GEORGETOWN, Guyana, CMC – Trinidad & Tobago are sweating on the fitness of key opener Adrian Barath while bottom-of-the-table Guyana will look to build on their draw in the last round, when the two teams clash in their WICB Regional four-day match starting today. The teenaged Barath travelled from T&T on Wednesday despite struggling with a hamstring injury and team management is hoping he can be ready in time to take his place at the top of the order for the seventh round clash at the Guyana National Stadium.
He suffered the injury during his brilliant 192 in the last round against the Leeward Islands but despite the discomfort, returned to make an unbeaten half-century in the second innings of the drawn encounter.
Barath has been receiving treatment for the injury but doubt still surrounds his involvement in the match.
The 18-year-old, who has 407 runs from five matches this season, is the only T&T batsman apart from skipper Daren Ganga (349 runs) with 300 runs this season and the visitors will value his presence once he is available.
West Indies opener Lendl Simmons, who missed out on selection for the third Test in Antigua, has returned to strengthen T&T and will join a batting line up that includes Kieron Pollard, Sherwin Ganga, Imran Khan and wicketkeeper Gibran Mohammed
Ravi Rampaul will lead the pace attack while Amit Jaggernauth and Samuel Badree should provide the bulk of the spin.
The Guyanese, who broke their four-match losing streak in their last game against Jamaica, will aim for an improved performance against the visitors who are in fourth on 33 points.
They will depend on Narsingh Deonarine, captain Travis Dowlin and Leon Johnson to carry the batting.
Deonarine’s 340 runs is the most by a Guyanese while Dowlin (330 runs and four 50s) has been Guyana’s most consistent batsman. Johnson has failed to convert two 50s into three-figure scores while Royston Crandon has scored three half-centuries in the middle order before being sacrificed as an opener. Although he has three ducks, wicketkeeper Darwin Christian is the only Guyanese with a century this season.
Shemroy Barrington has been dropped and Chris Barnwell could open with Christian while Steven Jacobs should be included in the final XI. Pacer Brandon Bess could also lose his place as leg-spinner Davendra Bishoo, who has 19 wickets, spearheads the inexperienced bowling attack. T&T beat Guyana by nine wickets last year despite centuries from Ramnaresh Sarwan and Sewnarine Chattergoon. Hoomchand Pooran, Mohamed and Barrington were replaced in the Guyana squad from the last match by Assad Fudadin, Gajanand Singh and Trevon Garraway.
TEAMS (from):GUYANA – Travis Dowlin (captain), Leon Johnson, Chris Barnwell, Narsingh Deonarine, Royston Crandon, Steven Jacobs, Derwin Christian, Esuan Crandon, Davendra Bishoo, Brandon Bess, Gajanand Singh, Assad Fudadin, Trevon Garraway.
T&T – Daren Ganga (captain), Adrian Barath, Lendl Simmons, Imran Khan, Justin Guillen, Kieron Pollard, Sherwin Ganga, Gibran Mohammed, Ravi Rampaul, Amit Jaggernauth, Sunil Narine, Atiba Allert, D Stuart, Samuel Badree.
