Bermuda Days - Day 3 The Deciding day?

Bermuda come into Day 3 as the front runners because of their victory on Day 1 against Canada.  However Canada are the side on a roll creating the larger NRR as their batting gets into the groove.  Today they take on the Panamanians while Bermuda try and avoid the Cayman Island banana skin as the whole thing moves to a new strip at the National Stadium on an area where there will be a Rugby Classic event in about a fortnight.

This may be the deciding day as the Canadians try to get ahead against the weak Panama hoping that Bermuda slip up against the Cayman Islands who have shown they can be a thorn in the side if they get into a stride.  Presently all Bermuda have to do is keep winning.  The have the only undefeated record in the event and if they keep that they qualify.  Canada need them to lose while they are pushing to get as high a NRR as possible just in case it gets to Saturday and the last game of the tournament between them and the home side decide the first and second places.  If Canada win there and invoke the only defeat on Bermuda then they want the bettere NRR to take the title.  It could all go down to the last game - fun huh?

However there is today.  Canada take on Panama first and it is now pretty much policy that if either of the two top sides win the toss they will bat first.  Panama have not passed 100 yet and it is hard to put up a large batting total if the opposition is not going to make 3 figures.  Canada win the toss and opt to bat. Aaron Johnson, THE batsman of this tournament, strides out with his partner Navneet Dahliwal to get the innings underway.  Abdullah Jasat and Faizan Patel are the opening bowling. 

Johnson gets underway.  By the third over the Canadians have 28 on the board and there is a flurry of Bermudan rain - it belts down for about 25 minutes in biblical fashion, then stops and 30 minutes later it's like it could never have happened.  Everything is clear and we are back in the game.  In the 5th over Panama strike with a 'double Ahir'.  Rahul Ahir gets Dahliwal to slap one to Jay Ahir and Canada are 38 for 1. In comes Pargat Singh but he doesn't stay long and 7 balls later Panama have hope as Natubhai tempts Singh out of his crease and Gaonkar stumps him at 45 for 2.  Is this going to become something?  As Harsh Thaker comes out there might be hope but it is soon dashed as the Canadian pair put everything to the sword.  Especially Johnson who is in and finding the boundary with very alarming regularity.

Canada have a 200 traget at least and for the next 10 overs they work towards it.  Johnson passes 50 quickly and Thaker provides excellent support, They have only 76 by the 10th over but that moves to 128 at the end of the 14th and 160 at the end of the 16th.  Pure mayhem against every Panamanian bowler - no-one is safe and Johnson likes putting the ball over the boundary on the full.

Patel finally gets Thaker LBW for 36 at 167 for 3 but soon after Johnson reaches a 52 ball 101 with 5 fours and 9 sixes in it.  Dillon Hayliger is sent in after he scored lots in the last 3 overs of the last game.  He doesn't disapoint with a strike rate of over 300 with 22 off his first 6 balls with 3 sixes.   By the end of the 18th they are knocking on the door of 200 at 197, they have 216 6 balls later before Heyliger departs with 30 from the 10 balls faced bowled by an absolutely ecstatic Jasat even though the score is 224 for 4 with 2 balls to go.  Kirton comes in, hits a six and Canada finish wiith the highest score of the tournament of 230 from 20 overs.  Johnson has 124 of that from just under half the balls of the innings (59).  He hit 6 fours and eleven sixes in that and did for his country exactly what they required of him.  Great innings.

Panama come out looking at a rate well over 10 an over from the start having not passed 5 an over as a general rate in their last two games.  This is batting for pride, there is little belief that they will get to this but they have shown stubborness in staying in and finishing both their innings previously.  Canada want them out for a lttle as possible in as few overs as possible and it is in the hands of Sana and Gordon to get them off to the right start.  The Panamanian opening pair are Gaonker the keeper and Mohamed Patel who have shown themselves to be well organised if not exactly expansive in their play.  They don't get much of a chance as Sana has the Panama skipper caught with ball 5 and Patel follows him half way through the second over. 6 on the board and 2 wickets down.

Akalwaya and Jasaat look to reset the innings but all they have manage is to double the score to 13 by the time they have both departed by the beginning of the 5th over  Gordon has a better day today having Jasat caught by Fazar and then Fazar gets Akalwaya caught by Sana.  13 for 4 is not looking promising for the underdogs. Unfortunately it does not get better as Faizan Patel goes first ball with Fazar on a for a hat-trick.  13 for 5!!

Nikunj Ahir and Nabuthai get past the initial 3 ball embarrassment and put together quite a decent partnership which sees them push the score forward and surviving past the halfway point.  By the end of the 11th Panama have reached 43 without further loss and the only questions is can they survive until the 20th?  Dutta decides enough is enough and he gets Ahir.  The new man Bhana does not get past the re-introduction of Sana who has this habit of cleaning out people in his second pahse of a bowling session.  45 for 7.  Jay Ahir arrives to help his established partner get the score to 62 before Nabuthai falls LBW to Thaker for a hard fought 24 but it is pretty much over by then. Rahul Ahir comes in but Thaker is in the mood and he takes Jay Ahir at 67 and then the second Jasat clean bowled to end the game at the same score.

Panama all out for 67 and exactly what Canada wanted with a very com3prehensive victory by 163 runs with Johnson quite rightly taking the Man of the Match award.  So the gauntlet has been thrown down to Bermuda - "Don't slip up boys because we have set up the second position and we'll take it if you do!!"

Puts a little frisson on the second game of the day.

The game between Cayman and Bermuda could decide this tournament

Bermuda need to win and try and do it with a decent gap between the two scores.  The Cayman Islands need to win this one to keep themselves in this tournament  Bermuda are batting first- by choice I would assume it is important to be free to score big.  Kemau Leverock and Tre Manders open the batting and the Cayman's go with the Kevron Bazil and Conroy Wright.

The scoring rate in this game may very well be important and it is pretty oibvious that the Bermudans are aware as Kemau Leverock taking chances but he's been dropped twice by the 4th over.  The first wicket goes at the other end as Manders is out with 10 on the board for 2 bowled Wright caught ifill and in comes T^erryn Fray a batsman playing for his place as he is assessed as more of a red ball/50 over man who scores too slowly for these short form games.  He sees his country past the 50 before at 57 he is dismissed LBW to Bazil at 57 and in comes Delray. 

This is the partnership that holds many Bermudan hopes, while these two are in there is a chance of a decent score but when they have been dismissed before it has usually heralded something of a collapse.  Kemau goes to 52 with a six as soon as he arrives (32 ball 50) but things take a turn for the worse when  Delray is bowled by Bazil for 2 and now the middle order needs to do something with this game.

 Bermuda do some rearranging of the order and send in Douglas, their go to man, he pushes at an early ball is dropped - the Cayman fielding is not doing them any favours as Bermuda pass.  These two need to push the score on because 160 plus is what they need to have a defendable target if the opposition get a decent start on this wicket. 104 for 4 after 13 becomes 119 for 4 after 14 with Tre Taylor taking the last over.  Morris is re-introduced for the 15h and Douglas is dropped again by Sealy as the score passes 124.  Meanwhile a Kemau six puts him into the 80s and another moves him further on next ball.  This is an important innings for the home team as they take the Cayman bowler for 17 and end the 16th on 143.  Leverock takes the score past 150 and himself closer to a hundred. 155 for 4 with 3 overs to go.

At this point Douglas swings once too often and edges into his stumps to leave the fielat 161 for 5 with a valuable 43 to his name off 24 balls.  In comes Trott and down comes another Bermuda rain squall.  Suprisingly the umpires keep the players on even though the groundstaff start to bring the covers on to the pitch!!  Leverock thinks the score may be important and therefore slaps at one he really would not have except for the rain.  He puts Taylor's ball straight to wright and departs for an excellent 59 ball 98 with 5 fours and 7 sixes.  An innings his country needed. 

The covers do come on but it is soon over and almost dry so off they come again. Brangman joins Trott for the final part of the innings and the fireworks do not recommence  as the 19th over 170 simply becomes 175 leaving the Caymans 1765 for victory. 

Naidoo and Heron open against Rawlin They take 8 (inc 4 overthrows) and then Leverock bowls Heron early in over 2.  In comes Sealy - a real mountain of a man and  the Caymans are 14 for 1 after 2.  It becomes obvious very quickly that they have order to push it. Sealey hasn't got in for a game yet but he is bloody huge and puts a lot of force behind every shot he makes. After 5 overs they are at 37 for 1 and moving the score along.

Zeko Burgess and Cejay Outerbridge are used but have little impact and the Islander parternship are still there.  39/1 at 6 when Brangman is introduced from the Pool end.  He holds them until Sealy get a six away and then repeats it next ball.  His innnings is becomeing a singnificant worry for Bermuda and it keeps on going They are settled and working at this and they've reached 70 at 10 but with only 1 wicket down.

Cayman Islands are going at a rate around 7 and need to go at 10.  However, the fact that they have not lost wickets means that even if they lose it may be because of not scoring enough rather than being bowled out creatiing a win a win but with a short margin of victory in relation to Canada's 

Sabir is introduced into the attack and Sealey's eyes light up as he takes him on and hits 2 sixes to take the batter to his 50   The slow men may very well lost this game for the hosts unless a breakthrough comes because Sealy has his eye in and anything loose goes the distance and more.

Delray is back on for the 14th  to get this sorted and he gets Sealey caught for 64.  Manning replaces him and he was the mainstay of the last Cayman game so the threat is not over yet.. 110 for 2 at 13.2 becomes 112 at the end of the over and the brakes are hopefully on.  Brangman takes out Nadio as Leverrock flies in to take a catch on his back and the momentum starts to flow to the home side.

Kirton then skies to Douglas off Brangman for no score and the Caymans batting line-up starts to implode as they lose another 110 for 2 has become 115 for 5 as Tre Taylor arrives.  They have lost 3 wickets for 2 runs in 8 balls.  After 16 they have moved to 116 for 5 and their attempt to take this game seems to be well and truly over. Taylor is caught by douglas off Brangman without moving the score on. Chin is in and caught behind again off Brangman before the end of the over.  117 for 7 become 119 for 7 with 2 overs to go and Brangman takes a 5 fer with the dismissal of Bazil, caught by Trott at 121 for 8.  The last over simply adds 2 and Bermuda win the game by 53 runs after a little heart flutter in the middle of the game.

Nevertheless, the winning streak goes on and Bermuda are still in the driving seat as we move on to Day 4 with Canada looking to beat the Caymans and Bermuda hoping for a large victory over Panama