JAMAICA Franchise’s batting was again a major letdown as yesterday they slumped to a third-straight defeat in the Professional Cricket League four-day tournament.

Chasing an improbable 357 runs for victory against Trinidad & Tobago Red Force at Sabina Park, the hosts were bowled out for 178 to lose by 178 runs inside the final session of the third day of the scheduled four-day match.

Trinidadian wrist-spinner Imran Khan was the main destroyer, triggering a collapse which saw Jamaica spiraling from 172-4 to 178 all out. The 30-year-old snatched four wickets in six deliveries en route to figures of 6-24 off 10 overs.

Jamaica’s left-handed opener John Campbell entertained with a shot-filled 83, while number three batsman Jermaine Blackwood contributed an attacking 52.

Scores: Trinidad & Tobago 277 (80 overs) & 246 (78 overs); Jamaica 167 (43.1 overs) & 178 (37.5 overs).

T&T captain Rayad Emrit told reporters after the match that “it was a convincing win” made possible because the batsmen compiled “good scores in both innings”. He also credited the bowlers for keeping Jamaica under 200 runs in both innings.

A dejected-looking Jamaica skipper Tamar Lambert said it was “tough” for his team in a game where Trinidad “outplayed” them in both the batting and bowling departments.

Earlier yesterday, Trinidad, who resumed from the overnight second innings score of 184-4, lost their remaining six wickets for 50 runs.

The Ottley brothers, left-hander Kjorn and Yannick, who started their fifth-wicket partnership on Saturday when Trinidad slipped to 142-4, extended it to 54 runs before the latter was bowled by medium-pacer David Bernard for 20.

Wicketkeeper/batsman Stephen Katwaroo (naught) was also dismissed by Bernard before Kjorn Ottley agonisingly fell short of his maiden first-class hundred by one run.

Ottley, 25, who was fluent while compiling 87 not out on day two, became circumspect in his approach on the third morning and added only two runs in the first hour of play. He eventually flicked a ball in the air to Odean Brown at square leg off pacer Jason Dawes for 99.

The Trinidad tail battled to the lunch break at 242-8, but experienced wrist-spinner Odean Brown, who finished with 3-37, mopped up the rest of the batting in less than 10 minutes after the restart. Bernard claimed 3-49.

Jamaica had a rollicking start to their run-chase as young Campbell flayed the opposition bowlers on a wearing pitch which saw several deliveries bouncing awkwardly from a good length and the odd ball keeping a tad low.

Campbell, 21, sweetly cover drove left-arm seamer St Clair in the second over of the innings for four, followed by a thumping pull shot through midwicket in an apparent statement of intent.

Three more boundaries followed off pacer Marlon Richards’ third over. Two of them sent racing through the off-side were particularly pleasing on the eye. The first was a front foot square drive to a wide delivery, while the second was an orthodox cover drive which pierced the field and hurried to the fence.

Their 50-run stand came up off 35 balls in 25 minutes.

Campbell and opening partner Horace Miller (eight) added 51 runs for the first wicket before the latter went. Miller, who has struggled for runs and has failed to show so far he can be effective at the top of the innings, walked too far across his stumps and was bowled by Richards.

An equally quick-fire 77-run stand for the second wicket was to follow between Campbell and Blackwood.

Blackwood, normally not averse to taking the aerial route, began positively, striking Richards for a booming straight six and a couple of well-timed fours.

The aggression from the two helped Jamaica to maintain a run rate of just about six runs an over throughout the post-lunch session, but Campbell was trapped lbw to part-time off-spinner Jason Mohammed on the stroke of tea break. He belted 12 fours and two sixes off only 69 balls.

After the interval, Cassius Burton capped off a disappointing debut when he drove a ball back down the pitch and Mohammed dived low to his right to pull off a brilliant catch off his own bowling at 138-3.

Captain Tamar Lambert was sent back to the pavilion next when he charged down the pitch to a sharply turning delivery from Khan and was easily stumped by Katwaroo.

It was 172-5 when Blackwood played over a full-pitched delivery from Khan and was bowled. The 23-year-old batsman hit five fours and a six off 76 balls.

Jamaica’s first innings batting hero Brandon King, who hit a blistering 71 in his debut first-class innings on Saturday, became the first wicket of Khan’s standout 10th over.

Earlier, King ‘s first scoring shot was a straight six off Khan, but the slow bowler had the last laugh when steep bounce and turn resulted in the 20-year-old batsman popping a catch to Yannick Ottley at silly mid-on.

Damion Jacobs, Jason Dawes and debutante Gavon Brown all followed in the same over without scoring, and Odean Brown fell to left-arm spinner Akeal Hosein in the next over as the Jamaican capitulation was completed.