Trinidad and Tobago U17 pacer Racha 'tricks' Jamaica in CWI Rising Stars

Right-arm seamer Aaidan Racha grabbed figures of five for 13 – including a hat-trick – to help hosts Trinidad and Tobago  to a ten-run win over Jamaica at Inshan Ali Park in Preysal in the Cricket West Indies (CWI) Rising Stars Men's Under-17 50-over Championships on September 1.

It was TT's third win in the rain-affected tourney after they got victories over the Windward Islands on August 25 and Guyana on August 31. In their final match of the tourney versus two-day champions Barbados on September 2, TT will have the chance to clinch the title.

Originally carded for August 29, the round-three matches were rescheduled to September 1 after rain prevented action in all three fixtures. The rescheduled games were reduced to 20-over affairs.

Batting first against Jamaica, TT got to a modest score of 112 for seven, with middle-order batsman Darrius Batoosingh top-scoring with 25 off 19 balls. Four other TT batsmen scored in double figures.

Perico Henry led the Jamaican attack with figures of three for 22, and he accounted for the scalps of TT skipper Brendan Boodoo (12) and Christian Lall (17) in the 14th over. He also got the wicket of opener Samir Saroop (14).

Hunting their third win, the hosts seized the ascendancy in the fifth over when Racha took the wickets of Jamaican skipper Tyriek Bryan (six), Demarco Scott (duck) and Leon Palmer (duck) off successive deliveries as the visitors slipped to 24 for five.

In his previous over, Racha gave Jamaica a hint of his threat when he bowled opener Savio Jones (eight) and David Dewar (duck) off consecutive deliveries.

By the end of the eighth over, Jamaica took their score to 46 for six as Odane Binns (11) was stumped off Boodoo, who grabbed two for 12 from his four overs.

In wicket-keeper Pajay Nelson (53 off 52 balls), the visitors had a lone warrior who threatened to take the game away from TT with a defiant fight. Nelson hit five fours and the solitary six in his innings and he took the game down to the last over, with the visitors needing 12 runs with two wickets still intact.

After hitting Renaldo Fournillier for a six and a four in the penultimate over, Nelson would have fancied his chances, but his fighting innings came to an end when he was caught off the bowling of Batoosingh (two for 13) off the fourth ball of the final over. Batoosingh conceded just one run from the final over to cap a fine allround performance and a tense victory for the hosts.

In their final match, TT will return to the Presyal venue as they aim to continue their unbeaten streak in the tourney when they tackle a Barbadian team who will also have their eyes on the prize.

Barbados have won their two completed matches in the 50-over tourney versus Jamaica and Leewards, with their first two matches against Guyana and Windwards being called off due to bad weather.

Summarised Scores:

TT: 112/7 from 20 overs (Darrius Batoosingh 25, Christian Lall 17; Perico Henry 3/22, Deshawn James 2/30) vs JAMAICA: 102/9 from 20 overs (Pajay Nelson 53; Aaidan Racha 5/13, Brendan Boodoo 2/12). TT won by ten runs.

GUYANA: 99 from 19.5 overs (Jonathan van Lange 24; Edmund Morancie 3/18, Jelani Joseph 2/5) vs WINDWARD ISLANDS: 96/9 from 20 overs (Theo Edward 21; J van Lange 3/16, Golcharran Chulai 2/15). Guyana won by three runs.

LEEWARD ISLANDS: 90 from 18.2 overs (Lythe Browne 18; Khomari Griffith 3/3, Shaquan Belle 3/21) vs BARBADOS: 91/1 from 10.1 overs (Zachary Carter 62 not out, Joshua Dorne 22 not out; Mekaili Tonge 1/25). Barbados won by nine wickets.