Hurlingham Club Ground, Buenos Aires, Argentina, (Bermuda won toss): Bermuda beat Cayman Islands by 96 runs.

Bermuda kicked off its ICC T20 World Cup Americas Sub-Regional Qualifiers campaign in ideal fashion with a comfortable 96-run victory over Cayman Islands.

After winning the toss and opting to bat, captain Delray Rawlins led the way with 59 not out and was supported superbly by Kamau Leverock (48), with contributions from Tre Manders (26) and Terryn Fray (21) resulting in a final score of 173-3.

In truth, Cayman Islands never came close to reaching the target, with Bermuda’s bowling attack restricting the opposition to just 77-9, with only Alistair Ifill (25), Ramon Sealy (14) and Troy Taylor making double figures.

Leverock proved the pick of Bermuda’s bowlers with superb figures of 3 for 15, with Zeko Burgess and Derrick Brangman taking two wickets apiece. Rawlins and Malachi Jones mopped up the remaining wickets to wrap up a comprehensive win at the Hurlingham Club Ground.

“Sometimes you find a purple patch and I feel like I’m in really good form at the moment,” said Leverock after being named player of the match. “For me now it’s about keeping that up and continuing what I’m doing.”

Bermuda got off to a blistering start with openers Manders and Leverock finding their rhythm immediately to take the score to 41 without loss after the first four overs.

Leverock then took charge, smashing three successive boundaries, including a huge six to leave Bermuda cruising at 69 for 0 at the end of the six-over power play.

The total reached 79 before Cayman Islands finally found a breakthrough when Manders scooped an Adrian Wright ball into the hands of Sealy in the third ball of the eighth over.

Despite Rawlins joining Leverock, the run rate started to slow and in an attempt to pick up the pace, the latter hit another huge six to take his tally to 48 before he was stumped off the bowling of Wright with the total at 92 for 2 after 9.4 overs.

Both Rawlins and Manders were dropped and Cayman Islands were ultimately left to rue those mistakes as the pair added runs at regular intervals to take their partnership to 44 from 44 balls.

With three overs remaining, Rawlins came out swinging, finding three successive boundaries, including back-to-back sixes to increase the run rate just when Bermuda needed it most.

Fray eventually fell off the bowling of Paul Manning after inthe eighteenth over with Bermuda on 153 for 3, before Rawlins brought up his half century with another fine six.

Rawlins was then dropped again and punished Cayman Islands with the all-rounder hitting one final four as Bermuda ended their innings on 173 for 3. Rawlins’ knock of 59 off 43 balls included four fours and three sixes.

In response, Cayman had a disastrous start and were reeling at 8 for 3 after just 2.5 overs.

Omar Willis (2) was the first to go with the tenth ball, dismissed by Burgess, with fellow opener Sacha De Alwis (4) following after 2.2 overs when caught off the bowling of Leverock, who then bowled Patrick Heron (0) just three balls later.

Paul Manning (5) was then trapped leg before by Burgess with only a further five runs added as Cayman stared at an embarrassing defeat before Sealy and Ifill steadied the innings slightly, taking the total to 42 before Sealy was dismissed by Derrick Brangman after 9.3 overs.

Conroy Wright (6) came and went without making a telling contribution, bowled by Jones three overs later, with Demar Johnson (1) following four balls later, as Brangman picked up his second wicket to leave Cayman Islands on 56 for 7 after 13.2 overs.

Leverock then completed his three-wicket haul, dismissing Troy Taylor (11) with 73 runs on the board after 17.2 overs before Ifill was finally dislodged when caught off the bowling of Rawlins with seven balls remaining and just a further three runs added to the total.

Adrian Wright (3 not out) and Thilina Hewa (0 not out) saw out the remaining balls as Bermuda laid down an early marker to their rivals and they face hosts Argentina on Sunday, having beaten the same opposition twice in emphatic fashion in the build-up to the tournament.

“We know Argentina will be aiming to try and come back strong and so we have to try and put in another strong performance to up what we did here,” said Rawlins, with Argentina coming into the encounter off the back of a disappointing 53-run defeat to Panama in their opening match.

“The cricket we’re playing at the moment is second to none and so we’re feeling pretty confident.”