By Marlon Munroe

Guyana lost by nine runs to Trinidad & Tobago last evening at the Guyana National Stadium in their first warm up match before the Airtel Champions League T20 Championships in South Africa next month.

T&T, after winning the toss, batted and amassed 150-9 from 20 overs.

Opening batsman Lendl Simmons made a polished 52 while  his captain Daren Ganga contributed an unbeaten 40. Guyana’s offspinner Steven Jacobs was the pick of the bowlers capturing 4-23 from three overs while Royston Crandon chipped in with 2-44 (4).

In reply, Guyana faltered in the end and fell short at 142-4 from their allotted 20 overs. West Indies middle order batsman Narsingh Deonarine was left undefeated on 41 (3×4, 2×6) from 37 balls. At the top of the order Derwin Christian muscled 39 while Travis Dowlin made a polished 29.

Imran Khan picked up two wickets while Sunil Narine and Sherwin Ganga took one apiece.

Guyana made a shaky start but Christian got warm with a six over wide long on and then a four through mid off. Dowlin joined the act when he stood on the back foot and punched Reyad Emrit through cover and then followed up with a lofted drive over mid on in the sixth over.

Forty runs came in six overs. The scoring rate was mounting and Dowlin was in the thick of things  when he lifted Donald St. Clair over third man and then smashed off spinner Sherwin Ganga straight back over his head in ninth over. However, in the next over Dowlin’s innings came to a close when he was caught and bowled by Narine for 29 from 30 balls.

His innings included four fours and Guyana lost their first wicket at 68. The bulky wicketkeeper/batsman Christian, though, continued with his aggression, smashing Narine through midwicket while new batsman Deonarine bisected two fielders on the midwicket boundary – a shot reminiscent of the million dollar inaugural Stanford Twenty20 tournament that Guyana won.

The almost packed stadium roared for Jonathan Foo who replaced Christian who was bowled by Imran Khan for a well compiled 39 from 36 balls. His innings comprised  three fours and a six; Guyana were 97-2 in the 14th over when he departed.

Deonarine repeated his slog sweep over midwicket but at the end of the 16th over Guyana were 111-2 and required 40 runs from 24 balls. Foo’s running was aggressive: he forced the T&T fielders to misfield and on occasions he turned  singles into twos.

Then he advanced down the pitch and was bowled  by Khan for 10 from 12 balls. The score was 120-3 in the 18th over. The teams were on equal footing at 124 at the start of the 18th over but Kevin Cooper was bowling full and straight and the batsmen found it hard to dispatch his bowling.

Deonarine worked Cooper to the backward square region in the penultimate over leaving Guyana needing 20 runs from the final over bowled by Ganga.

The first ball went for a single from Deonarine; Barnwell drove the second ball back to the bowler and the next ball he was caught by wicketkeeper Simmons.
Earlier, the T&T openers Adrian Barath and Simmons started positively – Barath cut Lennox Cush through backward point for four in the first over and Simmons drove medium pacer Esaun Crandon through extra cover in the second over.

Barath was dropped by Cush off his own bowling and there were a few nervous moments for the Guyanese with a few misfielding chances. But those were quickly made amends  when Crandon had Barath caught at mid off as he attempted to go over the top by Barnwell for seven.

That wicket fell when the score was 18 in the fourth over. Paul Wintz was given a rough baptism to senior national cricket when he was pulled by Simmons over the midwicket region for six off his second delivery; 17 runs came off his introductory over.

Simmons and Bravo played with urgency and their running between the wicket was good. Cush was his usual composed, miserly self, giving away a mere 16 runs from his four overs.

With the introduction of medium pacer Barnwell and off-spinner Royston Crandon, the scoring rate rose. Simmons lifted Barnwell back over his head for a four and then pulled Crandon for six over midwicket.

He brought up his half century with a turn through midwicket for two. Two quick wickets fell shortly after: Bravo was bowled by Crandon for 12 (1×4) then four runs later Jacobs bowled Simmons for 52 (3×4, 2×6) from 37 balls.
The Trinidad & Tobago team was 86 from 12 overs. Wintz conceded one run in his second over then he caught Justin Guillen at long on for four to give Jacobs his second wicket.

There were periods of brilliance in field but none was better than the uprooting of Khan’s middle stump by Jacobs for four  when the score was 98 off the first ball of the 16th over.

Three balls later Sherwin Ganga was brilliantly caught and bowled by Jacobs for one as the Trinidadians were shaking on 100-6. More drama ensued. Jacobs was removed from the bowling by Clyde Duncan for a  pad high full toss – much to the dismay of the bowler and the rest of the team; Crandon had Cooper caught by  Foo and Barnwell fired in a return from midwicket to run out Reyad Emrit for one.

The T&T captain stood as wickets fell around him and the Guyanese continued to pile on the pressure. Eventually, the overs expired and T&T closed their innings at 150-9. Ganga was left not out on 40 from 28 balls, which included two fours and a six.