Guyana: Andre Kirton harvested 4 for 9 off 4 overs, Keon Lake had 3 for 14 off of his four, while Alex Amsterdam enjoyed 2 for 4 off 2.2 overs and Hemindra Ramdihal captured one for 3 off 3 overs. It was a humiliating dismissal of India by an energized Team Guyana, that will now face-off against the power-hitting Team Pakistan in the semi-final, with the winner advancing to face the New York Select XI in the final. Randall Wilson was adjudged Man-of-the-Match for his even 100 not out.
The Rockaway T20 New York Cricket Fiesta action wraps up this Saturday at Baisley Pond Park – 150th Street and Baisley Boulevard, in Queens, NY, starting at 10:00 am with Guyana vs. Pakistan in the semi-final match, with the winner playing the New York Select XI. The final is set for 2:00 pm. The match umpires are Danny Khan and Vijaya Mallela.
PRIZE MONEY
This year’s winning championship team will receive a check for $7,000.00 while the runner-up will receive one for $3,000.00
Batsmen hitting sixes in the final will be awarded $20. for each Rockaway T20 Maximum hit, compliments of Mr. Hafez Ali, CEO, Rockaway Group of Companies.
The Rockaway T20 New York Cricket Fiesta is sponsored by the Rockaway Group of Companies in conjunction with the following local businesses – Apple Car and Limo Service, Ali and Sons Home Improvement, Ali’s Special Auto Repair Shop, Cash Gift Cards, Cricket Zone USA, Dave Central Auto Repair, Lesly Lowe, President – Commonwealth Cricket League, Main Street Insurance, Ozone Auto Body, Ramsundar Insurance and Travel Services, and SKKY Wireless.
We at www.usacricketers.com will bring you a live scorecard of both games on Saturday.