Emrit gives TT advantage

On the second day of the scheduled five-day match, the hosts were lifted by a dynamic innings from Rayad Emrit who hit his maiden First-Class century and an equally important contribution from Dave “Tadpole” Mohammed.

The three remaning batsmen stretched the score from 223 for eight overnight to 340, midway into the second session.

And then their bowlers gained inroads as Barbados closed the day in trouble at 130 for five wickets.

For an island that has produced West Indies fast bowlers of the calibre of George Francis, Herman Griffith, Manny Martindale, Wes Hall, Charlie Griffith, Wayne Daniel, Joel Garner and Malcolm Marshall, it was a pity to see Pedro Collins, Ian Bradshaw and Corey Collymore struggle to claim the final two TT wickets yesterday.

And Dwayne Smith definitely would be unable to put his name alongside outstanding Bajan middle-order batsmen such as Harold Austin, Frank Worrell, Everton Weekes, Clyde Walcott, Garry Sobers, Seymour Nurse and Carlisle Best by virtue of his performance yesterday.

Trinidad and Tobago capitalised on such deficiencies and worked within their limitations, to gain the upper-hand entering today’s third day. Emrit and Mohammed were untroubled against uninspiring bowling and field-placing, as they strolled along merrily during the morning session, which brought 73 runs with relative ease.

Collymore, fielding at cover point, dropped a comfortable catch by Emrit, off Ryan Hinds, when the right-hander was on 61, and the 25-year-old soldiered on with great determination, with the aid of Mohammed who solidly held sway.

The partnership grew to 122, in nearly three hours, before the left-handed Mohammed slashed at a wide ball from Collymore and was held by Kirk Edwards in the covers for an even 50.

Joined by last man Amit Jaggernauth, Emrit reached his landmark when he edged Collins through the hands of Floyd Reifer at first slip.

With understandable glee and delight he was mobbed by a few supporters who could not resist the need to congratulate the slim all-rounder.

Emrit’s sojourn ended on 112, when he snicked Collins to wicketkeeper Patrick Browne, giving the left-arm pacer his fourth wicket, while Bradshaw, Collymore and Hinds claimed two apiece. When Barbados started their innings openers Dale Richards and Wayne Blackman feasted on a wayward opening spell by Richard Kelly before Emrit, in his first two overs, sent both batsmen back to the pavilion. Richards was adjudged leg-before by umpire Billy Doctrove in Emrit’s first over and, in his second, he induced a tentative edge of Blackman to wicket-keeper Denesh Ramdin.

Floyd Reifer, the most senior of the Bajan batsmen, never looked settled in his stay at the crease before he swung to the heavens at Mohammed and gave an easy catch to Dwayne Bravo at slip.

Smith and Hinds followed thereafter — Hinds flashing to the keeper at a wide delivery in Kelly’s second spell, a sad way to end a fighting knock of 25.

Seven runs earlier, Hinds was dropped at slip by Bravo as he drove at a spinning Mohammed delivery. But the Smith dismissal took the cake.

The 23-year-old, who is a notorious big-hitter, cut Jaggernauth to the cover point boundary and next ball charged down mid-pitch and was beaten.

Despite muffing his first try, Ramdin quickly recovered to stump the stranded right-hander. That moment left many within the ground wondering about Smith’s credentials as aWest Indies batsman.

And for the TT team, it showed the values of teamwork and maintaining their focus on winning their second regional championship this season