-T/dad whip Guyana by 81 runs to make successful defence of one-day limited overs title

By Marlon Munroe

Guyana were bowled over at the last turn as Trinidad & Tobago (T&T) produced a stunning performance to hand the challengers an 81-run defeat and retain the WICB President’s Cup limited-overs title at the Guyana National Stadium last evening.

The victorious Trinidad team celebrate its victory over Guyana (Aubrey Crawford photo)

Guyana, set a daunting task of 287 to win after explosive innings from Darren Bravo (76); Kieron Pollard (57) and Denesh Ramdin (44) were outplayed from the inception after their batsmen found it hard to get the ball away on a flat stadium pitch. Captain Ramnaresh Sarwan eventually top scored with a fighting 59.

However, it was a late order 46 from Royston Crandon who featured in a 60-run ninth wicket stand with Veerasammy Permaul (28) that spared Guyana’s blushes after they were precariously poised on 129-8.

Travis Dowlin contributed 41 at the top of the innings.

Man-of-the-match Pollard returned with the ball to grab three wickets for 37 runs while Ravi Rampaul and Dave Mohammed ended with 2-31 and 2-38 respectively.

Trinidad pocketed US $10,000 for the win and Guyana US $4,000.

Guyana started shakily as openers Dowlin and Sewnarine Chattergoon found it hard to shake the pace/spin attack of Rampaul and leg spinner Samuel Badree.

Chattergoon eventually was lbw to Rampaul for two in the sixth over.

This brought Sarwan to the crease and he was shook up by Rampaul before Dowlin hit Badree straight back over his head.

There was a lull in proceedings broken by an inside-out shot over extra cover for four by Sarwan off Badree.

With the introduction of Pollard, who had earlier scored a belligerent half century, Dowlin hit him for six over long off and then pulled him for four down to fine leg to bring an almost packed stadium to life. Subsequently, as the batsmen settled in they played more fluently.

After some audacious shots and an 89-run partnership with Sarwan, Dowlin was caught on the long off boundary by Pollard for 41 which included four boundaries and a six. The tournament’s lone centurion and highest run scorer Narsingh Deonarine (2) did not last long at the crease gloving a short delivery from Pollard to the wicketkeeper.

The normally dependable Shivnarine Chanderpaul (0) and Christopher Barnwell (0) both fell with the score on 98 before Sarwan duly reached his 42nd regional limited overs half century.

Sarwan was eventually run out for 59 from 63 balls that included seven boundaries and thereafter, wickets fell consistently with Delbert Hicks (1) caught behind attempting a pull shot and Esaun Crandon run out for zero, falling when the score was 129. As  some supporters left the stadium, Crandon and Permaul brought up the team’s 150 in 35.1 overs.

Every run brought a cheer from the stands until Crandon was stumped by Ramdin for a resilient 46 to break a 60-run partnership for the ninth wicket.

Devendra Bishoo, for one last hoorah, hoisted left arm chinaman bowler Mohammed for six over as midwicket. Then it was all over as  Permaul was caught by Ganga for 28.

Earlier after winning the toss, T&T openers Lendl Simmons and Adrian Barath got off to a flyer with Barath smashing medium pacer Christopher Barnwell straight back over his head for six. He, however, fell to Esaun Crandon for 18 from 19 balls.

Simmons and Darren Bravo played aggressively, working the ball around with soft hands.

The two brought up the team’s 50 from 66 balls before the first official water break.

Ironically, Simmons was run out off the first ball of the 18th over for 30 from 44 balls.

Bravo and skipper Daren Ganga continued to work the ball around the field for singles which seemed part of the team’s game plan.

The 100 came up courtesy of  successive paddle sweep shots to fine leg by Ganga in the 26th over and shortly after, Bravo pulled Bishoo  through midwicket for four and two balls later hoisted him over long for six before he brought up his maiden limited overs first class half century (4×4, 1×6) in 81 balls.

Bravo eventually held out to Dowlin on the long off boundary to depart for a chanceless 76 from 106 balls that included five boundaries and two sixes which came in the last over of the power-play.

The older Bravo, Dwayne was run out by a direct hit from Chanderpaul fielding at square leg for three and in the next over Pollard was dropped on 31 by Chattergoon.

The score accelerated rapidly in the last 10 overs. A misfield that went for four on the sweeper boundary and then the dropped catch by captain Sarwan at short third man did not aid Guyana’s cause of trying to stymie the run flow before T&T breezed to the 250 mark in the 48th over.

Pollard brought up his half century in 46 balls and shortly after dispatched Esaun Crandon into the stands for another six. Ramdin followed up his six in the previous over with another off the first ball in the last over over midwick and two sixes which came in the last over of the power-play.

The older Bravo, Dwayne was run out by a direct hit from Chanderpaul fielding at square leg for three and in the next over Pollard was dropped on 31 by Chattergoon.

The score accelerated rapidly in the last 10 overs. A misfield that went for four on the sweeper boundary and then the dropped catch by captain Sarwan at short third man did not aid Guyana’s cause of trying to stymie the run flow as T&T breezed to the 250 mark in the 48th over.

Pollard brought up his half century in 46 balls and shortly after dispatched Esaun Crandon into the stands for another six. Ramdin followed up his six in the previous over with another off the first ball in the last over over midwickand then a four through square leg.

Royston Crandon got his revenge when he had Pollard caught on the square leg boundary for 57 from 50 balls to break a 69-run partnership that included five sixes and two fours. Ramdin was left unbeaten on 44 that consisted of three sixes and two boundaries.

Royston took two wickets while his brother, Deonarine and Permaul took one apiece as T&T ended on 286-6.

Scoreboard

Trinidad & Tobago innings
L. Simmons run out (wkp Hicks)                                     30
A. Barath c Bishoo b E. Crandon                                      18
D.M. Bravo c Dowlin b Deonarine                                   76
D. Ganga c e. Crandon b R. Crandon                               46
K. Pollard c Ferrier b R. Crandon                                    57
D.J. Bravo run out (Chanderpaul)                                     3
D. Ramdin not out                                                                  44
S. Badree not out                                                                    00
Extras:    (w-10, lb-2)                                                            12
Total: (for 6 wickets from 50 overs)                             286
FOW: 1-24 (Barath 4.3), 2-71 (Simmons 17.1), 3-164 (Ganga 35.4), 4-206 (D.M. Bravo 39.3), 5-215 (D. J. Bravo 41.2), 6-284 (Pollard 49.4)

Bowling
E. Crandon    10-0-53-1
C. Barnwell    8-0-61-0
R. Crandon    10-0-61-2
V. Permaul    10-0-31-1
N. Deonarine    10-0-54-1
D. Bishoo    2-0-18-0

Guyana innings
T. Dowlin c Pollard b Mohammed                             41
S. Chattergoon lbw Rampaul                                         2
R. Sarwan run out                                                            59
N. Deonarine c wkp Ramdin b Pollard                       2
S. Chanderpaul c D. Ganga b Pollard                       00
C. Barnwell c Simmons b Pollard                              00
R. Crandon stp Ramdin b Mohammed                   46
D. Hicks c wkp Ramdin b Rampaul                              1
E. Crandon run out                                                            0
V. Permaul c S. Ganga b Badree                                28
D. Bishoo not out                                                             10
Extras: (w-10, lb-4, nb-2)                                            16
Total: (all out for
FOW: 1-13 (Chattergoon 5.2), 2-92 (Dowlin 21), 3-94 (Deonarine 94-3), 4-98 (Chanderpaul 23.3), 5-98 (Barnwell 23.5), 6-125 (Sarwan 27.3), 7-129 (Hicks 29.4), 8-129 (E. Crandon 30.1), 9-

Bowling
S. Badree    7.3-2-26-1
R. Rampaul    9-0-31-2
D.J. Bravo    10-0-49-0
K. Pollard    6-0-37-3
D. Mohammed    10-0-32-2
S. Ganga    3-0-20-0