Unfortunately for ICC Americas, the Leeward Islands Under-19’s bats worked rather too well at the National Stadium, Guyana, on Tuesday (August 12). The Leeward Islanders reached 259/4 from 50 overs then bowled out ICC Americas for 109 just after the midpoint of the allowed overs. Leeward Islands gained 6 points for this win by 150 runs as well as 0.8 bonus points due to designated pace bowlers capturing eight of the wickets lost by the Americas team.
Possibly the one phase in the game where the ICC Americas side gained hope was when Bermudian Delray Rawlings took 3 wickets with the Leewards on 123. Rawlings successes began by ending the opening partnership between Shaquille Martina (60) and Ross Powell (34). Rawlings bowled wicketkeeper Jacel Clarke for a duck as the Leewards’ average runs per wicket fell to 41 from that initial 123. The balance of the game swung back in favour of the Leewards as Kacey Carty hit 59* and Dion Weste made 51 before being run out. ICC Americas conceded 30 runs in wides.
Rawlings, a slow left-arm orthodox bowler, finished with 3/38 from 10 overs. Micah Simons (Bermuda) bowled fairly economically by the standards of the day conceding 17 runs from four overs.
Nikhil Dutta (Canada) was bowled by Alzarri Joseph for a duck and Arsh Buch (USA) was run out for 1 to leave ICC Americas on 13/2 in the early going. Buch also had the misfortune to be run out in the previous game. USA captain and the day’s ICC Americas skipper Trevis Ross scored 21 and moved the total to 39 with Vibhav Altekar (USA), who scored 15. Both fell to catches off Joseph’s bowling. Canada’s Abraash Khan (4) and Armaan Kapoor (2) both fell to opposing captain Jeremiah Louis but Farhan Malik provided some resistance with 18 before being caught at the wicket off Joseph’s bowling.
Joseph took 5/47 and Louis captured 2/19, both are designated as fast bowlers so Leewards picked up 0.7 bonus points from these two. Another 0.1 bonus point was gained from Asharn Hodge’s 1/10.
ICC Americas does not have a game in the last series of round robin games on Wednesday, so will finish bottom of the
round-robin standings. Hopefully the players will have gained useful experience from this tournament. The top two teams in the round robin standings after Wednesday’s matches will meet in the final on Friday (August 15).
Eddie Norfolk