Guyana take control vs TT

NEW AMSTERDAM: Guyana, after scoring 450 in their first innings have Trinidad and Tobago backed into a corner after two days of their sixth round match in the Carib Beer Series regional cricket tournament. In the last period of play yesterday, Guyana took care of the TT top order and had restricted the visitors to a precarious 106 for four when stumps were drawn at the Albion Community Development Ground. In a team with only two specialist bowlers, it was Narsingh Deonarine, a part time off-spin bowler, who was his team’s main source of wickets taking three for 17 before the close.

Lendl Simmons played an authoritative innings of 56 for TT then, as if fed up with batting, flung his bat and got himself out, when he lofted a delivery from Deonarine to long on. Simmons, who survived a confident, first-ball leg before wicket appeal off West Indies fast bowler Reon King, scored freely on both sides of the wicket. He had lost debutant opening partner Imran Khan when he was adjudged lbw to Lennox Cush for 13. Simmons continued to take the fight to the Guyana bowlers and was most severe on leg-spin bowler Mahendra Nagamootoo, pulling him over mid-wicket and late cutting him for boundaries and arrived at his half-century from 103 balls.

Narsingh Deonarine replaced Nagamootoo in the attack and TT captain Daren Ganga, who was playing the anchor role alongside Simmons, became an immediate victim. The delivery was short and Ganga pulled with might, but he was caught on the mid-wicket boundary off Deonarine to extend his poor form with the bat and leave his side 72 for two. Deonarine then removed Simmons and, for good measure, added Gregory Mahabir just before the close when the batsman was trapped LBW for three. Earlier, off-spin bowler Amit Jaggernauth ended with five wickets for 144 runs from 47 overs to secure his second five-wicket haul of the competition by the time Guyana were all done just before tea.

Though Guyana lost Chanderpaul 15 minutes after the start, they dominated the morning period until just before lunch, when two unnecessary shots donated the wickets of Cush and Assad Fudadin to TT. Cush replaced Chanderpaul muscled 47, but offered a meek return catch to the bowler, after hitting Richard Kelly for a straight six. Fudadin’s batting swung through peaks and valleys. At some periods, he played some lusty strokes, and at other periods, just blocked as if for dear life. He made 60 and had added 84 for the sixth wicket with Cush before he limply hoisted Kelly to mid-on.

After the lunch interval, the last four Guyana batsmen raised 94 among them, with Nagamootoo blitzing 51 from 62 balls with seven fours and a six, his brother Vishal scoring 22, and Damodar Daesrath making 21. Rishi Bachan closed the Guyana effort by knocking out Nagamootoo’s middle stump, bowling him behind his legs after he moved across way too far while looking to sweep, and two balls later, Reon King prodded forward and was LBW for a duck.