In a thrilling opening match of the Cricket West Indies T20 Blaze tournament, defending champions Guyana edged past the Windward Islands by a narrow seven-run margin on Tuesday at Arnos Vale Sports Complex in Kingstown, St. Vincent & the Grenadines.
The match began with Windward Islands captain Zaida James winning the toss and opting to field first. Guyana’s batting innings was characterized by steady partnerships rather than explosive scoring. After an initial opening stand of 27 runs, the Windwards gained momentum with key breakthroughs from Jannillea Glasgow and James herself, who removed Realeanna Grimmond (8) and Mandy Mangru (16) respectively.
Shakiba Gajnabi emerged as the batting anchor for Guyana, crafting a crucial 38 runs from 37 deliveries including two boundaries. Her productive partnership with Ashmini Munisar (17 off 20 balls) in the final overs proved decisive, propelling Guyana to a competitive total of 96-5 from their allotted 20 overs.
The Windwards’ bowling attack demonstrated disciplined performance, particularly from James who recorded impressive figures of 1-14 from her four overs, and Glasgow who conceded just 10 runs from three overs while taking a wicket.
In response, the Windward Islands’ chase encountered early setbacks with the dismissals of Ashlene Edward (5) and captain James (1) within the first five overs. A resilient 59-run partnership between Jannillea Glasgow and Afy Fletcher revived hopes, with Glasgow top-scoring at 41 runs from 36 balls including four boundaries. Fletcher contributed 33 from 36 deliveries with a four and six.
Despite needing 19 runs from the final 16 balls, the Windwards fell short at 89-5, with Guyana’s bowling unit maintaining composure under pressure. Sheneta Grimmond, Ashmini Munisar and Plaffiana Millington each claimed wickets for the defending champions.
The Windward Islands, featuring all four Saint Lucian players in their starting lineup, will look to rebound in their next encounter against Trinidad & Tobago on Thursday.