GEORGETOWN, Guyana (CMC) – Emmanuel Lett continued his outstanding showing at the WICB Regional Under-19 Championship with another brilliant performance yesterday to re-ignite Trinidad and Tobago hopes of winning the One-Day title. Three-and-a-half weeks ago the 18-year-old came into the tournament as an unknown quantity, but he has proved to be T&T’s man for every crisis.
He made a memorable unbeaten 187 in the three-day tournament and yesterday he turned bowling hero with five wickets as T&T, the defending champs, blanked Leeward Islands by 96 runs at Bourda in their fourth round encounter.
This means T&T are now in second behind Barbados with the two teams meeting in the title-decider tomorrow.
Lett, bowling his uncomplicated but deadly accurate off-spin, took a career-best five for 21 from eight overs to send the Leewards spinning to 141 all out off 35.5 overs, as they chased T&T’s 237 off 50 overs – their best batting effort of the limited-overs tournament.
Lett’s main victim was opener Shaquille Martina, who was well held by wicketkeeper Steven Katwaroo – who was again a livewire behind the stumps.
The free-scoring Martina gave the innings a blazing start with a run-a-ball 49, including an amazing back foot slap on the up to the cover-point boundary off pacer Philton Williams.
Earlier in the day, Lett made a patient 33 from 52 balls in a second-wicket stand of 85 with opener Christian Herrera, who made 37 off 49 balls, after T&T won the toss and batted.
The innings dipped from 85 for two to 130 for six but skipper Steven Katwaroo engineered a superb lower order rally as the last four wickets added 100 runs in 20 overs.
The small right-hander was quick between the wickets and also pounced on anything wide as he made a vital 66 off 67 balls, before he was run-out off the last ball of the innings.