West Indies spinner Gudakesh Motie delivered a standout performance with a five-wicket haul as the Guyana Harpy Eagles cruised to an innings victory over the Windward Islands Volcanoes on Tuesday, securing an unassailable 2-0 lead in their bilateral series.
The Volcanoes’ batting collapsed on day three, as they fell well short of the target needed to force Guyana to bat again.
Resuming the day on 361 for 8, Guyana were eventually bowled out for 491. Veerasammy Permaul led the lower-order resistance with 82, while Shamar Joseph added 46, frustrating the Windwards’ bowlers. Kenneth Dember was the pick of the bowlers for the Volcanoes, finishing with 4 for 113.
Set a daunting 338 to make Guyana bat again, the Windward Islands never seriously threatened, folding for 199. Ackeem Auguste offered some resistance with a fighting 91, but lacked support from the rest of the batting lineup.
Motie starred with the ball, taking 5 for 51, while Permaul provided strong support with 4 for 20.
Final scores in the match, Windwards 151 and 191, Guyana 491.
The Guyana Harpy Eagles won by an innings and 142 runs.
Meanwhile, the match between the Leeward Islands and Trinidad and Tobago was abandoned on day three due to concerns over the pitch at the Sir Vivian Richards Stadium.
Play was halted after Leewards batsman Jeremiah Louis was struck on the head by a short delivery from Jayden Seales, raising safety concerns among players and officials.
Leeward Islands assistant coach Wilden Cornwall described the conditions as dangerous, leading to the team’s decision to leave the field. At the time, the Leewards were 140 for 7 in their second innings, holding a lead of just 96 runs.
However, Trinidad and Tobago head coach Rayad Emrit suggested that while conditions were challenging, the decision not to continue may also have been influenced by the match situation, with the Leewards under pressure.
Scores in the match: Leeward Islands 131 and 140 for 7, Trinidad and Tobago 175.
The match was declared a draw, with both teams set to receive points based on the position of the game at the time of its abandonment, in keeping with the competition’s playing conditions.
