… leg-spinner snares seven for 67; 50s for Lewis and Bravo

DESPITE half-centuries from Evin Lewis and Darren Bravo, hosts Guyana fought back gallantly at the end of the first day of their final round match in this year’s West Indies cricket Board Regional four-day competition against Trinidad and Tobago at the Guyana National Stadium, Providence, yesterday.

Winning the toss and opting to bat first, T&T who led the standings with 72 points prior to the start of this round, in comparison to Guyana’s 21, reached 274 for 8) at the close with Evin Lewis (64) and Darren Bravo 61 leading their batting.
Imran Khan fought gallantly in the lower order to remain unbeaten on 37, in the face of Devendra Bishoo’s best bowling figures. He bowled unchanged from lunch to close of play, finishing with 7 for 67 and snared his 11th five-wicket haul at this level.
Earlier in the day, the visitors witnessed Shimron Hetmyer receive his cap from manager of the Guyana team, Alvin Johnson, before Lewis and Lendl Simmons 12 (2×4) give the Twin Island Republic team a positive start, with Lewis driving Keon Joseph through extra cover for four.
This was after Lewis had pulled a short ball from Christopher Barnwell to the midwicket boundary for six, repeating the feat in the 15th over off the same bowler to realise his team’s 50, with his score on 37 and Bravo on 15, having lost Simmons who was caught by Vishal Singh off Joseph four overs earlier.
Lewis and Bravo took T&T to the lunch break on 116 for 1 off 27 overs, with Lewis who posted his fourth half-century at this level off 58 balls with six fours and two sixes whilst batting for 107 minutes, on 58, and Bravo 42.
After lunch, Bishoo struck by removing Lewis via lbw at 128 for 2 in the 34th over, with the left-handed opener batting for 143 minutes and hitting eight fours and two sixes in his 88-ball 64, leaving Bravo, with whom he added 93 for the second wicket, on 48.
Bravo then posted his 21st half-century from 85 balls, counting eight fours and one six while batting for 103 minutes, but Bishoo who bowled a controlled line and length despite the few short balls in-between, had Bravo lbw at 147 for 3, 10 overs after he removed Lewis.
The Albion Cricket Club right-handed leg-spinner then removed Jason Mohammed (17) and Jonathan Augustus 15, as T&T took the tea interval on 187 for 5 off 58 overs, with their skipper Ryad Emrit on 10 and Stephen Ketwaroo yet to score.
After the break, Bishoo who had figures of 4 for 38, continued to rip away at the points leaders’ batting, removing Emrit for 26 (62 balls, 5×4) and Ketwaroo for 3, leaving T&T on 220 for 7, as he picked up another five-wicket haul.
He also added Marlon Richards to his list of victims on the opening day, but not before the robust fast bowler had struck one four, a six over long leg off Zaheer Shadir in his 20, and added 46 for the eighth wicket with Khan, before he was lbw to Bishoo, leaving Khan unbeaten on 37 and Amit Jaggernauth 4, to safely negotiate the remaining overs in the day’s play.

SCORECARD

T&T 1st innings
L. Simmons c Singh b Joseph 12
E. Lewis lbw b Bishoo 64
Darren Bravo c Hetmyer b Bishoo 61
J. Mohammed c Griffith b Bishoo 17
J. Augustus c Johnson b Bishoo 15
R. Emrit c Barnwell b Bishoo 26
S. Ketwaroo c Bramble b Bishoo 3
I. Khan not out 37
M. Richards lbw b Bishoo 20
A. Jaggernauth not out 04
Extras: (lb-9, b-5, nb-1) 15
Total: (for 8 wkts, off 93 overs) 274
Fall of wickets: 1-35, 2-128, 3-147, 4-164, 5-187, 6-207, 7-220, 8-266.
Bowling: Beaton 16-3-48-0 Joseph 15-5-44-1 (nb-1) Barnwell 12-2-47-0 Shadir 12-0-50-0 Bishoo 34-14-67-7 Griffith 4-1-4-0.

(By Calvin Roberts)