GROS ISLET, St Lucia,  CMC – Guyanese right arm leg-spinner Amir Khan grabbed a hat-trick in a spectacular eight-wicket haul and then frustrated the Windward Islands with resilient batting to give his team a small glimmer of hope in their third round TCL West Indies Under-19 Challenge match here yesterday.

Khan captured eight for 70 to send the Windwards slumping from their promising overnight position of 179 for five to 190 all out, losing their last five wickets for 11 runs on the second day at the Gros Islet Playing Field.

He finished off the Windwards innings with a hat-trick before returning to score 41 in a last wicket stand of 78 with Keon Joseph who made 26 in Guyana’s second innings of 226.

The effort was a huge improvement on their lame first innings total of 51 on the opening day Friday.

Other useful knocks came from Ricardo Adams who struck 38, Dominique Rickhi who hit 31 and Harrinarine Chattergoon, 30.

Leg break bowler Levaughn Lewis was the leading wicket-taker for the Windwards with five for 77 while skipper Audy Alexander claimed two for 30 with his unorthodox left-arm spin.

Set 88 to complete an outright win, the Windwards finished on 39 for two, still 49 runs adrift of their target.

The experienced Kavem Hodge was unbeaten on 17 while Atticus Browne got 16 before being caught at slip by Sherwin McPherson off Anthony Adams at 32 for two.

Windwards had made an inauspicious start when Dennis Smith was lbw for one, playing back to Khan at one for one to give the leg-spinner his ninth victim of the match.