DESPITE having to chase the Guyana Harpy Eagles throughout the match and facing an unlikely target for victory, Jamaica Scorpions’ all-rounder Abhijai Mansingh says the team is still in a good position and remains optimistic about winning the game against their opponents in the sixth round of the West Indies Championship, which is underway at Sabina Park.

Chasing 419 to win the match, the Jamaica Scorpions reached 123-2 at the end of play on Friday’s third day, needing another 296 runs to pull off the upset. Carlos Blake (10 runs) and Javaughn Buchanan (39 runs) were the batsmen sent back to the pavilion.

Guyana’s Kevin Sinclair (one wicket for 29 runs from 17 overs) and Veerasammy Permaul (one wicket for 34 runs from nine overs) took the wickets.

Kirk McKenzie and Captain Brandon King saw out the remaining overs of the day to give the home team something to think about on Saturday’s fourth and final day.

McKenzie is not out on 39 runs from 112 balls while King is on 13 runs from 27 deliveries. McKenzie blasted two sixes and five fours in his knock and King just clipped two boundaries.

Mansingh viewed the 419-run target as achievable, especially with less than 300 runs needed. He believes batting through the 90 overs allotted for today’s final day, the home team will secure a victory.

Guyana Harpy Eagles’ wicketkeeper Kemol Savory (centre) celebrates a successful catch to dismiss Jamaica Scorpions’ Carlos Brown (right) during the sixth round of the West Indies Championship at Sabina Park on Friday, April 12, 2024. Eagles’ Captain Tevin Imlach is at left.

“I think we’re remaining positive,” Mansingh said. “The aim right now is to win the game. I think that we’ve been put under pressure to chase runs on our fourth day so far this season and we’ve stepped up to the plate, so tomorrow [today] will be no different.

“I think once we bat 90 overs tomorrow we’ll come out with a victory so I think the aim is just to bat 90 overs — and I’m sure once we tick that off we’ll be in a good position. We’re definitely a team that has a few men down but we have that Jamaican spirit. We’re likkle but we tallawah so we’ll come tomorrow [today] and everyone will be giving a 100 per cent.”

The Scorpions resumed on the third day with 153-9, 271 runs behind Guyana’s Harpy Eagles 424 all out, and failed to add any runs to their overnight score after Guyana’s Nail Smith removed Marquino Mindley for 13 runs (46 balls) off the first ball of the day, which began at 10 am.

Harpy Eagles, batting for the second time, declared on 147-4 after 35.3 overs, with Captain Tevin Imlach top hitting with 44 runs from 70 deliveries with only three boundaries. Kevin Sinclair contributed 36 not out (41 overs) while Kevlon Anderson scored 25 runs off 43 balls.

Derval Green picked up two wickets for 39 runs from 11.3 overs while Mindley and Mansingh both took one for the Jamaicans.

Despite losing their first wicket in nine overs the Jamaica Scorpions got off to a much better start in the second innings. Carlos Brown, who had looked promising, was dismissed for 10 runs (29 balls) by Sinclair after only 8.4 overs.

Kirk McKenzie then joined Javaughn Buchanan at the crease at 34-1 and the pair put on a well-needed, 46-run partnership for the second wicket before Buchanan fell victim to Veerasammy Permaul at 80-2 at 29.5 overs. Buchanan’s knock consisted of six fours.

Imlach said his team is still comfortable in a winning position, and with the pitch expected to deteriorate the Harpy Eagles should remain in control.

“Yeah, I mean, of course it’s going to be a day-four pitch. It’s expected to deteriorate a bit, and two early wickets is going to look a whole different game so we’re very confident that we will win this game,” he said.

“We wanted to bat a bit more and so we didn’t enforce the follow on and just put them in the field a bit longer. We’re expecting it to deteriorate, and we didn’t want to bat on that.

“And we have three spinners as well so we’re going to use that to our advantage so [that] we play more towards our strength rather than, you know, giving them to bat and then having to chase whatever they might put on the board.”