BRIDGETOWN, Barbados, (CMC) - Three wickets, two to Tino Best, after a bold declaration put front-runners Barbados in a good position yesterday to press for a fourth straight victory in their top-of-the-table fourth round match in the Carib Beer 2004 Cricket Series against West Indies-B at the Three Ws Oval.
West Indies-B, set 302 to beat the Barbadians, were 94 for three in their second innings when bad light stopped play four overs early on the third day, after the Barbadians declared on 215 for eight in their second innings at the tea break.
Shawn Graham, playing his third match for Barbados, hit the top score of 66 for Barbados and left-hander Ryan Hinds supported with 55 in a 106-run, fourth-wicket stand. Once they were separated about 25 minutes before the tea break, the Barbadians lost their way with six wickets falling for 21 runs in 5.1 overs.
With 39 overs available before stumps were drawn, Best grabbed the wickets of B-Team captain Jason Haynes and Shawn Findlay to destabilise the visitors’ batting and leave them with a mountainous task to prevent the defending double crown champions from keeping their 100 per cent record on the last day.
Best shook Haynes up with a rising delivery that he gloved over the heads of slip fielders to the third man boundary for four and then bowled him for five when he removed the left-hander’s middle-stump with an unerring yorker next ball.
Ryan Ramdass and Findlay saw off new-ball pair of Best and Pedro Collins in a stand of 31 for the second wicket before Barbados captain Courtney Browne summoned Ryan Nurse for his first spell from the Ramadhin & Valentine End and the fast bowler had Ramdass caught behind for 20.
For the next 1¼ hours, Findlay and fellow Jamaican Danza Hyatt diligently defied the Barbados attack to add 42 for the third wicket. They interspersed sound defence with measured aggression and looked set on batting through until the close.
Best, however, was brought back for a second spell and he struck when Findlay was bowled for 34 playing down the wrong line, to tilt the balance back into Barbados’ favour. The fast bowler closed with figures of two for 16 from nine overs.
When Barbados continued from their bedtime position of 82 for two, they suffered an early loss and found run-scoring hard during the morning period that was extended by half-hour to help compensate for time lost in the match.
Left-hander Floyd Reifer, Barbados’ most prolific batsman this season, was only one and the total 88 for three when he was caught at backward point off Dwight Washington slicing a drive.
For 3½ hours, Graham and Hinds batted confidently, if not attractively to restore Barbados’ supremacy. The two batted circumspectly, but were not afraid to punish anything that was loose.
They carried Barbados to 134 for three at the lunch interval and continued in much the same vein after the interval. Both batsmen promised much, but were dismissed off consecutive deliveries much to the consternation of the sizeable crowd that trekked to the redeveloped University of the West Indies’ Cave Hill campus ground.
Hinds literally threw his hand away when he was caught at long-off off part-time off-spin bowler Kenroy Williams when he ill-advisedly lofted a flighted delivery after striking seven fours from 161 balls.
Graham was run-out when he and Browne ended up in the crease at the striker’s end after the Barbados captain square-drove a delivery from Williams to point fielder Austin Richards Jr. Graham batted for just over 5½ hours, faced 243 balls and struck just two fours.
After his dismissal, there was not much about which the Barbadians could write home. Off-spin bowler Ryan Austin, one of seven Barbadians on the B-Team, was the pick of the bowlers with three for 73 from 27.5 overs and there were two wickets apiece for Williams and Washington.
Barbados entered the contest with a tournament leading 36 points, winning all three of their previous matches, and West Indies-B on 24 points from two wins in three matches.
BARBADOS 1st innings 217 (F. Reifer 44; R. Austin 3-87)
WEST INDIES-B 1st innings 131 (S. Findlay 41; R. Nurse 4-19)
BARBADOS 2nd innings (o/n 82 for two)
S. Campbell c wkpr P. Browne b Washington 45
M. Nurse lbw b Austin 10
S. Graham run-out (Richards) 66
F. Reifer c George b Washington 1
R. Hinds c Austin b Williams 55
C. Browne c Haynes b Austin 12
A. Mayers not out 6
S. Benn b Williams 1
T. Best c Haynes b Austin 2
Extras: (lb-3, w-8, nb-6) 17
Total: (8 wkts decl’d) 215
Fall of wickets: 1-24, 2-82, 3-88, 4-194, 5-195, 6-209, 7-212, 8-215.
Bowling: Bennett 22-5-55-0 (nb-2, w-6), Washington 15-7-23-2 (w-2), Austin 27.5-4-73-3 (nb-3), Richards 4-0-16-0, George 12-2-25-0 (nb-1), Williams 17-7-20-2.