JAMAICA'S women's cricket team moved a step closer to clinching a regional double when they got a comfortable eight-wicket win against Trinidad and Tobago Red Force women in their T20 Blaze encounter at Warner Park in Basseterre, St Kitts on March 23.
Heading into round four, the unbeaten Jamaican team held a four-point lead over the second-placed TT (nine points) outfit after claiming three consecutive wins. And after the Stafanie Taylor-led Jamaican team restricted TT to a modest score of 98 for eight in 20 overs, they sauntered to their fourth win with 17 balls to spare.
Opting to bowl first, the Jamaicans were miserly in their approach as they stifled the flow of run-scoring. Opener Britney Cooper (44 not out off 53 balls) carried her bat through the innings, but there were no other contributions of note from the TT batters with captain Karishma Ramharack (15 off 11 balls) notching the next-best score.
Vanessa Watts (three for ten) was the pick of the bowlers for Jamaica and her spin accounted for the scalps of Ramharack, Shunelle Sawh (two) and Kirbyina Alexander (five). Seamer Chinelle Henry chipped in with figures of two for 19, while Taylor grabbed two for 31.
Jamaica, who copped the CG United Super50 title earlier this month, made light work of the 99-run target as their top three batters all got starts.
The hard-hitting Natasha McLean was in a dominant mood atop the order, and she scored 41 off 34 balls in a 48-run partnership with Rashada Williams (29 off 41 balls) to kill TT's hopes of an unlikely win.
McLean struck eight fours in her knock as she punished short balling by the TT spinners. Going for a big heave on the leg side, McLean was caught on the square leg boundary by Cooper to give Shalini Samaroo (one for 18) her lone wicket of the contest.
Williams put on 47 for the next wicket with new batter Chedean Nation (21 not out off 27 balls) as the Jamaicans cruised toward victory. Williams gave her wicket away when she was dismissed by Steffie Soogrim (one for 15) in the 17th over.
Nation finished the game in style in the first ball of the next over, though, as she swept Ramharack to the fine leg boundary for four.
From 2.30 pm on Monday, Jamaica will go for a fifth straight win in the tourney when they play Leeward Islands. From 7 pm on Monday, TT will play outgoing champions Barbados in their final match.
Summarised scores
TT – 98/8 from 20 overs (Britney Cooper 44, Karishma Ramharack 15; Vanessa Watts 3/10, Chinelle Henry 2/19) vs JAMAICA – 99/2 from 17.1 overs (Natasha McLean 41, Rashada Williams 29; Steffie Soogrim 1/15, Shalini Samaroo 1/18). Jamaica won by 8 wickets.
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