PORT OF SPAIN, Trinidad, CMC – A responsible half-century from Akeal Hosein was not enough to save Trinidad and Tobago Red Force from their second straight defeat of the WICB Professional Cricket League, as they crashed to an innings and ten-run loss to leaders Guyana Jaguars here yesterday.
Starting the final day at Queen’s Park Oval needing 294 to make the visitors bat again, T&T failed to find the Herculean effort required and were dismissed for 234, in the lead up to the scheduled tea time.
The left-handed Hosein carried the fight for the hosts with 64 while the exciting Nicholas Pooran made a dashing 47. Yannick Cariah chipped in with 26, nightwatchman Daniel St Clair, 25, and Imran Khan, 24.
T&T were undermined by Guyana’s spinners, with left-arm spinner Veerasammy Permaul finished with four for 51 while leg-spinner Devendra Bishoo chipped in with three for 82.
Fast bowler Ronsford Beaton did not add to his tally from Sunday, picking up two for 24.
Permaul already has 32 wickets at the end of the fourth round of matches.
Resuming the day on 58 for four, T&T made a steady start with Cariah, unbeaten on 21 and St Clair, on eight, safely negotiating the opening salvo. They had added a further 22 for the fifth wicket when Cariah departed to Permaul, caught at the wicket at 80 for five.
St Clair, who cleared the ropes with Permaul and also hit four fours, posted another 22 for the sixth wicket with Hosein before perishing at 102 for six, top-edging a sweep at Permaul.
Hosein and Imran Khan raised hopes of T&T saving the game when they buckled down in a 74-run, seventh wicket partnership that spanned the lunch interval.
Taking a measured approach, Hosein stroked ten fours off 133 balls in 145 minutes at the crease while Khan struck three fours off 75 balls.
However, Bishoo struck twice in the space of 21 balls to remove both batsmen and leave T&T stumbling on 191 for eight, as Guyana inched closer to victory.
They were held up briefly by Pooran who loosened his arms to strike six fours and two sixes in his run-a-ball knock, but the Jaguars never flinched and wrapped up the innings to stay on top the standings with 57 points.
T&T, meanwhile, gained one point to be on 24 overall.
Scoreboard
T&T 1st Innings 198
GUYANA 1st Innings 492-8 decl.
T&T 2nd Innings
(overnight 58 for four)
L Simmons b Beaton 10
E Lewis c and b Reifer 3
Y Ottley c Reifer b Beaton 0
Y Cariah c wkp Bramble b Permaul 26
J Mohammed c Singh b Permaul 16
D St Clair c Chanderpaul b Permaul 25
A Hosein c Griffith b Bishoo 64
I Khan c Barnwell b Bishoo 24
+N Pooran c Griffith b Bishoo 47
*R Emrit c Reifer b Permaul 1
M Richards not out 4
Extras (b2, lb3, nb9) 14
TOTAL (all out, 75.2 overs) 234
Fall of wickets: 1-12, 2-12, 3-14, 4-50, 5-80, 6-102, 7-176, 8-191, 9-191, 10-234.
Bowling: Beaton 10-1-24-2, Reifer 7-1-25-1, Permaul 29-12-51-4, Barnwell 2-0-11-0, Deonarine 10-2-36-0, Bishoo 17.2-4-82-3.
Result: Guyana won by an innings and 60 runs.
Points: Guyana 18, T&T 1.
Toss: Red Force.
Umpires: Z Bassarath, V Smith.