Red Force opener Lewis stings Scorpions with 107

EVIN Lewis slammed a century to steer TT Red Force to an opening victory over Jamaica Scorpions in the CG Insurance Super50 tournament at the Sir Vivian Richards Stadium in Antigua, on Thursday.

Chasing 259 for victory, Red Force got home comfortably scoring 259/5 in 40.5 overs. Lewis cracked 107 off 92 deliveries, standing out in what is a formidable batting line up with the likes of Lendl Simmons, Jason Mohammed, Darren Bravo, Nicholas Pooran, captain Kieron Pollard and Denesh Ramdin.

Simmons fell for duck without a run on the board when left-arm fast bowler Sheldon Cottrell trapped him leg before. Mohammed, who stood in for Pollard as West Indies One Day International captain on a recent tour of Bangladesh, joined Lewis and the pair laid a solid foundation with a partnership of 112. Mohammed, who played the supporting role, fell for 28 to leave Red Force on 112/2 after 18 overs. Every time Scorpions grabbed a wicket Red Force responded with a partnership.

Bravo and Lewis was the next pair to keep Red Force on top with a 49-run stand, before the latter was sent packing. Lewis slammed eight fours and seven sixes in his innings. A 62-run partnership between Pooran and Bravo took the score to 223 in the 37th over when two quick wickets gave the Scorpions an outside chance. Pooran fell for 43 off 39 deliveries (six fours) and Pollard fell for just one as Red Force were 231/5 in the 38th over.

Bravo and Ramdin (11 not out) avoided any further damage guiding Red Force to the victory. Bravo ended on 59 not out off 59 deliveries which included two fours and five sixes. Andre McCarthy (2/30) and Dennis Bulli (2/84) grabbed two wickets each.

Batting first, Scorpions posted a competitive 258/6 in 50 overs. Brandon King, who joined the Scorpions squad late after participating in the Abu Dhabi T10 League, fell agonizingly short of a century as he was dismissed for 97.

King, batting at three, combined to put on 116 runs for the third wicket with McCarthy after Scorpions were in a spot of bother on 39/2 in the 11th over. TT pacers Anderson Phillip and Ravi Rampaul got the early wickets. Romaine Morrison was dismissed for five by Rampaul, before Phillip bowled Aldane Thomas for 20.

King and McCarthy took the score to 155 in the 33rd over, before McCarthy was sent back to the pavilion for 40 off 63 balls (three fours, one six) by left-arm spinner Akeal Hosein.

The Red Force bowlers were fairly economical as the first five batsmen all had a strike rate of below 100. King could not complete his century as he was bowled by Phillip for 97 off 114 balls with six fours and three sixes to leave Scorpions on 185/4 in the 41st over. Rovman Powell and Paul Palmer then joined forces to put on 46 for the fifth-wicket, before Philip struck again by removing Powell for 43 off 44 balls, which included two fours and two sixes. Phillip and Rampaul bowled fairly tight at the end of the innings as Scorpions closed on 258/6.

Phillip was the most successful Red Force bowler as he grabbed 3/66 in ten overs. The trio of Hosein, Rampaul and Pollard took one wicket apiece.

SUMMARISED SCORES

JAMAICA SCORPIONS 258/6 (50 overs) (Brandon King 97, Rovman Powell 43, Andre McCarthy 40; Anderson Phillip 3/66) vs TT RED FORCE 259/5 (40.5 overs) (Evin Lewis 107, Darren Bravo 59 not out, Nicholas Pooran 43; Andre McCarthy 2/30, Dennis Bulli 2/84) RED FORCE won by five wickets