BASSETERRE, St Kitts, CMC – Trinidad and Tobago were eyeing victory against Leeward Islands after setting the hosts a challenging 335 to win their third round Regional Four-Day Championship encounter here yesterday.
Resuming from 40 for one overnight, T&T marched to 249 all out and had reduced the Leewards to 45 for two by the close at Warner Park.
Openers Austin Richards (16) and Montcin Hodge (13) put on 25 for the first wicket but fell in successive overs.
Entering today’s final day, the Leewards still require a further 290 runs to stage a come-from-behind triumph.
Starting the day 125 runs ahead, T&T built on their lead thanks to half-centuries from Yannick Cariah (82) and Adrian Barath (71).
Cariah, a 20-year-old left-hander, lashed 14 fours in an innings that lasted just over two-and-a-half hours and consumed 166 balls while Barath, who got 58 in the first innings, struck 71 off 148 balls with five fours.
There was no solid start for T&T, however, as Evin Lewis failed to add to his overnight 14 when he fell to off-spinner Larry Joseph in the day’s fourth over.
Three balls later, Joseph (4-66) removed Kjorn Ottley without scoring to a catch at the wicket with no runs added and when Imran Khan also fell to Joseph for three a few overs, T&T were tottering at 48 for four.
Yannick Ottley (15) joined Barath to add 26 before leg-spinner Anthony Martin (3-60) struck twice to dent the innings again, as Ottley and captain Rayad Emrit (6) fell in quick succession.
With T&T limping along at 90 for six, Cariah anchored two partnerships to rescue his side, putting on 54 for the seventh wicket with Barath before adding a further 83 for the eighth wicket to turn back the Leewards challenge.
