NAIN, Jamaica – Jamaica, propelled by a seven-wicket match haul from Nikita Miller, captured the 2008 Carib Beer Cup when they mauled the Windward Islands by 10 wickets for a rapid victory in their sixth-round Carib Beer Series match on Saturday.
 
Miller tormented the Windwards batsmen with his left-arm spin to wreck their first innings for a flimsy 61 and following on, the eastern Caribbean side – in spite of a  solid hundred from Andre Fletcher – could only muster 187 all out  at the Alpart Sports Club Ground.
 
Set a mere 17 runs to win, the Jamaicans easily achieved the target inside two days when captain Chris Gayle smashed pacer Nelon Pascal to the mid-off  boundary at approximately 5:10 local time.
 
The victory completed a regional double for the Jamaicans, giving them maximum 12 points while boosting their overall points total to an unassailable 58 points in the championship table.
 
“It is a great feeling to end this game within two days and to take the title with such authority,” Gayle told reporters after the match.
 
“I have to say well done to the team,” added Gayle as the Jamaicans added the Carib Beer Cup to the KFC Cup limited overs title they won last October.
 
The disaster that started Friday evening for the Windwards continued swiftly as they plunged from two wickets down for one run overnight, to 61 for nine at the lunch break as they replied to Jamaica’s first innings total of 232.
 
The 21-year-old Fletcher battled for 25 with two boundaries and Donwell Hector contributed 17 but Miller and the West Indies pace pair of Daren Powell and Jerome Taylor tore their batting to shreds.
 
Salvan Browne (3) was first to go in the morning, caught behind by Carlton Baugh off Powell as the Windwards stumbled to eight for three.
 
Fletcher and Hector staged an innings best partnership of 34 but after their separation, there was hardly any more fight.
 
Miller, using the arm-ball effectively, trapped Fletcher leg before wicket at 42 for four.
 
It became 60 for five when West Indies all-rounder Darren Sammy (6) edged to Baugh pushing forward at Taylor and his departure triggered a hasty finish to the innings as the Windwards shockingly lost their last six wickets for the addition of just one run.
 
Miller sent back the captain Rawl Lewis leg before wicket for one and he combined with Taylor to dislodge Lyndon James, Deighton Butler, and Pascal all without scoring.
 
The Windwards had gone to lunch at 61 for nine and the innings – which lasted a mere 34.2 overs – folded immediately after play resumed when Miller got Pascal lbw.
 
The 25-year-old Miller finished with the imposing figures of four for six off 8.2 overs with five maidens, while Powell claimed three for 13 off eight overs and Taylor bagged three for 17 off 11 overs.
 
Gayle enforced the follow-on and grabbed an instant reward when Powell dislodged the West Indies opener Devon Smith cheaply for the second time in two days.
 
The Grenadian left-hander, trying to flick his international team-mate off his pads, stepped onto his stumps to be dismissed hit wicket for four. Late Friday, Powell had removed him lbw for one.
 
Medium pacer David Bernard then stepped up to grab the spotlight with a three-wicket burst that plunged the Windwards toward defeat inside two days.
 
Bernard bowled Browne (14) and Hector (12) to reduce the Windwards to 45 for three and then claimed the valuable wicket of Sammy, lbw for seven at 65 for four.
 
Fletcher temporarily stalled the decline with Lewis but the captain failed for the second time in a couple of hours to handle Miller’s spin and departed lbw for five with the score at 94 for five.
 
After the Windwards resumed from tea at 106 for five, spinners Miller and Gayle tightened Jamaica’s  grip on the game when Miller got rid of James (19) and Gayle removed Butler lbw for one to make the score 127 for seven.
 
While Fletcher showed admirable resistance, Gayle bowled Shane Shillingford (7), Miller removed Casimir (6) at 172 for nine and Gayle had Pascal caught behind for two to wrap the innings just a few minutes before the scheduled close of play.
 
Fletcher was unbeaten on 103 at the end having belted  two sixes, one straight against Miller and a brutal slog sweep off Gayle, plus 11 fours.
 
Man of the match Miller ended with three for 60 off 25 overs and a match haul of seven for 77, while Gayle (3-39) and Bernard (3-39) shared six wickets.
 
With four minutes plus an extra half an hour allowed for them to finish the game, the home side took only 10 minutes to secure victory.
 
Parchment struck two fours and Gayle’s boundary ended the game..