ST JOHN’S, Antigua, CMC – Opener John Campbell extended his form by half a century while Cornwall’s Rahkeem proved his overall worth as 21 wickets fell on a dramatic but final day to give XI Kraigg Brathwaite a four-wicket victory over XI Roston Chase in their four-day warm-up match. -up game here yesterday.
Setting a modest 94 for victory at Coolidge Cricket Ground, left-arm sailor Raymon Reifer (2-15), leg spinner Imran Khan (2-16) and part-time spinner Jermaine Blackwood (2-17) made a living difficult though, leaving Brathwaite’s XI to limp over the finish line. They were 70 for two on one step on the back 29 from opener Kieran Powell 21 by Paul Palmer but a clatter of wickets meant going after a messy mess in the end.
Resuming earlier on their 242 overnight at five, XI Brathwaite was dismissed at 346 to earn a first-baseman of 20 runs.
Kavem Hodge failed to add to his 59 overnight, falling in the early morning of a snorter stay from fast bowler Chemar Holder to Nkrumah Bonner diving in a wide groove.
Palmer, unbeaten at first at 31, added just one before falling into custody in Reifer’s wicket (2-71) one over earlier.
Cornwall then flexed his muscle, belting nine fours and three sixes in a 51-ball beat as he clocked 55 for the ninth wicket with Preston McSween whose 34 came 31 balls and included five fours and sixes.
Guyanese fast bowler Nial Smith opted for two of the five wickets to end with three for 91 while left-arm spinner Jomel Warrican did not add his three for 72. In their second crease, XI Chase dismissed for a paltry 113 with only Campbell showing any enterprise with a top score of 55, to follow his first hundred.
The left-hander struck a half-dozen fours and delivered six off 118 in over 2-¾ hours but left-arm spinner Veerasammy Permaul with four for 21, and off-spinner Corner (2-23) and left-arm sailor McSween ( 2-25) with two wickets against, the pubs separate. Having set a simple target, XI Brathwaite flourished behind a 54 run first wicket stand between Powell and Palmer before the decay set in and five wickets went down for 33 runs. Even after losing the pair to Reifer in the same over, XI Brathwaite seemed ready for an easy win at 70 for two before losing three wickets for one run in nine balls, with Shimron Hetmyer (0), Shamarh Brooks (15) and Hodge (1) collapsed in quick time.
Hetmyer failed for the second time in the game, bowling wanting to pull in Blackwood and Brooks followed suit all over again, breaking a terrifying catch for the bowler.
The match was part of the West Indies preparation for the two-Test series against Sri Lanka starting later this month and also a trial for selectors to select the Test squad.