Stevens bags four as Jersey get off to winning start

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Star allrounder Ben Stevens once again came to the fore for Jersey, striking the key blow to dismiss his opposite number Patrick Matautaava early in the Vanuatu innings before taking three more wickets to wipe out the tail in Jersey's seven-wicket win at the UKM-YSD Oval in Bangi.

Having defeated Vanuatu in their three prior encounters at 2016 and 2017 Division Five, Jersey took advantage of a crucial toss on a dusty pitch at a ground that only opened at the start of the year and was being used for the very first time as an international tournament venue. Left-arm swing bowler Cornelis Bodenstein struck the first two blows inside the Powerplay before Stevens was brought on in the 11th over. He dismissed Matautaava with his third ball, spinning one past a forward prod to clip off stump and make it 48 for 3.

Once the new ball went soft, scoring became increasingly difficult for Vanuatu. Player-coach Shane Deitz, making his international debut for his adopted country ten years after his final first-class match for South Australia, produced a dogged effort to anchor much of the innings and top-scored with 36 off 73 balls.

But Jersey captain Charles Perchard dislodged him off the last ball before the second drinks break, brilliantly caught behind off an attempted cut by Jake Dunford standing up to the stumps for the medium-pacer. When play resumed, Stevens returned to the attack and needed just two overs to take the final three wickets.

Offspinner Jelany Chilia sparked a brief early wobble in Jersey's chase, taking three wickets after coming on in the sixth over. But Nat Watkins ground his way to an unbeaten 36 off 84 balls and found support from Nick Ferraby, who swept very effectively to pick up four boundaries in a 28 not out off 47 balls. The pair generated an unbroken 50-run stand to take Jersey home with 18.5 overs to spare.

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Denmark ace rain-hit chase to topple Jersey

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Denmark 114 for 3 ( Klokker 39, Zameer 38) beat Jersey 238 for 6 (Watkins 86, Stevens 69, Bulow 2-30) by seven wickets via D/L method

Freddie Klokker pulls behind square for a boundary on his way to top-scoring for Denmark Peter Della Penna

After a sterling bowling effort at the death and a two-and-a-half hour delay in a revised chase of 114 from 23 overs, Denmark finished off Jersey with seven wickets and seven balls to spare via Duckworth-Lewis method at Royal Selangor Club.

Opener Nat Watkins was named Man of the Match after top-scoring for Jersey with 86 off 111 balls in a losing cause. But after reaching his fifty off 79 balls in the 30th over, he struggled to accelerate in the stifling heat and humidity of Kuala Lumpur.

Appearing energy-sapped, Watkins went 14 overs without a boundary until striking one off left-arm spinner Bashir Shah in the 42nd over. Another four and six came off Bashir's next over before Watkins was bowled charging Bashir to leave Jersey at 194 for 4.

Denmark's bowlers were brilliant at tying down the Jersey middle order with changes of pace. Jersey's last five overs netted only 33 runs, and just 100 runs came off the last 15 despite being at 138 for 1 in 35 overs on a flat pitch that gave the bowlers little to work with. Denmark's attack, however was incredibly disciplined throughout as they conceded just two extras, both of them leg byes.

A day after scoring a century in a win over Bermuda on the same pitch, Freddie Klokker steered the chase, helping Denmark to 55 for 0 in 13 overs, 24 ahead of the D/L par score, when a massive thunderstorm swept across the ground. The field became flooded within an hour but Royal Selangor's solid drainage system allowed play to eventually resume once the rain subsided. The target was revised to 114 in 23 overs, leaving Denmark needing 59 off 60 balls.

Denmark fell slightly behind in the first three overs after play resumed before Zameer Khan struck Watkins for four in a 10-run 17th over to put Denmark ahead again. Klokker and Zameer fell in the next two overs, but Denmark continued to speed away as 11 was taken off Stevens in the 20th over. A head-high no-ball from Watkins clinched the winning runs for Denmark.

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