Scorpions trapped in Pride’s web of spin

Sabina Park has, in the past, been a fortress for pace bowling. But on day two of the West Indies Championship, it was a tale of turn and torment for Jamaica Scorpions.

The Barbados Pride, led by a masterful Roston Chase and Joshua Bishop, spun the Jamaica Scorpions into a tangled web, leaving the hosts staring defeat with a huge 275-run deficit and nine wickets in hand, batting a second time.

Resuming the day on a commanding 346 for five, the visitors piled up 439.

They then bowled out the hosts for 142, and had them on 22 for one following on.

Earlier, Roston Chase, 82 overnight, and Leniko Boucher, 40, wasted little time bringing up their century partnership off just 125 balls.

Boucher brought up his even 50 with a mixture of patience and aggression, but his stay came to an end with the score at 358, when Marquino Mindley found the edge, and the wicketkeeper did the rest. Boucher walked for 50, having struck five fours and a six.

Chase looked destined for three figures, but on 84, he attempted a hook shot off Mindley that found the waiting Abhijai Mansingh at mid-wicket, at 367 for seven.

LAST-WICKET STAND

When Joshua Bishop (4) and Jomel Warrican (4) fell cheaply, the innings appeared to be winding down. But Shamar Springer (45 not out) and last man Jediah Blades (21) stitched together a defiant 63-run last-wicket stand.

Mindley eventually removed Blades to wrap up the Pride's innings, just before the lunch interval.

Mindley and Odean Smith finished with three wickets each, with Brad Barnes taking two wickets.

In reply, Jamaica's openers ground their way to a half-century stand in 11 painstaking overs. But with the score on 61, captain John Campbell, 36, was undone by the off-spinner Roston Chase.

Six runs later, the nightmare deepened. Brandon King, cutting at an off-break from Chase, watched his off stump lean back. He was gone for one.

Javelle Glenn and Kirk McKenzie attempted to rebuild, nudging the score to 95. But McKenzie's 86-ball vigil, which yielded 31 runs with five fours, ended when he slashed left-arm seamer Blades straight to point.

FLOODGATES

At 95 for three, the floodgates opened. The Scorpions lost their remaining seven wickets for just 47 runs, with batsmen prodding indecisively, caught at bat pad, or trapped lbw or bowled.

Chase, who was on a hat-trick at one stage, finished with five for 28, while left-arm spinner Bishop snared four for 31.

Jamaica's second bite at the cherry lasted all of three balls before Campbell was bowled for a duck by Bishop.

Brandon King (15) and Kirk McKenzie (7) survived the remaining overs to drag the Scorpions to 22 for one at stumps.

A buoyant Joshua Bishop made no secret of Barbados' intentions.

"Today was a good batting and bowling day. The batsmen really set us up to come in this position, to come and bowl the way we did today," Bishop said.

"We mainly bowled in partnerships, from Roston and me, to Jediah and Shamar together. So all in all, the wicket was taking spin, so it was just mainly the bowling partnerships. Right now, at the moment, we're in a very good position ... to come back tomorrow and bowl them out to win the game."

With two days left and a mountain to climb, the Scorpions will need a miracle to prevent the Pride from levelling the three-match bilateral series at a game apiece.