BRIDGETOWN, Barbados, CMC – West Indies opener Kraigg Brathwaite anchored Barbados to a morale-boosting, five-wicket victory over Trinidad & Tobago in the Regional 4-Day Tournament yesterday.
Brathwaite led the way with an unbeaten 48, as the Barbadians, chasing 179 for victory, reached their target about 20 minutes after the lunch interval on the final day at Kensington Oval.
The obdurate teenager struck just two boundaries from 142 balls in close to four hours of batting.
Left-hander Jonathan Carter supported with 36, putting on 47 for the fifth wicket with Brathwaite, whose unbroken stand of 33 with diminutive wicketkeeper/batsman Shane Dowrich ushered Barbados over the threshold.
Dowrich, not out on 19, formalised the target, when he slapped a delivery from Sunil Narine through extra cover for a boundary.
Off-spinner Narine was the most successful T&T bowler with three wickets for 54 runs from 19.5 overs.
The result meant that Barbados gained 12 points and T&T secured four points, having led on first innings.
It was Barbados’ first victory over T&T in this form of the game in the last five years, following six matches in which they lost twice and conceded first innings points in three of four draws.
Resuming from their bedtime total of 94 for three, Barbados lost night-watchman Kemar Roach, when Narine bowled him leg stump with the day’s fifth ball without adding to his overnight score of zero.
But Carter joined Brathwaite and put Barbados solidly on track for victory, playing with enterprise. They were halted for close to an hour, when rain stopped play about half-hour after the scheduled start.
On resumption, they continued to soldier on before Carter was caught at slip off Narine just before Barbados reached 160 for five at the lunch interval.
After lunch, Brathwaite and Dowrich continued with aplomb before Barbados broke the apparent stranglehold T&T appeared to have on them.
Barbados face national rivals Combined Campuses & Colleges in the fourth round under the lights at the same venue, starting next Friday, when T&T meet Windward Islands at Queen’s Park Oval.
