Powell’s classy 95 sets up victory bid for Hamilton XI
Scorecard - End of Play Day 3 Scorecard
GROS ISLET, Saint Lucia – Kieran Powell played brilliantly but he narrowly missed out on a hundred on the third day of the “Best v Best” four-day West Indies match on Wednesday.
The left-handed opener was dismissed for 95 as Jahmar Hamilton’s XI ended the day on 218-4 at the Daren Sammy Cricket Ground. They will resume on Thursday with a good chance of reaching the victory target of 311 set by the Jermaine Blackwood XI.
Raymon Reifer ended the day unbeaten on 22 to follow up his 60 not out in the first innings, and with him fellow left-hander Paul Palmer Jr. on 15 not out. There were also solid knocks from Shamarh Brooks (39) and while left-handed opener Shayne Moseley (36) as they shared partnerships of 82 and 63 with Powell.
Powell set the tone for the innings and positive throughout his knock, He faced 175 balls in just over 3-¾ hour and hit 11 fours and a six, before falling late in the final session with triple figures beckoning, skying a drive at off-spinner Rahkeem Cornwall and falling to a catch at cover.
“I wanted to spend some time at the wicket and after seeing how it improved over the days, this was the best time to bat. I just wanted to give myself a chance. We started just before lunch, so the first objective was to get to lunch and them come back. I thought once I got in, I was in control,” Powell told CWI Media at the end of the day. “We are in a good position, we need 93 runs for a victory tomorrow, hopefully the guys can come back and get themselves set and pace it throughout the day.”
Shai Hope had earlier added just two to his overnight 104 as Jermaine Blackwood’s XI, on 197-3 overnight, lost their last seven wickets for 27 runs to be all out for 224 in their second innings. Blackwood added just a single before he fell for 24, both batsmen departing within the first four overs of the day.
Teenaged fast bowler Jayden Seales was again hugely impressive with his pace and accuracy. He added another two wickets to his tally to end with 4-40 while left-arm seamers Reifer (2-22) and Preston McSween (2-35) offered perfect support top the fiery Seales.
The match concludes on Thursday. Fans can follow the LIVE ball-by-ball action on West Indies YouTube page https://youtu.be/wpw0LPNg-gM