Jomel Warrican of West Indies ‘A’ in action against England Lions at Sabina Park yesterday.
West Indies “A” walloped touring England Lions by an innings and 17 runs at Sabina Park with a day to spare to take an unbeatable two-nil lead in the three-match “Test” series between the teams.
Entering yesterday’s third day on 34 without loss and needing 243 more runs to make West Indies “A” bat again, England Lions were bowled out for 260 in their second innings.
Scores: England Lions 145 (57 overs) & 260 (100.2 overs); West Indies “A” 422 (110.4 overs).
All-rounders Liam Livingstone and Paul Coughlin provided main resistance for the Lions with 48 and 47, respectively, on a pitch that, though offering grip and turn on the first day, was docile on the second and third days.
The West Indies “A” left-arm finger spinner Jomel Warrican walked away with his second-straight man of the match award. The 25-year-old’s four wickets in the second innings gave him overall figures of 12-103.
Burly off-spinner Rahkeem Cornwall, notwithstanding his no-ball problem, was arguably the home team’s best bowler on the day with 4-88. Cornwall, 25, ended with six wickets in the match.
West Indies “A” held a one-nil lead going into the second “Test” after pulling off a two-wicket victory in Trelawny last week. The third match is set to start in Antigua on February 26.
West Indies “A” Captain Kieran Powell said the game was set up once they restricted the Lions for 145 on the opening day and then replied with 422, thanks to Jahmar Hamilton’s century and Raymon Reifer’s 95.
“It was a really good team effort. Obviously, to win the toss and bowl them out for 145 on the first day, I think that put us in a really strong position, and our spinners have been doing a really good job,” he told journalists during a post-match interview.
Keaton Jennings, the Lions’ skipper, said his batting teammates failed to build on their starts over the course of the opening two games.
“There were guys getting in and not making big scores. When you look at their side, they have had guys making hundreds and 80s and 90s that have made game-changing contributions that have allowed them to have pressure on us, from a batting point of view, for long periods of time,” Jennings explained.
Yesterday, West Indies “A” were almost off to a perfect start in the third over of a sunny day when pacer Keon Joseph shattered the stumps of Jennings. However, the umpire’s call of no-ball cut short the celebrations.
The breakthrough did eventually come with the score on 43 via the run-out route. Jeremiah Louis was the fielder, completing a direct hit to get rid of Haseeb Hameed (18) when Jennings called for a quick single.
Jennings (20) went next when he missed an attempted reverse sweep against off-spinner Rahkeem Cornwall and was given out leg before wicket.
It was 77-3 when Joe Clarke, who struck a good-looking half-century in the first innings, appeared to misjudge the line and length from left-arm seamer Raymon Reifer and was spectacularly bowled for six.
Left-hander Nick Gubbins (22) followed him to the pavilion with the addition of three runs to the total when he was given out lbw to Warrican.
Approximately half an hour before lunch, there was a bit of excitement for the scores of spectators on hand after an exchange between Warrican and the Lions’ wicketkeeper/batsman Alex Davies.
Fielding to his own delivery after Davies played back down the pitch, Warrican ill-advisedly hurled the ball in the general direction of the stumps, but it struck the batsman — who had barely moved — in the midriff. Davies’ reaction was to hit the dead ball into the outfield.
Presiding umpire Verdayne Smith then called his colleague Christopher Wright, Davies, non-striker Livingstone, West Indies “A” skipper Kieran Powell, and the bowler for a quick chat to smooth over matters.
When play resumed, the batsman showed no ill effect from the blow. He belted Cornwall for three consecutive boundaries during the next over, and a classy, late cut for four off Warrican followed.
But the left-arm spinner had the last laugh just before lunch when he beat Davies (21) with a flighted delivery and the batsman played the ball low to the left of silly mid-on fielder Hamilton, who took a smart low catch.
The rearguard partnership between the 24-year-old Livingstone and Coughlin, 25, grew to 83 runs before the sixth wicket fell an hour and a half into the post-lunch session.
Livingstone was the man dismissed, going two runs short of his 50 — his highest score of the series so far — when he top-edged a sweep to backward square where Louis did well to run back and hold on.
Cornwall accounted for Toby Roland-Jones (two) and Coughlin, suggesting the end was night. However, Jack Leach (29) and Mason Crane — left unbeaten on 25 — frustrated the hosts with a stubborn ninth-wicket stand worth 43 runs that sent action deep into the final session.
Warrican eventually struck twice, bowling Leach with one that kept low and then beating last man James Porter (nought) with an arm ball to win the lbw verdict and hand West Indies the series.