The West Indian fast bowler, Jermaine Lawson, claimed the first hat
trick in the history of the U19 World Cup in his teams win over
Zimbabwe
Simon Williams12-Jan-2000The West Indian fast bowler, Jermaine Lawson, claimed the first hat
trick in the history of the U19 World Cup in his teams win over
Zimbabwe. Replying to the West Indian total of 234 for 6, Zimbabwe
were reduced to 92-9 when bad light stopped play in the 32nd over. No
further play was possible and the West Indies were declared winners,
57 runs ahead according to the Duckworth Lewis system.West Indies won the toss and elected to bat on an excellent cricketing
wicket at the NCC ground in Colombo. Zimbabwe opening bowlers, Mluleki
Nkala and Travis Friend, contained well early on. Nkala with a smooth
and simple action, got good movement of the seam, both into and away
from the batsmen.Barbadian, Kirk Wilkinson, batting at number 3, was the pick of the
top order. He kept the total moving along, using his feet well to the
spinners and running excellently between the wickets, eventually
perishing, caught and bowled by Ewing for 31. Deonarine followed
cheaply, bringing together the experienced Ryan Hinds and Marlow
Samuels, Captain and Vice Captain respectively, with the score on
102-4.Samuels was positive from the start, driving his first delivery back
past Nkala for four. Patiently supported by Hinds the pair went on to
share in a fifth wicket partnership of 125 in 19 overs. Of these runs
Samuels contributed 82, hitting nine boundaries that included three
towering sixes. It was a commanding innings, a blend of sound
technique and belligerent strokeplay. The Zimbabwean bowlers did well
to contain the runs at the end of the innings by the end of their
allocated 50 overs, the West Indian total of 234 for 6 looked a very
competitive score on a large ground.In reply, Zimbabwe lost early wickets. The batsmen were quickly forced
on to the back foot in the face of some hostile bowling from Andrew
Richardson and Carlitos Lopez. Lopez soon ripped into the top order,
with three wickets in the space of five overs. Jermain Lawson picked
up his first, Nkala for just 1, leaving Zimbabwe reeling on 25-4 in
the eleventh over. All four were caught by wicket-keeper Greg
Francois.Greg Lamb and Trevor Friend then had to try and consolidate and were
going well when Lamb was run out for 17 by a direct hit. Another run
out followed, purely on the result of the pressure being applied by a
buoyant West Indian fielding side.Lawson’s hat trick was yet to come. It did so in deteriorating light
and somewhat controversial circumstances.The umpires made first use of the light meters in the 28th over. Play
was allowed to continue with spinners, Hinds and Samuels bowling in
tandem. The West Indians appeared to have done their Duckworth Lewis
calculations. One more wicket at this stage would see them win on
Dukworth Lewis calculations.Quick bowler, Jermaine Lawson was recalled for his second spell, in
the 31st over. The light did not appear to have improved at all, but
was, according to the umpires, sufficient from the scorebox
end. Lawson struck immediately, breaking through Travis’s
defence. Gavin Ewing drove his first ball to point, Hamilton Masakadza
completing the trio, flirting with a ball outside his off stump and
being caught by keeper Francois.Moments later the light was offered to the batsmen, the players
leaving the field with Zimababwe on 92-9. At the six o’clock off
point, West Indies were confirmed the winners by 57 runs.Reacting to the situation, Zimbabwe’s test playing coach of the U19
side, Paul Strang, said that he was disappointed that the umpires had
allowed Lawson back to bowl in the circumstances. “Its not like it
changed the nature of the game. However if one of the players had got
injured it would have been a problem. I was most concerned with the
safety of he players.”The West Indies were within their rights to recall Lawson. Coach Gus
Logie, speaking to CRICINFO, said “everyone knows the rules and it
must be left to the umpires to decide. Having picked three fast
bowlers it would have been a waste not to use them in order to win the
game.”Controversy aside, this was a enthralling game of cricket. Nothing
should be taken away from an impressive batting and bowling by the
West Indians.Zimbabwian coach, Strang, was philosophical about the defeat and
confident his team would bounce back. “We made too many mistakes in
all parts of our game. You cannot do that at this level. Our batsmen
need to work on a more positive approach and not be content with
scoring 2 or 3 runs an over. They also need to build partnerships, 20
or 30 at a time. I will be asking the boys to tell how they thought
the West Indies played in their innings. We can learn from that.Zimbabwe can still qualify for the super league. They must win both
their remaining group matches against England and the Americas.The West Indies have received a morale boosting start to the campaign
to the tournament. They may however regret their decision to bring
back the quicks as run rates from Duckworth Lewis affected matches
cannot be counted in calculations of net run rate. They are also
unlikely to find a wicket more suited to the Caribbean style than that
at the NCC. If the batsmen can apply themselves and play well against
quality spin bowling on the Sri Lankan pitches, West Indies will be a
strong force.
