BRIDGETOWN, Barbados, CMC – Denesh Ramdin led consistent batting down the order, putting Trinidad & Tobago in early control against Barbados in the Regional 4-Day Tournament on Thursday.
The T&T captain was unbeaten on 80, Darren Bravo supported with 54 and Lendl Simmons made 52, leading T&T to 293 for six in their first innings at the close on the opening day of their third round match at Kensington Oval.
West Indies wicketkeeper/batsman Ramdin struck 10 fours from 193 balls in close to 4 ½ hours, sharing successive half-century stands with Bravo, Imran Khan and Rayad Emrit that consolidated T&T’s position after they were sent in to bat.
West Indies fast bowler Fidel Edwards was the most successful Barbados bowler with three wickets for 54 runs from 15 overs.
Things had started shakily for T&T, when left-hander Justin Guillen was caught at forward short-leg off Edwards for nought and West Indies opener Adrian Barath was caught behind off Tino Best for one edging an out-swinger, leaving T&T one run for two wickets.
The tempo changed and T&T seized control, when Lendl Simmons indulged himself in a volley of strokes, destroying the confidence and the figures of fast bowler Tino Best. In Best’s second over, the fourth of the match, Simmons took fours off the first, second, third and sixth balls with a six slapped over long-off from the fourth delivery. Three boundaries were through extra-cover – two off the front foot and the other off the back foot, along with a cut behind point.
Simmons collected boundaries off the second, third, fourth and fifth balls in Best’s third over, which cost 17 with the boundaries coming mainly through the off side and a hook through square-leg.
He reached his 50 from 20 balls, when he top-edged a pull to mid-wicket for two off West Indies fast bowler Kemar Roach.
Simmons however, failed to carry on and was caught at deep fine leg off Edwards, after striking 10 fours and one six from 28 balls in 49 minutes. He put on 62 for the second wicket with Bravo.
T&T reached 113 for three at lunch before losing Jason Mohammed caught at backward point off Sulieman Benn for 26 in the first over after the interval. He added 54 for the fourth wicket with Bravo.
Ramdin joined Bravo and they continued to resist the Barbados attack, comprising Edwards, Best, Roach and newcomer Christopher Jordan with the left-arm spin of Benn and Ryan Hinds for variety.
Bravo worked hard to reach his 50 from 122 balls before he was caught at gully off Edwards after enduring a testing period from the home team’s bowlers.
The West Indies left-hander struck eight fours from 138 balls in close to 3 ½ hours, putting on 51 for the fifth wicket with Ramdin, as T&T reached 188 for five at tea. Khan came to the crease and added 51 with Ramdin before he was caught at leg slip from a top-edged sweep off Hinds, leaving Emrit to bat the last 1 ½ hours with Ramdin to further frustrate Barbados.
Ramdin brought up his half-century from 142 balls and continued to bat with aplomb for the remainder of the way. It was a tough day for Barbados wicketkeeper Shane Dowrich. He had a few glaring misses behind the stumps, dropping Khan and Ramdin, and was forced to leave the field near the close, when a delivery from Best burst through his gloves and struck him above the left eye, which was badly swollen.
The Barbadians made one change to their previous line up with Jordan making his Barbados debut, replacing injured fellow all-rounder Kenroy Williams, but T&T made three changes, replacing Dwayne Bravo, Kieron Pollard and Yannick Cariah with Justin Guillen, Imran Khan and Atiba Allert.
T&T are one of four teams tied for second on 12 points, following a 172-run victory over Combined Campuses & Colleges in the first round, while Barbados are one of two rooted on the bottom with no points. The last four matches between the two sides in the R4T have all ended in draws.
