T&T chasing first innings honours against Leewards

KINGSTON, Jamaica, CMC – Fast bowler Nelson Boland bagged two wickets late Tuesday to keep the Leeward Islands alive in the important fourth-round fixture against Trinidad and Tobago in the TCL Group West Indies Three-day Cup Under-19 match at Chedwin Park on Tuesday.

In reply to the Leewards’ modest first innings total of 174, tournament leaders T&T closed on 54 for two with Nicholas Alexis not out on 20 and Yannic Cariah on 16 after 19 overs in the Chedwin Park fixture.

Boland is the Leewards’ top bowler so far with two for 16 off six overs.

Debutant Amir Khan (0) failed to impress and was bowled by Boland without scoring while prolific Evin Lewis was caught by wicket-keeper Jamar Hamilton for six off Boland, to push T&T on the ropes on 21 for two.

But determined batting from Alexis and Cariah saw T&T safely through to the end without any further loss.

Star of the day was T&T’s pint-sized leg-spinner Kissoondath Magram, who bagged his first five-wicket-haul in the TCL Series.

The 16-year-old Magram, in tandem with Cariah, the tournament’s leading wicket-taker, undermined the Leewards’ fragile batting to help dismiss the opposition for a modest sub-200 total in 69 overs. In his first full U19 tournament, Magram picked up five for 43 off 20 overs, while Cariah grabbed three for 51 from 19 overs.

Only Yannick Leonard with 35 and Boland (32) offered resistance to the T&T bowling attack.

The Leewards, joint second position with hosts Jamaica, had won the toss and opted to bat.

T&T made two changes to the team that played in the first three matches, with Aaron Alfred replacing the injured Rixon Maniran behind the stumps, while Khan was awarded his first Regional U19 cap at the expense of the out-of-form Marc Panchu.

The Leewards started cautiously against the T&T pace attack, with openers Tashmil Mills and Kejel Tyson posting 21 for the first wicket, before Mills departed — caught behind by Alfred — off Akiel Cooper for 12.

Tyson was next to go, caught by Cariah off Magram for 22 with the score on 54.

The Leewards lost another wicket before the lunch break, when Akeem Fox (4) was leg before wicket to Cariah which left them on 63 for three at the interval.
On the resumption, the T&T spinners – Magram and Cariah — made inroads into the middle and lower-order batting, as Leewards went to tea on 146 for eight, including the scalp of  Leonard, who laboured for 201 minutes for his 35, which contained one four.

After the tea interval, the Leewards innings folded with Boland swinging his bat for 32 which included six fours.