- Junior DowieJamaica's Keith Hibbert is comprehensively stumped by Trinidad and Tobago 'keeper Keno Mason during the second day of their Busta International Shield semi-final at Sabina Park yesterday.
Tony Becca, Senior Sport Editor
THE BUSTA International Shield semi-final match between Jamaica and Trinidad and Tobago at Sabina Park is at the halfway mark and if the next two days is anything like the first two, cricket fans should be treated to a thrilling contest and some lovely action as the teams battle for a place in the final.
On the first day, Trinidad and Tobago, batting first after Jamaica had won the toss and elected to bowl, appeared in trouble at 200 for eight after a day of fluctuating fortunes; and yesterday, on another day of nail-biting and exciting see-saw action, they survived a dashing seventh-wicket partnership of 81 in 79 minutes off 112 deliveries between Ricardo Powell and Laurie Williams to snatch the first innings lead.
With first innings lead in a drawn match good enough to carry them into the final and with the pitch still playing well, Trinidad and Tobago, leading by 49 runs with nine wickets in hand, are now in a better position than Jamaica to take on the winners of the Guyana/Leeward Islands contest on April 4.
Two days is a long time, however, and the contest is far from over - especially based on the action so far and particularly yesterday when, with Jamaica sinking at 86 for six, Trinidad and Tobago were sailing along nicely, and when, with Ricardo Powell and Williams beating the ball and the home team on 167 for six, Jamaica appeared all set to take the lead.
Picking up the last two wickets for 16 runs in 37 minutes and 7.5 overs to wrap up Trinidad and Tobago's first innings for 216, Jamaica looked a good bet to gain the lead. In fact, there were not many among the wonderful Saturday crowd who doubted that the defending champions, the Busta Cup champions, and the winners by seven wickets at Alpart two weeks ago, would not do so.
In the fourth over of the innings, however, fast bowler Marlon Black sent Christopher Gayle packing leg before wicket at six for one; in the 12th over, Leon Garrick, deceived by a slower delivery from medium pacer Lendl Simmons, lobbed an attempted pull to Dwayne Bravo at mid-on to make it 27 for two; and from there on, Jamaica were in trouble.
It was after lunch, however, that Jamaica ran into serious trouble as Trinidad and Tobago stunned the fans into silence.
Thirty-one for two at the interval, Jamaica resumed in style with Wavell Hinds driving legspinner Dinanath Ramnarine sweetly to the cover boundary, Keith Hibbert driving pacer Mervyn Dillon confidently to the cover boundary, and the left-handed Hinds driving Ramnarine over mid-wicket for six.
In 10 minutes of high drama, however, Jamaica lost three wickets without adding a run and dropped from 52 for two to 52 for five.
Hinds, going back to a short, harmless delivery from Dillon and playing when he probably should not have done so, edged low to Richard Smith at third slip; Hibbert, driving at Ramnarine, was smartly stumped by Keno Mason; and Robert Samuels, surprised by a fast, short pitched delivery, attempted to turn the ball behind square-leg and was caught at third slip by Simmons as the ball lobbed off the back of the bat.
Breese reeled off a few delightful strokes before he went back defensively to Black and edged straight to Dillon at first slip.
At that stage it was 86 for six, and despite the size of the crowd, you could hear a pin drop in the park.
In a magnificent counter attack, however, Ricardo Powell, who joined the action 52 for four, and Williams beat back the visitors with a parade of glorious strokes until Williams, who stroked five boundaries, drove at a fairly wide delivery from Simmons and was caught by Smith at gully for 33 at 167 for seven.
Ricardo Powell, who struck two sixes, including a huge one into the George Headley Stand off Ramnarine, and seven fours, was still there, however, and once he was there, Jamaica were still in it.
One moment of indecision, however, and he was gone.
Going forward to offspinner Mukesh Persad, Powell, so confident before, shaped to drive, changed his mind, attempted to stroke the ball softly through the onside, nicked the ball on to his pad, and was caught for 71 by Mason running forward from behind the wicket.
That was 183 for eight, and although the target for the lead was 34 runs away, there was still hope for Jamaica - especially as the not out batsman was Daren Powell who started his cricketing life as a batsman.
With the crowd cheering them, Daren Powell and Jermaine Lawson kept the hope alive with some cheeky strokeplay against Ramnarine and Persad, and when Black replaced Persad and Lawson drove to the cover boundary to make 209 for eight, cheers resounded around the ground.
In a few deliveries, however, and without another run, the fight ended.
Lawson, probably carried away by the timing of the previous stroke, drove at the next delivery, the ball flew high, and Simmons at extra-cover, turned, ran towards the boundary, and took a lovely catch before falling to the ground.
In the next over, Cunningham swung at Ramnarine, and to the delight of the Trinidadians, Dillon gratefully accepted the gift at midon.
Left with 17 overs to begin their fightback, Jamaica, through some fiery bowling from Daren Powell and Lawson, who bowled Daren Ganga off the inside edge in the fourth over, hinted that the match was far from over.
SCOREBOARD
Trinidad and Tobago first innings
(Resumed at 200-8)
| R | M | B | 4 | 6 |
| D. Ramnarine c Samuels b D. Powell | 18 | 53 | 37 | 2 | 0 |
| M. Persad c Cunningham b Williams | 8 | 43 | 25 | 0 | 0 |
| M. Black not out | 0 | 6 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
Extras: (b4, lb5, w1, nb1) 11
Total: (396 minutes, 99.5 overs) 216
Fall: 50 (2), 50 (3), 52 (4), 87 (1), 148 (6), 163 (7), 180 (5), 194 (8), 212 (9)
Bowling: D. Powell 20/5/43/2 w1 (16/4/36/1 w1 - overnight, 4/1/7/1)
L. Williams 20.5/5/52/3 nb1 (17/4/43/2 - overnight, 3.5/1/9/1 nb1) J. Lawson 14/4/43/0 G. Breese26/10/34/3 R. Cunningham10/2/24/0
R. Powell 2/1/3/0
C. Gayle 7/3/8/0
Jamaica first innings
| L. Garrick c Bravo b Simmons | 16 | 56 | 33 | 2 | 0 |
| C. Gayle lbw Black | 5 | 14 | 11 | 1 | 0 |
| W. Hinds c Smith b Dillon | 17 | 61 | 50 | 2 | 1 |
| K. Hibbert stp Mason b Ramnarine | 13 | 36 | 27 | 3 | 0 |
| R. Samuels c Simmons b Dillon | 0 | 10 | 3 | 0 | 0 |
| R. Powell c Mason b Persad | 71 | 151 | 100 | 7 | 2 |
| G. Breese c Dillon b Black | 17 | 43 | 24 | 3 | 0 |
| L. Williams c Smith b Simmons | 33 | 79 | 61 | 5 | 0 |
| D. Powell not out | 10 | 66 | 37 | 0 | 0 |
| J. Lawson c Simmons b Black | 14 | 28 | 19 | 1 | 0 |
| R. Cunningham c Dillon b Ramnarine | 0 | 3 | 2 | 0 |
| 0 |
Extras: (b4, lb3, w1, nb5) 13
Total: (278 minutes, 60.2 overs) 209
Fall: 6 (2), 27 (1), 52 (3), 52 (4), 52 (5), 86 (7), 167 (8), 183 (6), 209 (10)
Bowling: M. Dillon14/3/48/2 (5/2/6/0, 5/1/18/2, 4/0/24/0)
M. Black 13/3/53/2 nb2 (5/1/19/1, 7/2/29/1 nb2, 1/0/5/1)
D. Ramnarine 23.2/4/77/2 nb3 (13/4/43/1, 10.2/0/34/1 nb3)
L. Simmons4/1/8/2(2/1/4/1, 2/0/4/1)
M. Persad 6/1/16/1 (2/1/3/0, 4/0/13/1)
Trinidad and Tobago second innings
| D. Ganga b Lawson | 5 | 16 | 14 | 1 | 0 |
| I. Jan not out | 16 | 64 | 45 | 0 | 0 |
| D. Bravo not out | 16 | 47 | 45 | 3 | 0 |
Extras: (lb 3, nb 2) 5
Total: (64 minutes, 17 overs for one wkt)42
Fall: 12 (1)
Bowling: D. Powell 4/1/13/0, J. Lawson 6/1/11/1 nb2, G. Breese 4/3/8/0, R. Cunningham 2/1/2/0, L. Williams 1/0/5/0.
