The Windward Islands blasted the Canadians away with a powerful bowling display yesterday at the Jamalco Sports Club ground in Zone A of the Red Stripe Bowl in Jamaica yesterday.

Needing to score 197 for victory, the Canadians never challenged, falling to pieces for a woeful 69 from 34.5 overs to lose by a humiliating 127 runs.

The North Americans impressed early on, making good use of a pitch with true bounce and some moisture to keep the Windward Islands batsmen in careful check. Particularly through the efforts of their spinners, they did a fine containment job on the Windward Islands who were left searching for runs with only five overs remaining and 145 runs on the board and five wickets down. Then the Canadian captain Ishwar Maraj, who had been making shrewd decisions in marshalling his bowlers gave the Windwards a lifeline by bringing back the pacers when the spin option would have been a far better bet.

Captain and man-of-the- match, Rawle Lewis ensured that the Windwards got as far as 196 for6 by lashing 59 runs from 56 balls as he savoured the pacers’ return in the final overs. Lewis, in cahoots with Fernix Thomas, (11 not out) banged 42 runs from the last 17 balls of the game to push the score from 154 to 196. The only partnership which was better was one of 49 between Currency and Kristin Casimir who ticked away for 24 from 30 balls. Austin Codrington, the fast bowler who bowled tightly at the beginning went for 36 runs from his last four overs.

Codrington and Ashish Patel bowled on a good line with a hint of pace and had West Indies opener Devon Smith and Romel Currency hunting runs with all manner of ill-advised irregular shots. Smith was first to suffer, going for an ugly swish that only had his legs and subsequently his stumps sprawled. The usually crisp left-hander only totaled 18, but could have made even less had he not been given two chances at seven and 16. His opening partner, Currency, was also the beneficiary of two chances, being missed on 15 and 24; the right hander eventually got up to 42 (1x4) before left-arm spinner, Guyanese Sunil Dhaniram knocked his stumps back.

Dhaniram, bowling with a lot of guile and precision was the proverbial thorn in the sides of the Windwards batting, allowing only 15 runs from his ten overs while claiming three wickets as he stifled the Windwards batsmen, who scored only 22 runs between the 30th and 40th overs.

Canada, with a gettable total in sight, faltered from the very start. In the first over, Aftab Shamshudeen (00) risked a cheeky single and paid the penalty. Then, in the next over, his replacement Sandeep Jyoti (04), was caught plumb in front his sticks by the intimidating pacer Thomas. Maraj made his way back with the score on 13 when Cuffy latched onto a stinging back-foot drive.

Dhaniram and ‘keeper’ Bagai then put on a boring show, blocking for 19 overs during which they managed only 43 runs. When Dhaniram (18) was taken by Thomas off Daren Sammy’s busy medium pace, the rest of the innings folded in such a haste it caught the small crowd off-guard. The last seven wickets tumbled like a bombed building for only 13 runs over 10 overs.

Bagai (24) and Dhaniram (18) were the only batsmen to past 10, while four of the others did not open their accounts.

Medium pacer Sammy and right-arm, off-spinner Orlanzo Jackson wiped out the Canadian middle-order, taking six wickets between them while pacers Cameron Cuffy, Fernix Thomas and spinner Shane Shillingford each got a wicket. Sammy captured 3 for 16 from 10 overs while Sammy took his three for 22 from 10 overs as well.

In the end, just before four o’clock the Canadians had made an unadulterated waste of what was an ideal chance to secure an upset victory, having contained the Windwards to under 200.

Today Jamaica open their campaign against the Leewards XI who lost their first encounter to Trinidad last Wednesday.