Spinner Nanan mesmerises Windwards

GEORGETOWN: Trinidad and Tobago gave another powerful performance when the opening round of the TCL West Indies Youth Challenge three-day series got started against the Windwards Island at the GCC Bourda ground in Guyana yesterday.

Debutant Magnum Nanan grabbed five wickets for 10 runs, as the Windwards were routed for a meagre 134, and then TT’s skipper Denesh Ramdin hit a polished unbeaten 70 as the newly-crowned limited overs champions closed on 121 for two wickets. West Indies “A” batsman Lendl Simmons is on 19. Windwards skipper Liam Sebastien won the toss and decided to bat, a decision that backfired early when Craig Emmanuel (4) was dismissed by Kwesi Roy with only six runs on the board. TT’s senior pacer Ravi Rampaul then quickly removed Mervyn Noel (0) and Liam Sebastien (19), as the Windwards were reduced to 44 for three and then 64 for four at lunch, when Simmons had top-scorer Luke Brown (38) caught at back-ward point by Kapil Subran. Brown’s innings lasted 70 minutes and 50 balls and included seven fours.

On the resumption, it was a one-man show, as left-arm spinner Nanan spun a web around the Windwards’ batting with a telling spell of chinaman and googly bowling. He accounted for the last five batsmen from 7.3 overs , including that of Linden James (31) which contained four fours from 82 deliveries. Ramdin and Tishan Maraj (12) started the Trinidad and Tobago reply and posted 27, before Maraj went leg before wicket to Emmanuel. Ramdin and Petrock Nicholas (14) then added 66 for the second wicket, before the latter departed leg-before-wicket to Mervyn Mathews with the total on 93. In between Ramdin registered his 50, which came in 96 minutes off 71 balls. He has so far batted for 160 minutes. Trinidad and Tobago replaced Kavesh Kantasingh and Vishnu Narine with Nanan and Roy from the team that defeated Windwards in the limited overs final. Play started 30 minutes late due to a mix-up in a new regulation which states that a fast bowler can only bowl six overs in a session. That was sorted out by an official of the Guyana Cricket Board.