ST ELIZABETH, Jamaica (CMC) - West Indies captain Brian Lara lashed an unbeaten 48 and leg-spinner Dinanath Ramnarine grabbed five wickets as Trinidad and Tobago handed amateurs Canada their second humiliating defeat in the Red Stripe Bowl Zone A match at the Alpart Sports Club yesterday.
Canada, tormented by Ramnarine, could only muster 112 from 36.2 overs, before Lara flattened them with his near half-century knock that rushed Trinidad and Tobago to 113 for four off 21.3 overs.
Lara showed some respect at the beginning, but then hurriedly ended proceedings, slamming four sixes and two fours in his entertaining knock which satisfied the fair-sized crowd that came to see, more than anything else, the world's number one batsman perform.
Canada, beaten by 127 runs on Thursday by the Windwards, surprisingly opted to bat first on a pitch which offered good bounce but allowed the odd ball to skate through low.
They paid the penalty and struggled to barely get past 100.
The North Americans suffered from the very first ball when pacer Merv Dillon got an lbw verdict against the debutant Aftab Shamshudeen, who elected not to play a shot to a fairly harmless loosener.
Two wickets followed quickly and as was the case against Windward Islands, Sunil Dhaniram (11) and Ashish Bagai (14) stuck around, blocking the balls without putting many on the board.
Left-arm spinner Dave Mohamed enticed a sweep from Dhaniram and wicketkeeper Andy Jackson took down the ballooned shot with ease.
Then Ramnarine came into the attack and destroyed the Canadian batting, taking five wickets in quick time for just 24 runs from 8.2 overs.
Bagai followed Dhaniram and swept against Ramnarine's leg-spin for substitute Rodney Sooklal to pocket at short fine leg.
Sandeep Jyoti (1) gently lobbed to silly mid-off, Abdool Samad (14) drove to Aneil Kanhai at mid-off and Ramnarine scattered Patel's (0) stumps to take the first five-wicket haul in Zone A.
In support of Ramnarine, Merv Dillon, Mohamed and debutants Theodore Modeste and Reyad Emrit each got a wicket.
Austin Codrington, batting at number nine, played some lusty shots to finish on 21 not out, but it was extras that top-scored with 23.
The Canadian innings was over so quickly that Trinidad had to bat for thirty minutes before lunch.
They got to 35 for the loss of Imran Jan (3) who registered his second consecutive failure by edging lively medium pacer, Ashish Patel to Ishwar Maraj at first slip.
Jackson, who made a brisk 34, played an ugly cross-batted shot to medium pacer Don Maxwell and had his off stump uprooted in dramatic style.
That was in the first over after the lunch interval, but the forcing left-hander had already sent the crowd buzzing with one six and five imposing fours in his 22-ball innings.
When Kanhai played back and was rapped on his pads for nine, the crowd burst into a roar as Lara emerged and closed the day -- at about 2.45 p.m. local time -- with a shot-filled innings that gave Trinidad and Tobago victory with 28.3 overs to spare.
Lara's 48 came off only 38 balls.
A keen contest is expected here today as hosts Jamaica play their second game against the Windward Islands in the second match of the weekend double-header.
CANADA innings
A.Shamshudeen lbw b Dillon 0
A.Mulla c wkp. Jackson b Emrit 9
D.Maxwell c Emrit b Modeste 8
S.Dhaniram c wkp. Jackson b Mohamed 11
+A.Bagai c Sooklal (sub.) b Ramnarine 14
*I.Maraj lbw b Ramnarine 10
S.Jyoti c Jan b Ramnarine 1
A.Samad c Kanhai b Ramnarine 14
A.Codrington not out 21
A.Patel b Ramnarine 0
K.Sandher run-out 1
Extras: (b-2, lb-7, w-8, nb-6) 23
Total: (all out- 36.2 overs) 112
Fall of wickets: 1-0, 2-17, 3-30, 4-44, 5-64, 6-66, 7-78, 8-91, 9-93.
Bowling: Dillon 9-0-23-1 (w-3, nb-3), Modeste 9-1-32-1 (w-3), Emrit 5-0-14-1 (w-2, nb-1), Mohamed 5-1-10-1, Ramnarine 8.2-1-24-5 (nb-2)
TRINIDAD & TOBAGO Innings
I.Jan c Maraj b Patel 3
+A.Jackson b Maxwell 34
A.Kanhai lbw Patel 9
*D.Ganga c Codrington b Sandher 16
B.Lara not out 48
S.Babwah not out 1
Extras: (w-2) 2
Total: (for 4 wickets - 21.3 overs) 113
Fall of wickets: 1-29, 2-39, 3-57, 4-108.
Bowling: Patel 7-0-38-2 (w-1), Codrington 5-1-28-0, Maxwell 3-0-14-1, Dhaniram 4-1-21-0, Jyoti 2-1-7-0 (w-1), Sandher 0.3-0-5-1.
Points: T&T 2, Canada 0
Umpires: Basil Morgan & Clancy Mack