Windies stay winning, enter Super 8s with perfect record

West Indies continued their winning ways at the International Cricket Council (ICC) Men’s T20 World Cup when they got a 42-run win over newcomers Italy at Eden Gardens, Kolkata, on February 19 to finish group C play with a perfect record. 

Sent to bat first, the Windies made a modest score of 165 for six on the back of a brilliant fifty from skipper Shai Hope (75 off 46 balls). With ball in hand, West Indies showed their quality again as they bowled out Italy for 123, with pacers Shamar Joseph (four for 30) and Matthew Forde (three for 19) leading the way in another clinical performance. It was a unique effort in the field for Joseph, who complemented a career-best T20 haul by taking four catches. 

For the Windies, it wasn’t the most fluent display with the bat by any stretch, with Hope pointing to a mixture of good bowling from the Italians and a general unfamiliarity with their bowling weapons. The Windies were rocked twice early on, as opening batsman Brandon King (four) was dismissed in the second over, while Shimron Hetmyer (one) was spectacularly caught at short third man off pacer Thomas Draca in the fifth over of the match. 

From L-R: Shimron Hetmyer, Matthew Forde, and Shamar Joseph celebrate a wicket against Scotland. Photo courtesy Windies Cricket

With Hope leading from the front with six fours and four sixes, he stitched together a 64-run partnership for the third wicket with countryman Roston Chase (24 off 25) to take the West Indies to 95 for three. Hope and former captain Rovman Powell (nine) fell in quick succession as West Indies slipped to 115 for five, but timely cameos from Sherfane Rutherford (24 not out off 15) and Forde (16 not out off eight) saw the regional team score 50 runs in the last five overs. 

After a solid bowling display, Italy were trying to land a big scalp before hitting the World Cup exit door. However, their power play struggles continued as they slipped to 37 for three by the sixth over with Forde grabbing two early scalps. The speedy Joseph joined the party in his first over when he removed Italy captain Harry Manenti (eight), with Gudakesh Motie striking soon after as the Europeans slipped to 78 for five at the end of the 12th over. 

The writing was on the wall thereafter as the last five Italian wickets fell for just 45 runs, with Joseph wrapping up the tail with the scalps of Thomas Draca (five) and last man Ali Hasan (duck) in the 18th over. 

With a flawless record to show from their group stage exploits, West Indies will now start the Super 8s phase against Zimbabwe at the Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai on February 23. West Indies’ remaining Super 8 matches will be played against 2024 T20 World Cup finalists South Africa and India on February 26 and March 1, respectively. India defeated the South Africans by seven runs to lift the 2024 title at Kensington Oval, Barbados. 

Summarised Scores: 

WEST INDIES: 165/6 from 20 overs (Shai Hope 75, Sherfane Rutherford 24 not out, Roston Chase 24, Matthew Forde 16 not out; Crishan Kalugamage 2/25, Benjamin Manenti 2/37) vs ITALY: 123 from 18 overs (B Manenti 26, JJ Smuts 24, Anthony Mosca 19; Shamar Joseph 4/30, Matthew Forde 3/19). West Indies won by 42 runs. 

Army whipped by Philadelphia in Concacaf Champions Cup

On a night when they would have been hoping for some Ash Wednesday blessings to fall their way, Defence Force had a terrible return to the Concacaf Champions Cup as they were whipped 5-0 by Philadelphia Union at the Hasely Crawford Stadium, Mucurapo on February 18. 

The first leg could not have possibly gone worse for the TT Premier Football League (TTPFL) reigning champions, as their Major League Soccer (MLS) guests dominated from start to finish, while the hosts lost playmaker Joevin Jones to a sending-off in second-half stoppage-time. Not for the first time on this Concacaf journey, coach Devorn Jorsling will have to try to lift his team’s spirits after a heavy defeat on home soil. On this occasion, though, the campaign looks destined for an inauspicious end. 

It was a relatively cautious start to the game by both teams, as the Army tried to sit back and strike on the break through makeshift lone striker Kathon St Hillaire, while Philadelphia tried to work neat, swift combinations through the midfield and up to their giant strikers Ezekiel Alladoh and Stas Korzeniowski. Defence Force fashioned a pair of half-chances in the opening 20 minutes, as St Hillaire fired wildly over the bar after being freed on the counter by Justin Sadoo, while Jones slammed an ambitious long-range volley over the bar as well. 

Philadelphia Union's Cavan Sullivan (L) and Bruno Damiani (R) celebrate a goal against Defence Force in their Concacaf Champions Cup clash at the Hasely Crawford Stadium, Mucurapo on February 18. Photo courtesy Concacaf 

By the end of the first half, though, Philadelphia clearly had the measure of their hosts. They opened up a 2-0 advantage thanks to goals from Alladoh and Man of the Match Milan Iloski, who opened the scoring with a peach of a free kick past goalie Isaiah Williams in the 29th minute. With captain and playmaker Kevin “Nash” Molino often hounded by two and three markers in the midfield, Defence Force offered very little by way of an attacking threat and mustered just four shots in the game, one of which was on target. 

Asserting their dominance ahead of the return leg in Pennsylvania on February 26, Philadelphia went 3-0 up in the 64th minute when towering defender Olwethu Makhanya headed in from a right-side Iloski corner. In the 69th minute, Williams was picking the ball out of his net again as substitute Bruno Damiani scored via a deflection with a left-footed shot from the edge of the area. 

Almost to rub salt in the wounds, Defence Force conceded again in the 81st minute after Grenadian referee Reon Radix consulted VAR to award a penalty to Philadelphia. Damiani made no mistake from the spot and got his team’s fifth goal – and his brace – despite a touch from the sprawling Williams. 

Before the 1,300-strong crowd in the second minute of stoppage-time, Jones, arguably his team’s most lively player on the night, was sent for an early shower when he received his second yellow card of the match. 

Defence Force still have a second leg to look forward to, but it looks like their Champions Cup run will end abruptly in round one. 

Sam's blast not enough as Jabloteh fall again

Defence Force and North East Stars both clinched winning starts to the 2015 leg of the Pro League season with wins over San Juan Jabloteh and St. Ann's Rangers respectively yesterday. Defence Force left it late to secure a 2-1 win versus Jabloteh while Stars did their damage early against the struggling Rangers to seal a 1-0 win.

Jabloteh and Defence Force started at a high tempo in the second match of the Marvin Lee double header with the San Juan front line and midfield working overtime to press their opponents. The Army/Coast Guard combination had the first shot in anger through Richard Roy in the 3rd minute, but the bulky striker was not able to get his effort on frame.

Defence Force was playing their first game without longtime coach Ross Russell whose tenure in the Force has now come to an end after serving for some 26 years. Russell's former charges got the opening item in this contest in the 16th minute after a combination of good wing play and some sloppy defending by Jabloteh. Wide man Jemel Sebro coasted down the right hand flank before squaring a pass back into the penalty area that really should have been dealt with by young centre-back Isiah Mcintyre. However the St. Anthony's standout missed his clearance and left a relatively easy task for midfielder Josimar Belgrave to apply the finishing touch with his namesake Raheem Belgrave stranded in the San Juan goal. Jabloteh's hard early pressing had now been undone.

The youthful looking Jabloteh outfit which started three youngsters who played in the Secondary School League this season showed some promise but was unable to pose a great threat in the final third. One of those schoolboys, Brent Sam, had an opportunity to put his team back on terms in the 20th minute but the striker dragged his snap shot well wide.

The game never looked as though it would be a high scoring one and a second goal for Defence Force in the first period looked like it would seal the job. The goalscorer Belgrave again tried to put one past his namesake after some neat build up play but this time "Birdie" stood solid in the Jabloteh goal and was able to make the save.

Blegrave (J) was now a nuisance to the Jabloteh defense and was just inches away from putting his team up 2-nil at the start of the second half. He made a bustling run through the midfield, shrugging off everyone in his path it seemed, before hitting a low left-footed shot which came back off the post; Jabloteh left off the hook again. His teammate Glynn Franklyn kept up the trend of near misses as he sent his 61st minute header over bar following a corner.

In the 65th minute Jabloteh's Sam made his opponents pay for their wastefulness when he pulled out an absolute cracker that no one could have seen coming. Sam had been feeding on scraps till then so he decided to take things into his own hands it seems. A loose ball fell to Sam some 25 yards away from goal and the lanky striker turned instinctively before unleashing a left-footed cannon that flew past Sheldon Clarke's valiant dive. The high-flying David De Gea would have had problems plucking that one out of the air so Clarke should not be perturbed.

Jabloteh's Brent Sam scored a blinder last night. Here he lines up a free kick for San Juan North in a SSFL 2014 Premier Division Match. 

The game was really anybody's for the taking now as Sam's blast rejuvenated his team and woke up the Force as well. Defence Force's interim head coach Marvin Gordon responded by introducing midfielder Sean Narcis to replace wing-back Jelani Felix while Jabloteh's goalscorer Sam also had to make his way off after picking up an injury in a collision with Clarke.

Jabloteh's right-back Jevon Morris ensured that the game would end in dramatic fashion when he was sent off for his second bookable offence in the 75th minute. Skipper Kerry Baptiste was the player subsequently sacrificed as he made way for defender Dario Holmes.

The odds were now really stacked against Jabloteh as "The Army" knocked the ball around with precision to expose their opponents one-man deficit.

The ten men of Jabloteh nearly took the surprise lead in the 83rd minute when substitute Newton Sterling sent a glancing header just wide after Clarke made an ill-advised move to rush off his line.

Defence Force would put the game to bed just a minute later though as substitutes Kerry Joseph and Sean Narcis linked up well to get the second item. Joseph jinked passed a few challenges down the right-hand flank before finding an unmarked Narcis who deposited his effort with some style. There was nothing Belgrave (R) or the post could do about this effort.

Jabloteh did manage one last effort on goal in the 86th minute but Jamaican attacker Andell Noray saw his shot beaten away by Clarke; All three points to Defence Force then.

In the earlier match of the double header a 7th minute goal from Keron Cummins was enough for North East Stars to overcome St. Ann's Rangers who only have the solitary point to show seven games into the season.