TT hopes rest with Bravo

NEW AMSTERDAM: For the second evening in a row Dwayne Bravo on 28, has gone to bed not out and with the chances of his team squarely on his shoulders. With his team needing an improbable 415 to win from a day and 16 overs, they saw through the 16 overs at the end of the day but lost two wickets for 46 runs and are 369 runs away from what would be a remarkable victory if it could be achieved. Guyana, after getting 450 in the first innings, bowled Trinidad and Tobago out for 205 to secure first innings points.  They did not enforce the follow-on, but batted a second time to score 169 for five declared. 

It leaves the Trinidadians to bat the entire final day today at the Albion Community Development Ground to save the sixth round Carib Beer Series match as victory for them seems out of the question on a track where the ball is virtually scooting along. Guyana had to contend with negative bowling down the leg side by TT as they hunted quick runs in their second innings.  The home team would have to fancy their chances of getting the last eight Trinidad and Tobago wickets to complete their second victory of the season. Just an hour after lunch on day three, the Trinidadians folded in their first innings without much resistance.  Bravo scored 40 runs in the morning session to move from his overnight 13 to 53, then steered the last ball before lunch from Lennox Cush to Ramnaresh Sarwan at first slip. 

The interval was taken at 177 for seven, three wickets going down in the morning session after TT started the day on 106 for four. With first ball after the interval, Cush had Rayad Emrit caught by Sewnarine Chattergoon at silly mid off.  Richard Kelly (4) only barely averted the hat trick, the ball going through Ryan Ramdass at forward short leg, but shortly after he lofted the same bowler to Mahendra Nagamootoo at deep mid wicket. Cush ended with his best regional First Class figures of four for 57.  Narsingh Deonarine, who puzzlingly did not bowl in the first session even though the most troubled the batsmen the previous afternoon, grabbing three wickets, finished with three for 36. 

Reon King (1-39), after 12.1 overs, was barred from bowling in the second innings after bowling what was deemed by umpire Vincent Bullen as two beamers. While the second was a conventional beamer bowled over the waist, the first, the ball slipped from the bowler’s hand while in his delivery stride, looped about ten metres over the batsman’s head and landed at fine leg. Bravo, on whom the Trinidadian hopes mostly rested, scored his half century from 117 balls but got two chances, one a missed stumping on 25 and he was dropped by Cush off his own bowling when on 41. Samuel Badree (22 not out) and Rishi Bachan (20) pushed the score over 200 with a last wicket partnership of 24 but still leaving their side 245 runs behind Guyana’s first innings total. 

Even with such a substantial lead, the Guyanese chose not to enforce the follow on but to bat a second time. Williams, the former West Indies wicketkeeper, Lynch and Augustus were all required to field in place of Imran Khan, who like Ramdass was ill and the injured pair of Rayad Emrit and wicketkeeper Denesh Ramdin. In their second innings Trinidad and Tobago hung on as best they could mostly through Bravo’s mixed resistance, his 28 including four fours.  So far the visitors have lost Simmons (2) and Ganga (1) and the other not out batsman is Gregory Mahabir who is on 11.