By Isaac Lockett
Day 3 saw the first triple header at the Cool & Smooth T20 2023.
The day’s first match saw two sides who had won their first match with the Liberta Blackhawks taking on the Bolans Blasters. The Sir Vivian Richards Stadium was bathed in sunshine, and the players were ready to put on a show, and it didn’t take long for Kofi James to start the day’s fireworks. James opened up with Jamaica Scorpions’ opening batter Leroy Lugg who came into the side, and the pair quickly raced to a 50 partnership. Lugg departed for a destructive 37 off 22 after being brought in as a last-minute replacement and made his mark straight away on the tournament. However, James continued finding the boundaries bringing up his 50 off 28 balls with fellow Leeward Island Hurricane player Karima Gore at the crease to accompany him. The opening batter eventually fell for a destructive 124 off 64 balls, hitting seven fours and 11 sixes during an incredible inning, bringing up the tournament’s first century. Gore would also score his first half-century of the tournament finishing on 57* off 32 balls as the Blackhawks set up a mammoth 241-2 from their 20 overs.
The Blackhawks then took the momentum into the second innings as they did not let the Blasters back into the game. The defending champions bowled six maidens as they restricted the Blasters to 67-7 from their 20 overs. The bowling figures for all the Blackhawks bowlers were sublime, with Andre Bailey (0-3), Kadeem Phillip (2-5) and Hayden Walsh Jr (2-5) all finishing with an economy rate of under two.
After the game, Nikhil Uttamchandani caught up with James, who spoke about his hunger to keep scoring runs. James spoke about his mentality, explaining that ‘as long as I [he] bats 20 overs, it’s possible to make a 100 … patience is key in all formats for me… I am planning on scoring 1 or two more hundreds’. Then attention turned to the Caribbean Premier League. After his match-defining knock, James hopes that the St Kitts and Nevis Patriots coaches are watching; ‘I’ve been part of their camp, and I am on their radar so hopefully I get a go [in the team]’.
The second game of the day saw opening-round victors, the New Winthorpes Lions, face off against the Pigotts Crushers, looking to get off the mark. After losing two early wickets, Jewel Andrew (30 off 25) once again impressed with the bat and looked in great touch as he helped to solidify the early stage of the Crushers’ innings along with captain Elroy Francis (23 off 20). For the Lions, overseas bowlers Mikkel Govia (0-19) and Michael Leask (1-24) ensured a continuous balance between bat and ball. Scottish International Chris Greves was the third player for the Crushers to get past the 20-run mark top scoring with 36 off 24, with the Crushers eventually finishing on 145-6.
A similar pattern from the first game was then witnessed as the Lions struggled to lift their scoring rate to put the bowling attack under pressure. Despite Leask completing an impressive performance by top scoring for the Lions, with 42 off 32, Crushers captain Francis’s off-spin and the left-arm fast bowling of opening bowler Shalome Parnell swung the match in their team’s favour. Parnell, who represented Jamacia at age group level, bowled a tight first over before returning into the attack to close out the game and finished with figures of 3-17. Francis became the first bowler to pick up four wickets in an inning, finishing with an impressive 4-21 from his four overs. The frequent wickets saw the Lions bowled out for 104 off 18.2 overs.
In the final game, the Golden Eagles would be looking to maintain the winning record of teams batting first on day three against the Empire Nation. The Golden Eagles started strongly with a 53-run opening partnership between Jamaul Fernandez (34 off 30) and captain Deran Benta (43 off 37). While these two were at the crease, it looked like the Nation would be chasing a mammoth target; however, the bowlers quickly wrestled momentum back. Nathan Edward was the pick of the Nation’s bowlers, finishing with 2-8 from his four overs, including a maiden over; while Justin Athanaze (3-19) finished with three wickets and opened up the game for the Nation, claiming the first wicket of Fernandez. The Golden Eagles set the Nation a chase of 129 to win after finishing on 128-7.
The scene was set with the floodlights lighting up the Antiguan sky. Neither team took the early momentum in the second innings, with the scoreboard reading 47-3 after the 7th over. After the loss of Mathew Cross (0 off 5), the Nation fans may have been worried about a second defeat in a row. But up-stepped Darren Nedd. Nedd exuded calm at the crease during an hour-long inning where he faced 48 balls. The question would be whether his scoring rate would be high enough to help the Nation to win. After hitting five 4’s and three maximums, Nedd finished on 58* to help his team over the line with 1.5 overs to spare.
Day three saw a breathtaking finish to a sensational day’s play where Darren Nedd and Kofi James made a name for themselves at the Cool and Smooth T20 2023. But today is a new opportunity, and new players will come to the front.