Best lifts flagging Bajans with bat, ball

TRINIDAD AND Tobago and the Windward Islands were locked in an intriguing battle after the first day of the Carib Beer Series regional cricket match at the Queen’s Park Oval in Port-of-Spain.

The Windwards yesterday closed the opening day of the fourth round clash on 24 for two  wickets — in reply to Trinidad and Tobago first innings of 203. In their turn at the crease Windwards were in immediate trouble losing Romel Currency for five and Roland Wilkinson without scoring to slip to ten for two. Opener Devon Smith with 17 not out and Andre Fletcher who is yet to score will carry the fight to the homesters on the second day today when play resumes at 9.30 am. Earlier, TT won the toss and skipper Imran Jan opted to take first strike on a wicket that required patience to score runs but the local batsmen showed little of this quality. As a result there was a steady stream of batsmen to and from the pavilion as pacer Darren Sammy with the excellent figures of five for 37 and veteran Cameron Cuffy (four for 32) proved very difficult to handle in the circumstances.

Jan was the first to go without scoring as Cuffy induced an edge for Junior Murray behind the stumps. Earnil Ryan, in his second match and Sherwin Ganga, on debut, battled bravely if not spectacularly to post 47 runs for the second wicket. Ryan, who had to fight very hard for his runs, was eventually dismissed for 21. Dwayne Bravo who has been enjoying a prolific season with bat and ball was next in and together with Ganga carried the score to 83. Ganga played some enterprising shots in a fighting innings of 37 when Fernix Thomas found the edge of his tentative bat and sent him back.

The off-form Aneil Kanhai stepped up to join Bravo and saw his more illustrious partner strike leg-spinner for a six and two fours in three balls. However soon after, he drove loosely outside his off stump and was snapped up by Smith for 46. Bravo faced 83 balls in 109 minutes and struck five fours and two sixes. His innings was the last fans had to cheer about as apart from a scratchy 30 from Kanhai the others surrendered meekly. Only the last wicket pair of Marlon Black and Amit Jaggernauth added an invaluable 28 runs for the last wicket, with the latter scoring an unbeaten 17. Manager Omar Khan said after the day’s play that if the earlier batsmen has played the way Black and Jaggernauth played, TT would have been in a much better position.

“Our frontline batsmen need to put in their heads that they must work hard for their runs. They have to be willing to go out there and fight tooth and nail. The last pair showed how it should have been done. “However having said this, I think we have the bowling resources to restrict them to under 150 runs and go on to win this match in three days,” Khan said.BRIDGETOWN: Dynamic Tino Best again proved his enterprise here yesterday, lifting a flagging Barbados team against West Indies “B” on the opening day of the fourth-round Carib Beer Series regional cricket match. The 22-year-old lashed an unbeaten 36 to boost Barbados’ total to 217. He then returned to claim a late wicket as the tournament leaders restricted the visitors to 30 for two at close at Barbados’ Three Ws Oval.

Ryan Austin, who took three for 87, Kenroy Williams, with two for 22, and Dwight Washington, also with two for 32, led the West Indies “B” bowling. The Under-23 development team, currently in joint second place, enjoyed the better of the early exchanges after winning the toss. Fastbowler Dwight Washington gave the youngsters a fine start by dismissing former Test opener Sherwin Campbell for a duck in the day’s first over. Fellow opener Martin Nurse (5) was run out by a direct hit from Austin Richards Jr after a mix-up with Ryan Hinds as Barbados slumped to 17 for two.

Left-hander Floyd Reifer, who topscored with 44, shared a solid third-wicket stand of 30 with Hinds. But two wickets tumbled quickly as Barbados lunched in peril at 56 for four. Hinds (29) sliced a drive to cover off Jason Bennett. He was quickly followed in the pavilion by Shawn Graham, who clipped a catch to midwicket off Ryan Austin. The 31-year-old Reifer added 44 with captain Courtney Browne after the break. But once Browne (26), Reifer and Mayers (20) fell after promising more, the West Indies “B” team was well on top at 136 for seven. Browne drove a catch to point off Austin, Reifer was leg before to Williams and Mayers lofted Austin to long-on. But Barbados’ lower order rallied.

Sulieman Benn (16) and Ryan Nurse (14) chipped in, but it was Best’s thrilling last-wicket stand of 47 with Pedro Collins that stood out. Best, following his career-best 42 not out in the last match in Jamaica, again showed potential with the bat. He lashed two sixes and two fours off 59 balls. Collins made a valuable eight before he edged behind off pacer Washington. Left-arm pacer Collins soon struck with the ball, claiming Ryan Ramdass leg before for a duck. Best could not be kept quiet and, without addition, the tournament’s leading wicket-taker claimed Jason Haynes to a deflected catch to the wicket-keeper. Jamaicans Shawn Findlay (14 not out) and Danza Hyatt (five not out) battled to add an unbroken 24 for the third wicket just before the close.