Guyana finish in top two after Rutherford belligerence

Trinbago did well to recover from 23/3 to post 154/7, mainly thanks to Denesh Ramdin (32 in 31 balls), Darren Bravo (42* in 34) and Kevon Cooper (30 in 14).

However, Guyana never really faltered in their chase, with Cameron Delport (37 in 24) starting things off before Shimron Hetmyer (59 in 30) and the fantastic Sherfane Rutherford (45* in 13) dominated the bowlers.

The victory meant Guyana finished level on points with Jamaica, but their net run rate of 0.298 to Jamaica’s 0.222 helped them claim the much-coveted top-two spot.

There were plenty of notable performances – Cooper’s blitz, Ramdin’s stand of 54 with Bravo, Rayad Emrit’s fine 2/25 – but it was the 62-run stand between Hetmyer and Rutherford, in which the latter contributed 41, that made all the difference.

Six of the 13 balls Rutherford faced went over the ropes. There was one four, and only five runs out of his 45 were in singles.

Hetmyer did well to hammer eight boundaries, five of them sixes, but as good a performance as that was, the night was about Rutherford. “It was a fantastic knock,” Hetmyer said of Rutherford. “He knew exactly what to do, and I was enjoying it from the other end.

"For us to end on second place, we had to push on and that's what we did. It's a fantastic feeling, to be honest.”

Rutherford, meanwhile, admitted to relief, having headed into the match under pressure – he had just one notable score (48 against Barbados Tridents) in his five previous outings.

“It's a great feeling. I was under a bit pressure, but I am happy that I executed my plans,” he said. “Got what I wanted. I chose my bowlers and I chose the right bowlers. After hitting the first six, I told myself ‘it's my night’ and I kept hitting.

“We had already qualified so our coach told us that we have nothing to lose and asked me to bat with a free mind. If our fans keep supporting us, we'll bring it home.”

Trinbago, having already confirmed their place at the top of the table, had nothing to lose. But they now know what to expect in the first Qualifier on Tuesday, when they face Guyana again.

As for Jamaica, it was just hard luck. “I have many good friends in the Tallawahs, hopefully they will understand,” joked Hetmyer.