Ricardo Makyn/Staff Photographer
Jamaica's Daren Powell (left) and teammate Jerome Taylor celebrate Jamaica's victory in the Carib Beer Challenge final over Trinidad and Tobago at Sabina Park yesterday.

Tony Becca, Contributing Editor

JAMAICA CAPPED a wonderful and successful cricket season at Sabina Park yesterday when they defeated Trinidad and Tobago to win the Carib Beer Challenge Trophy and finish with a perfect three from three.

Paced by some fine spin bowling by Nikita Miller, who pocketed five wickets for 92 runs off 30 overs to finish with match figures of 10-121 off 48.4 overs, and supported by pace bowlers Daren Powell and Jerome Taylor, Jamaica won the scheduled five-day contest by nine wickets with two days to spare.

Final scores: Trinidad and Tobago 121 and 241, Jamaica 293 and 71 for one off 11.4 overs with Danza Hyatt not out on 23 and Marlon Samuels not out on 37 off 28 deliveries.

Bragging rights

After winning the one-day KFC Cup in October and then the four-day Carib Beer Cup recently, yesterday's victory made it three out of three for the season for Jamaica and handed them bragging rights as the best team in the West Indies.

Resuming on 43 without loss with captain Daren Ganga on 24, Adrian Barath on 19, and trailing by 129, Trinidad and Tobago fell to defeat minutes after tea with Powell starting the slide and Miller and Taylor following up. Captain and part-time off-spinner Tamar Lambert lent a helping hand and legspinner Odean Brown, Miller and Powell finished off the tail.

In what can only be described as a disappointing batting performance, T&T, but for a solid innings of 33 by Barath, a breezy 50 off 34 deliveries by the left-handed Richard Kelly and a defiant 57 by the left-handed Dave Mohammed, died without a fight.

Nineteen minutes into the day's play, with only seven runs added to the overnight score, Ganga swung wildly at Powell and was bowled middle stump.

That was 50 for one in the 27th over. Three overs later it was 51 for two when Darren Bravo, on one, pushed forward to Miller and Brenton Parchment took the catch at silly point.

It was 80 for three when Barath attempted to drive Miller through the onside and edged to Samuels, and it was 90 for four when Lendl Simmons went inside to Taylor, attempted to play to leg, and was leg before wicket for 13.

In serious trouble

At that stage, T&T were in serious trouble and, 15 minutes later, with Kieron Pollard, in and out for 20 off 13 deliveries, they were in dire straits at 104 for five.

In an inexplicable performance, Pollard blasted the first delivery from Miller over the bowler's head for six. Two deliveries later, a mis-hit landed safely on the way to the cover boundary. Then, in the next over, he hit Taylor to the wide-long-on boundary and after that, in the following over, he hit Miller for another straight six before, in attempting another off the following delivery, he was caught on the long-on boundary by Powell.

Thanks to Kelly, who smashed four sixes and three fours - most of them off Miller, before he was caught by Samuels at slip off Lambert at 165 for seven, and to Mohammed, who hit one six and four fours, before he was caught and bowled by Miller at 240 for nine, T&T stretched the match into the post-tea period.

Left a target of 70 runs to win the match, Jamaica lost Brenton Parchment at 10 for one before Hyatt, one six and two fours, and Samuels, three sixes, including one to win the match, and three fours, swept them to victory.

SCOREBOARD