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Easy win deposits jackpot into T&T's pockets (Stanford 20/20 Final)CMC | 24/02/08COOLIDGE, Antigua - Trinidad & Tobago are the new Stanford Twenty20 Cup champions. The two-island republic, lifted by clever left-arm chinaman bowling from Dave Mohammed, were crowned winners in the Final which promised much, but delivered a no-contest on Sunday at the Stanford Cricket Ground. Mohammed captured four wickets for 21 runs from his quota of four overs to earn the Man-of-the-Match award, as Jamaica, sent in to bat, were dismissed for 91 in 16.4 overs. Chasing such a modest target was never going to be a serious challenge for T&T, and they hit the jackpot with 64 balls to spare, when Lendl Simmons swung a delivery from Marlon Samuels over long-on for six. The victory meant that the T&T players get to share the US $1 million grand prize, and the development programme of the T&T Cricket Board benefits to the tune of US $200,000. Simmons joined opener William Perkins when T&T lost Denesh Ramdin, promoted to open the batting, caught behind off Jerome Taylor for 11 in the second over. Simmons and Perkins added 80 - unbroken - for the second wicket to navigate T&T to the target without further loss. Perkins led all scorers in the match with an even, unbeaten 50 from 33 balls that included seven fours and one six, and Simmons made 26 from 18 balls. But it was Mohammed that put T&T in a winning position, as reckless batting condemned Jamaica to their fate. After Shawn Findlay's loose drive outside the off-stump to a delivery Rayad Emrit destined him to his second duck in as many days, Marlon Samuels joined Xavier Marshall to get Jamaica going in the early over. They added 42 for the second wicket, but were dismissed in the space of six balls of each other, when Marshall dragged a delivery from Samuel Badree onto his stumps and was bowled for the top score of 30 in the eighth over, and Samuels' attempted loft off Dwayne Bravo deposited a simple catch to the long-on fielder. Jamaica were 48 for three in the ninth over, and T&T captain Daren Ganga brought Mohammed into the attack to coincide with Gayle's arrival to join the in-form Danza Hyatt. Mohammed responded to challenge with their wickets in successive overs to turn the tide once and for all T&T's way. Gayle was bowled for six, when he under-edged a cut and ball ricocheted from his left leg onto the stumps in the 12th over, and Hyatt was stumped for four in the 14th over, when he charged down the pitch, swung, and missed. The dismissals of Gayle and Hyatt triggered a sensational batting collapse that saw Jamaica lose their last seven wickets for 33 runs in the space of 31 balls. A total of 20 teams started this year's Stanford Twenty20 Cup which is a knock-out competition featuring national sides from several Caribbean territories vying for the million-dollar grand prize. The competition was created two years ago and is solely financed by Antigua-based, Texan billionaire Sir Allen Stanford. |
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