PORT OF SPAIN, Trinidad--Kraigg Brathwaite hit his third consecutive half-century to guide the Barbados Pride pass the Windward Islands Volcanoes and into the final of the NAGICO SUPER50 final. The Pride will face the Trinidad and Tobago Red Force in the final on Saturday.
Brathwaite who is the Vice-captain of the West Indies test team hit an unbeaten 80 off 120 balls with nine fours.
Volcanoes won the toss and decided to bat first but never threatened to mount a full scale eruption. They posted only 175 with 26 balls to spare. In fact, only Devon Smith with 44 off 58 balls and Sunil Ambris and Tyrone Theophile with 31 apiece pose minor threats.
The Bajan bowlers were always on top as of the second over of the match when Johnson Charles played a wild swipe and was caught for naught with only two runs on the board.
Smith and Theophile added 76 for the second wicket off just one ball short of 19 overs. Both batsmen were dismissed five runs between each other which triggered a middle order collapse. The next two wickets which included the Captain in Liam Sebastien fell for just 14 runs. None of the other batsmen was able to withstand the pressure of the fielding team and was dismissed playing rash shots.
On the other hand, the Pride batsmen played sensibly in pursuit of the low total. Brathwaite who usually is able to analyze situations well batted solidly for his half-century. His ninth four of the innings completed the crucial win in the 45th overs.
The other batsmen with significant scores were Shamarh Brooks with 33 not out off 60 balls (2x4) and Shai Hope (5x4) and Jonathan Carter (2x4) with 28 apiece off 48 and 38 balls respectively.
Sulieman Benn from the Barbados Pride was the best bowler of the evening with four for 26 off 10 overs. The opposition batsmen did not have a clue on how to play him.
The seven-wicket win now brings together the two best teams on paper in the tournament. The final begins at 1:30pm and could be viewed live on ESPN2. In the event there is rain on Saturday, Sunday is scheduled as a reserved day for the final.
