Exciting devastation!

That was the only way to describe the performance of Barbados' swashbuckling all-rounder Dwayne Smith yesterday, who showed he remains the region's most exciting batsman in limited overs cricket.

Open-armed, then circumspec

Exciting devastation!

That was the only way to describe the performance of Barbados' swashbuckling all-rounder Dwayne Smith yesterday, who showed he remains the region's most exciting batsman in limited overs cricket.

Open-armed, then circumspect, then simply destructive, Smith's stroke-filled 96 was the main reason Barbados reached tomorrow's final of the 2005 KFC Cup with a 41-run victory over the Windward Islands.

He thrilled a small crowd at the Bourda ground in Guyana with his innings of 96 off just 81 balls, setting up a scintillating showdown against the hosts.

Barbados made 270/7 in their allotted overs, and the Windwards, set a revised, and almost impossible target after bad light stopped play, could only reach 175/8.