CARNIVAL celebrations in the Twin Island Republic of Trinidad and Tobago will come alive on March 3 and 4 at the Queen’s Park Savannah, but at the Queen’s Park Oval yesterday afternoon, Trinidad and Tobago played mass on Jamaica in their West Indies Cricket Board NAGICO Super50 semifinal encounter.Winning the toss and opting to bowl first on a spin-friendly wicket, T&T on the back of Ryad Emrit’s 4 for 19 and skipper Dwayne Bravo’s 3 for 10, crushed the Jamaicans for 49 in 24.2 overs, of which Andre McCarthy 16 and Jerome Taylor 13* were the lone batsmen to reach double figures.
In reply, T&T, who finished second to Barbados in their group, lost Evin Lewis (0) and Imran Khan (1) to Taylor (3 for11), before they reached 51 for 3 from 13.1 overs, thanks to Darren Bravo’s match-high 23 and Lendl Simmons’ 21.
Dwayne Bravo, who started the home team’s bowling attack from the Gerry Gomez Media Centre end, gave the fans something to cheer about when he sent back John Campbell (0) and Kenar Lewis (2) within the first four overs.
Ravi Rampaul (2 for 6), joined the wicket-taking act by removing Nkrumah Bonner (1) and later Carlton Baugh (4), even as the skipper sent back Tamar Lambert (0), to leave Jamaica, who defeated Malta Supreme Guyana by 10 runs in their final group match, on 14 for 5 after 10 overs.
Enter bowler Emrit for the home team’s attack alongside Sunil Narine (1 for 13) and when many felt the Jamaicans who were without the services of Christopher Gayle and Marlon Samuels would have capitalised on the change of bowling, it was not to be.
A brilliant catch by Darren Bravo who was stationed at short cover, accounted for David Bernard Jr (1) off Emrit and he was followed by Andre Russell (4) and McCarthy, who up to this time had been the lone batsmen to hit boundaries off a disciplined bowling attack.
Narine got into the act by removing Nikita Miller who was lbw for 3 to leave Jamaica precariously placed on 36 for 8 in the 21st over.
Despite Taylors two fours off Narine in his unbeaten innings, the Jamaicans were bowled out for their lowest total ever in Regional List ‘A’ matches, as they failed to get past the 68 they scored against Barbados at the Kensington Oval in 1982, when Andrew Richardson (0) picked out Lewis at deep point off Emrit.
In their turn at the wicket under brilliant sunshine and in front of a fair-size partisan crowd, T&T saw Simmons loosen the shackles with a straight six off Bernard, followed by a pair of fours from Darren Bravo, after the demise of Lewis and Khan.
Simmons also got a pair of boundaries, off Miller and Taylor before he chopped at one from Taylor onto his stumps at 34 for 3, but the Bravo siblings Dwayne and his younger brother Darren saw their team to victory.
Darren struck Russell for two fours in the 13th over and after being given a life by Bernard off Russell before he had scored, Dwayne Bravo pulled the curtain down on the contest with a four from Miller’s first delivery of the 14th over, as T&T reached 51 for 3, with Darren Bravo unbeaten on 23 and Dwayne Bravo 5.

SCORECARD
JAMAICA INNINGS
K. Lewis lbw b DJ Bravo 2
J. Campbell c wkp. Ramdin b DJ Bravo 0
N. Bonner c Lewis b Rampaul 1
T. Lambert lbw b DJ Bravo 0
A. McCarthy c Lewis b Emrit 16
C. Baugh c DM Bravo b Rampaul 4
D. Bernard c DM Bravo b Emrit 1
A. Russell c wkp. Ramdin b Emrit 4
N. Miller lbw b Narine 3
J .Taylor not out 13
A. Richardson c Lewis b Emrit 0
Extras: (w-4, lb-1) 05
Total: (all out, off 24.2 overs) 49
Fall of wickets: 1-3, 2-4, 3-4, 4-5, 5-14, 6-25, 7-29, 8-36, 9-40.
Bowling: DJ Bravo 6-0-10-3 (w-3), Rampaul 5-3-6-2, Narine 7-3-13-1 (w-1), Emrit 6.2-0-19-4.
T&T INNINGS
L. Simmons b Taylor 21
E. Lewis c Russell b Taylor 0
I. Khan lbw b Taylor 1
DM Bravo not out 23
DJ Bravo not out 5
Extras: (w-1) 1
Total: (for 3 wickets, off 13.1 overs) 51
Fall of wickets: 1-1, 2-10, 3-34.
Bowling: Taylor 5-2-11-3 (w-1), Bernard 2-0-10-0, Richardson 1-0-8-0, Miller 3.1-1-10-0, Russell 1-0-12-0.
Written By Calvin Roberts in Trinidad and Tobago
(Compliments of Carib Beer, Regal Stationery, Wartsila, Romaine Car Wash and GT&T)