The Guyana Jaguars roared to their fifth consecutive win in this season’s WICB PCL four-day Franchise with an emphatic 117-run victory over the Jamaica Scorpions at Sabina Park yesterday.
Twenty-year-old left arm spinner Gudakesh Motie befuddled the batsmen on the last day track to finish with 6-33 as Jamaica were bowled out for 208 after being set 336 for an unlikely win.
The former West Indies Under-19 player, grabbed the last six wickets after pacer Keon Joseph, in his first match for the season, made the breakthrough by having overnight batsman Antiguan Devon Thomas (31) caught and bowled in the sixth over of the day to trigger a collapse.
The last seven wickets tumbled for 108 runs as the Jaguars extended their unbeaten streak in PCL cricket to 12 games with the rampaging Jaguars notching up their second successive victory against Jamaica in their own backyard.
It was always going to be an uphill task for Jamaican to survive at least 90 overs on a track which was sure to offer plenty of assistance for Guyana’s much vaunted three-prong spin attack of Motie, Steven Jacobs and Test spinner Veerasammy Permaul.
But when the dust had settled with over a session to spare, it was Berbician Motie, the youngest and most inexperienced of the trio who had ripped apart the middle and lower order to finish with seven scalps in the game and 34 from five matches to continue his dream start at this level after picking up three wickets on debut against the Windwards at Providence.
Jacobs had 2-38 after missing one game to end the first half of the tournament with 19 wickets while Permaul, who went wicket less yesterday, is on 17 wickets from three games.
Jamaica resumed on 82-3 with Thomas on 20 and the burly Tamar Lambert on one, needing another 244 for an improbable win or to bat out the day to save the match.
When the 26-year-old Thomas, 29 short of his 13th fifty at this level, provided Joseph with his second wicket, the Jaguars were in the ascendency.
Only Lambert of the remaining batsmen offered any fight with a dogged 30 although the strapping Sheldon Cottrell made an aggressive 23 and debutant pacer Rovman Powell made 23.
The experienced Carlton Baugh (17) was caught and bowled by the crafty Motie at 137-5 and by Lunch the home team, watched by a handful of spectators, were 147-5 with Lambert on 29 and Powell on six.
After the interval Motie, who plays for Albion in Berbice went to work and Lambert’s fight ended when he hit Motie to Jacobs just after Lunch to leave Jamaica on 148-6.
Damion Jacobs (1) was LBW to Motie and at 150-7 the Scorpions had lost it sting although Powell and Cottrell added 28 in a frustrating eight-wicket stand as once again the Jaguars seemed not to understand what it takes to go for the kill went they scent blood.
But it was the pencil thin Motie who broke the stand by dismissing Cottrell (23) at 178-8 but Powell continued to occupy the crease and along with Miller (12) added another 20 for the ninth wicket as polishing off the tail in a clinical manner continues to be one of the Jaguars’ few blemishes this season.
Motie wrapped the match when he trapped Miller (12) LBW at 198-9 to give Motie his fourth five-wicket haul before Powell’s resistance ended when he hit Motie to Joseph to spark celebrations in the Jaguars camp.
The defending champs return home for a well earned break to enjoy the Christmas festivities knowing they have a 22-point lead in the tournament as they are sitting pretty on 85 points. Barbados are second with 63 points, while Jamaica, who got no points from this game, remain on 50.
Regional cricket resumes with the NAGICO Super50 from January 7 when the Jaguars open their 50 overs campaign against the Windwards in St Kitts.