Blyden’s fifty leads Pioneer to victory

In form batsman Travis Blyden on Sunday lifted his team, Pioneer Cricket Club, to another comprehensive victory in the United States of America (USA) Metro League. Blyden was instrumental with the bat in his team’s reply against Lucas Cricket Club.

The right-handed batsman stroked his way to 77 as his team reached 164-4 in 23 overs in reply to their opponents. He was supported by all-rounder Renwick Batson (54) who had a good game with bat and ball.

Opting to take first strike Lucas was restricted to 163-9 in 40 overs by the Pioneer bowlers, mainly Batson who snared 4-36 from eight effective overs and Zamal Bash who was economical in his eight-over spell, taking two wickets while only giving away four runs.

In pursuit of the target, Pioneer started shakily, losing two wickets for 46 runs before Blyden and Batson joined forces to add 109 for the third wicket. The partnership was eventually broken when Batson attempted a scoop and was caught nine runs short of the target. With just one run to win Blyden was stumped after attempting a big slog to finish the game.

It was the third consecutive half-century for Blyden, who made 90 and 63 in his previous two games to go with his 77 on Sunday.

In a brief interview via social media, Blyden said he is elated because it is his first time playing in this tournament and he is enjoying his returns so far. However, he is not willing to stop at fifties as he believes that once he scores centuries he can contribute to his team as well as himself.

He further added that his five-year professional stint in Canada did well for him as he is able to adapt easily because of the similar condition and playing surface.