Spinners dominate penultimate day’s play to leave match evenly poised
SPINNERS from both Guyana and Trinidad and Tobago (T&T) dominated the second day’s play which saw 22 wickets fall in their teams’ third round fixture of this year’s West Indies Cricket Board’s (WICB) Under-19 three-day tournament at the Everest Cricket Club ground yesterday.
Resuming on their overnight score of 166 for 9, T&T who won their second round game after losing their first one to Jamaica, reached 191 before they were bowled out, then watched as left-arm orthodox spinner Deron Davis captured 4 for 30 to restrict the home team to 103 in reply.
With a lead of 88, T&T must have thought of piling on the runs against the home team when they batted a second time, but Essequibo’s left-arm orthodox spinner Anthony Adams took 5 for 16, as T&T were bowled out for a meagre 64.
Chasing 153 to win, Guyana lost wicketkeeper/batsman Kevon Boodie who was adjudged lbw off the final delivery of their first over in their second innings without scoring, before ending the day on 6 for 1 with Kandasammy Surujnarine and Amir Khan the not-out batsmen on 6 and 0 respectively.
Earlier in the day, the home team were held up for 64 minutes by the visitors’ last-wicket pair of Stephen Sooklall who topscored with 36 and Jovan Ali 6*, as they added 44 valuable runs for their team, before Sooklall was caught by Boodie off Ronsford Beaton in the third over of the second new ball.
When Guyana began their reply in the first innings, Boodie (19) struck Sooklall for two fours in the first over followed by another four in the bowler’s second over, before Savion Lara got his fingers onto an on-drive from Surujnarine with the ball cannoning into the stumps, finding Boodie short of his ground.
Davis was introduced into the attack in the seventh over of Guyana’s innings and he made an immediate impact when Surujnarine was adjudged lbw, followed by the quick demise of Dominique Rikhi (7) and Kwame Crosse (5), to leave Guyana on 46 for 4 at lunch.
Meanwhile, Chandrapaul Hemraj, who topscored with a fighting 48 which took him 105 balls to compile with five fours, observed from the other end as his team mates found it difficult to read Davis.
After lunch, Guyana lost Joemal La Fleur (3), Adams (2) and Clinton Pestano (4) in quick succession to be shakily placed on 70 for 7, as Khan made his way to the wicket.
He stayed around with Hemraj who took the fight to the Twin Island Republic’s bowling, when he struck Davis for three fours in successive overs, much to the delight of his teammates, while Khan was content with playing the sheet anchor role at the other end.
Khan’s vigil, which saw him face 42 balls for his 2 runs while batting for 40 minutes, during which he added 32 for the eighth wicket with Hemraj, came to an end when he was lbw to Akeal Hosein for 2 at 103 for 8.
Beaton replaced Khan, but after being given a life by Hosein at slip off Ali, he picked out Davis at short extra cover two deliveries later off the same bowler before he had scored. Hemraj was taken by Davis at slip off Hosein, as T&T took a comfortable 88 runs first-innings lead.
Davis ended with 4 for 30, while there were two wickets each for Hosein and Mohammed for 3 and 25 runs respectively, as T&T enjoyed a relatively easy first two sessions of the day’s play so far.
But an energetic Guyana lineup took the field for their opponents’ second innings and received immediate success, when Duane Cockburn (7) was lbw to Beaton, before Adams removed Emmanuel Lett (8), Lara (5), Hosein (2) and Davis (4) to leave T&T on 35 for 5 in the first over after tea.
T&T’s skipper Stephen Katwaroo (4) was sent back by his opposite number Beaton, courtesy of a magnificent catch by Boodie while Adams got his fifth wicket when he removed Isaiah Rajah for 6 to leave T&T on 55 for 7.
Idrees Mohammed who topscored with 9 and Keiron Joseph (8) added nine for the eighth wicket, before the introduction of the diminutive Gudakesh Motie-Kanhai who took 3-0 and mopped up the tail in quick succession.
He replaced Adams who bowled 12 consecutive overs for his 5 for 16 with five maidens. He struck with the final delivery of his second over, removing both Joseph and first-innings top-scorer Sooklall. He returned to close off things when he had Ali lbw off the first ball of his third over, as the visitors were sent crashing for an unbelievable 64.
Needing to score 153 to record a come-from-behind victory, Guyana lost Boodie who left the field in tears after being given out off a thick outside edge off the final delivery of the first over which was bowled by Davis.
Surujnarine and Khan survived the eight overs of testing spin from Davis, Mohammed and Hosein, to see their team to safety at the close and when play begins at 09:30hrs today, Guyana will be looking to score the remaining 147 runs, while T&T would be looking to get the other 9 wickets to complete the outright win.