West Indies top calls batsman and Captain Shai Hope played a high-class match-winning knock to power Barbados Pride to a five-wicket victory over Leeward Islands Hurricanes in their crucial contest of the CG United Super50 Cup. Faced with a challenging revised target of 271 off 48 overs in the day/night Zone B encounter at the Sir Vivian Richards Stadium, Pride stitched together a vital run chase to reach their target with an over to spare.

At the centre of the effort was the enterprising Hope, the stylish right-hander top-scoring with 88 off 67 balls his third half-century of the campaign coming three days after celebrating his 29th birthday. Opener Zachary McCaskie struck a patient 49 from 70 balls, Nicholas Kirton lashed a breezy 39 from 34 balls while Kyle Hope – weighed in with 36 from 62 balls at the top of the order.

All-rounder Roshon Primus put the finishing touches on the chase, blasting two big sixes in a sizzling 21 not out off just 10 balls, including the winning runs – a mighty blow over the ropes at mid-wicket off the expensive left-arm pacer Colin Archibald.

“There’s never a need to panic. I always think we have much more time than we think, and that’s something I like to portray to the dressing room and I think we need to do it a lot more in the West Indian culture. If it’s 10 runs an over [which is required], that literally means we just need 10 runs in the last over to win the game,” Hope said.

Earlier, Hurricanes posted 273-7 from their 50 overs after being sent in, captain Jahmar Hamilton hitting his third successive half-century with 51 off 70 balls, Rahkeem Cornwall getting 46 from 38 deliveries and left-handed opener Kieran Powell carving out 40 from 56 balls.

Credit : Independent News Pakistan-INP