Ganga puts South on victory road

A BRILLIANT century by Daren Ganga and two late, crucial strikes by fast bowler Theodore Modeste near the close of play yesterday put South on the road to retain the annual Pizza Hut/Gerry Gomez Cricket Classic at the Queen’s Park Oval in Port-of-Spain. Ganga’s inspirational innings of 107 overshadowed a six-wicket haul by North all-rounder Richard Kelly, leading from the front in several important partnerships during an enthralling third day’s play. On today’s final day, North need to get 201 runs off a minimum of 90 overs to beat South to regain the coveted trophy, emblem of cricket supremacy between the teams.

Their task was made much harder when starting their second innings with a target of 211 in their sights, Modeste produced an amazing burst of speed to grab two wickets in consecutive balls and narrowly missed an historic hat-trick. First he surprised Lendl Simmons with a brutish delivery eliciting a faint outside edge which wicketkeeper Dinesh Ramdin took brilliantly with the score on just seven. And without addition Earnil Ryan was trapped leg before, leaving alone as he badly misjudged the line of the ball. Modeste was narrowly robbed of a deserving hat-trick when incoming batsman Aneil Kanhai just managed to protect his stumps bringing his bat down hard on the ball as it streaked into the slips.

But the day belonged to South skipper Ganga who was scoring his second century in the North vs South classic following his undefeated hundred two years ago on the same ground. After holding the innings together for most of the day he was the ninth man out. He struck eight fours and two sixes and batted for 271 minutes, facing 185 balls. He was undone by a brilliant catch low in the covers by substitute fieldsman Justin Guillen, grandson of Simpson Guillen who played Test cricket as a wicketkeeper/batsman for both West Indies and New Zealand. Among his wide repertoire of shots yesterday were two massive sixes and a four which hit the advertising board at the cover boundary and is worth $200 from sponsor’s Pizza Hut. All told his innings was good for more than $1,500 —  $1,000 for the century; $50 for each four; $200 for the two sixes and $100 for the four that thudded into the advertising board.

The sponsors will also be called upon to dish out $1,000 to Kelly who bowled his heart out in an attempt to restrict South and was rewarded with six wickets for 63 runs. Resuming at their overnight score of nought without loss, South, who held a seven-run lead on first innings were immediately set back when Sherwin Ganga (2) was bowled by the impressive Kyron Lynch playing back when he should have been forward. Ganga came to the wicket and with Tishan Maraj took the score to 29 before Kelly struck. Maraj had scored 17 when he got an edge which wicketkeeper Timul Ali gleefully accepted behind the stumps. Kelly struck again five runs later when Gregory Mahabir (2) was snapped up at second slip by North captain Dwayne Bravo.

Lunch was taken at 64 for three wickets during which there was a sharp downpour and 75 minutes play was lost. On the resumption Ganga crafted a partnership with Shazam Babwah which produced 42 valuable runs for the fourth wicket, combining intelligent running between the wickets and sensible inter-changing of the strike. Babwah’s contribution was 22 with two spanking fours before Kelly got him to edge to Simmons in the slip which let in Samuel Badree who scored nine in a partnership of 31 runs with his captain. Fast bowler Ricardo Paty got into the bowling act sending back Badree to another fine catch by  wicketkeeper Ali and five runs later Dinesh Ramdin (2) also departed, trapped palpably leg before by left arm spinner Shakeel Ali. At tea, Ganga was one short of a well played half-century which he immediately got after the break with four fours, after 185 minutes and 131 balls. His batting then assumed some urgency as he opened up,  driving through the on and off sides with more authority and lifting Ali over the ropes for a six followed by a sizzling four in one over. Dave Mohammed hit one four before being beaten for pace by Paty allowing Amit Jaggernauth to equal the highest partnership of the innings— 42 —  with his captain although he only made three giving Kelly his fifth wicket.

Ganga was then out trying to force the pace brilliantly caught at cover with the score on 198. Brent Harriot played a useful cameo including a towering six before being last man out for 20 leaving Modeste not out on three in the North total of 203. Today the only thing to stand in the way of a South victory is North captain Bravo, solid middle-order batsman Aneil Kanhai and the fickle weather.