PORT OF SPAIN, Trinidad, Mar 18, CMC – Guyana were facing a tense final day on Monday after Adrian Barath struck his seventh first class hundred and fast bowler Shannon Gabriel grabbed two late wickets, to put Trinidad and Tobago in charge of their sixth round, Regional Four-Day clash here Sunday.
Barath’s 114 was the foundation of T&T’s 349 all out, a lead of 59 on first innings.
Gabriel, who has come on in leaps and bounds this season, then prised out both openers to leave Guyana on 31 for two at the close, still 28 runs behind.
Resuming the day on 158 for one, T&T flourished as Barath and overnight partner Marlon Barclay stretched their second wicket partnership to 148.
Barath, picking up from 73, played fluently with strokes on both sides of the wicket while Barclay, who resumed on 33, also played confidently to reach 58.
The left-handed Barclay reached his half-century with a flick to the mid-wicket boundary but was then guilty of gifting his wicket to part-time leg-spinner Ramnaresh Sarwan, essaying a sweep and going struck in front at 221 for two.
His innings lasted 263 minutes, comprised 225 balls and included four fours.
Barath pressed on to reach his landmark, counting 11 fours and a six in an innings spanning three hours and 35 minutes, and 251 balls.
However, he too fell sweeping at off-spinner Narsingh Deonarine who finished with fantastic figures of six for 71.
Sarwan, who claimed two for 27, then induced Jason Mohammed to edge to slip for six, to send T&T to lunch at 234 for four.
After the break, all-rounder Kevon Cooper stroked 59 with seven fours while captain Rayad Emrit cracked 26, as they put together 79 for the seventh wicket, after Aneil Kanhai (5) and Imran Khan (18) fell cheaply. With T&T heading towards a large total, Deonarine undermined the lower order to send the last four wickets tumbling for 13 runs.
Gabriel then shook up Guyana before the close, trapping Leon Johnson lbw without a run on the board and inducing Chanderpaul Hemraj to lob a simple catch to Imran Khan at mid-off for nine.
