Cricket: ICC Americas Tie With Windwards
The ICC Americas team — that includes Bermuda’s Kamau Leverock, Delray Rawlins, Christian Burgess and Tre Manders — finished in a thrilling tie with Windwards. With 2 runs required off 2 balls with only one wicket left the Windwards bowler bowled a leg side wide, the batters went for the extra run only for Rajasingham to be run out.
Windwards won the toss and elected to bat first and the Americas opening attack picked up where they left off in game two, Rajasingham struck in his first over, bowling opener George. A couple of good partnerships helped rebuild the innings but 3 wickets from spinner Farhan Malik kept the Windwards pegged back and in the end their innings closed on 210-9. Five bowlers shard the wickets but the pick of the attack was Farhan Malik with figures of 3-31 from his 10 overs.
ICC Americas started their reply in disastrous fashion, Aurka fishing outside off stump, Ahmad run out and Taylor beaten by pace saw Americas 4-3. Manders and Shaikh then regrouped and took their time to build a partnership worth around 140, Shaikh making 53 and Manders 69. These two played magnificently and showed the benefit of occupying the crease.
In the end Manders was first to go and Shaikh went not long after but 10 runs in 2 balls from Farhan Malik and some improvised sweeping from the youngster Rawlins saw Americas needing 6 from the final over with one wicket left. 4 runs were scampered from the first four balls and the 5th was a wide but the batsmen went for the extra run to seal victory only to see Rajasingham run out at the bowlers end.
It was a great example of the ebb and flow of a one day game, there were times when Americas were out of it and times when they were on top, so much so at the end it was difficult to decide if it was a good result or not.
The next game for the Americas is on the 16th against Trinidad and Tobago.
