PORT OF SPAIN, Trinidad, (CMC) - Trinidad and Tobago, under the astute captaincy of Imran Jan, registered their second outright win of the season, when they beat Windward Islands by 81 runs inside three days of their fourth round Carib Beer Series match at Queen's Park Oval yesterday.
Set the daunting task of scoring 291 runs for victory on a difficult batting strip, the Windwards were dismissed for 209 late in the final session to lose with more than a day in the contest remaining.
With the win, T&T collected maximum 12 points and climbed to 36 points in the standings -- for a likely clear second in the standings at the end of the round.
Defending champions and current leaders Barbados started their fourth round match against West Indies ‘B’ atop the table with 36 points, but have already taken first innings lead against the regional youngsters and will remain at the head of the standings.
Leading the victory charge for the local team was exciting West Indies Test prospect Dwayne Bravo, who captured his third consecutive man-of-the-match award.
The talented all-rounder ended with a match-haul of six for 52, in addition to his top score of 46 in his team’s first innings.
Bravo previously picked up the MVP awards against the West Indies ‘B’ and Kenya.
The West Indies ‘A’ medium pacer broke the back of the Windwards’ second innings batting with a sustained spell in the post-lunch period.
At one stage, Bravo picked up three wickets for no run from eight deliveries to set up victory for T&T.
Earlier, the Windwards started positively against the T&T bowling attack.
Opening batsmen Rommel Currency (57) and Devon Smith (60) played free of trouble against the home bowlers and went to lunch on 60 without loss.
On the resumption, the duo thwarted the efforts of the spin and pace attack employed by skipper Jan.
In-between, Smith brought up his fifty with a five from off-spinner Amit Jaggernauth’s bowling. The landmark came in 116 minutes off 88 balls and contained six fours and one five.
Smith and Currency pushed the total to 91 before separation - Smith brilliantly caught by Shazam Babwah at backward point off Jaggernauth’s bowling.
Six runs later, Jaggernauth struck again when he had Roland Wilkinson (4) caught by Reyad Emrit at mid-off.
Currency and the 16-year-old Andre Fletcher (4) carried the total to 122 before Bravo dramatically swung the game for the home side.
He accounted for Fletcher, Darren Sammy (0) and Currency as the Windwards slipped to 125 for five.
At tea, the visitors were on the backfoot on 147 for five with skipper Rawl Lewis and off-spinner Shane Shillingford offering stubborn resistance.
But after the break, Bravo broke their 48-run sixth-wicket partnership with a fantastic return catch to get rid off Currency -- leaving the Windwards’ innings in strife on 173 for six.
West Indies Test left-arm spinner Dave Mohammed then cleaned up the tail by taking the final three wickets.
Former West Indies wicketkeeper/batsman Junior Murray did not bat again due to a back injury.
Bravo ended with figures of four for 39 off 17 overs, and was well supported by Mohammed, with three for 59 off 23.3, and Jaggernauth two for 50 off 26 overs.
Bravo and Jaggernauth had decisively shared five wickets when the Windwards plunged to 73 all out in reply to T&T’s first innings score of 203.
Manager of the T&T side, Omar Khan, praised the efforts of the team and said that the hard work is now beginning to pay rich dividends.
“It was a good victory for our team. The youngsters worked hard at it by showing the enthusiasm and determination needed at this level,” Khan said.
Khan added that West Indies Test batsman Daren Ganga would join the team in time for the fifth round match against Guyana, starting on Friday in Berbice.
The Windwards play the Leewards in their next game, in St Maarten.