- Guyana Amazon Warriors 179 for 3 (Hodge 65*, Fudadin 54) beat Jamaica Tallawahs 95 (Russell 28, Beaton 4-9) by 84 runs
Half-centuries from Assad Fudadin and Brad Hodge, followed by a four-wicket haul from fast bowler Ronsford Beaton helped Guyana Amazon Warriors crush Jamaica Tallawahs by 84 runs at Sabina Park for only their third victory of the season.
Amazon Warriors, having been inserted, began slowly, with the openers Lendl Simmons and Fudadin scoring just 15 off the first four overs. However, Simmons let loose in the fifth, smashing 14 runs off Andre Russell. The boundaries remained scarce, with only two fours and a six being hit in the next five overs, but both batsmen kept the score ticking with singles and twos.
Russell eventually dismissed Simmons in the 11th over to end an opening stand worth 71, but Fudaddin continued briskly and reached his fifty of 38 balls. He fell soon after, for a 43-ball 54, but there was little respite for the hosts as Hodge counterattacked with a second straight half-century. Hodge launched a total of three fours and six sixes during his unbeaten 30-ball 65, including 14 off another over from Russell, who ended with figures of 3-0-39-1. Hodge’s blitz lifted the team to 179 for 3 and meant that Tallawahs needed nine an over right from the off.
The tournament’s top scorer Chris Gayle began the chase positively by smashing a four and a six off the first over, but Tallawahs failed to kick on from there, with both Gayle and his opening partner Chadwick Walton getting out in the space of five deliveries. Wickets continued to fall freely, with Marchant de Lange (2 for 17) and Sunil Narine (2 for 9) striking at regular intervals to reduce Tallawahs to 54 for 5. Russell swung his way to a 14-ball 28, but after he was dismissed, Beaton cleaned up the tail on his way to collecting a career-best 4 for 9, including three in an over. It meant that from 93 for 5, Tallawahs had collapsed to 95 all out inside 16 overs to succumb to their fourth defeat of the season.
