T&T beat Windwards by five runs to lift KFC Cup
By Vemen Walter in St Vincent
Guyana Chronicle
February 18, 2007
In association with P& P Insurance Brokers, Poonai’s Pharmacy, J. Asrafalli (Papie) Supermarket,
Kris Jagdeo Contracting & J’s Supermarket
TRINIDAD and Tobago claimed their eight Regional One-day title with a nail-biting 5-run victory over the Windward Islands in the final of the 2007 KFC Cup Tournament played yesterday, at the Arnos Vale Ground in St Vincent and the Grenadines.
Needing to get eight runs to win from the final over bowled by fast bowler Ravi Rampaul with the last pair of Mervin Mathews and Ezekiel Francis at the crease, the Windward Islands just managed to score 2, when the bowler ran-out Francis, seeking a suicidal single off the fourth delivery, with a direct hit on his follow-through, throwing down the stumps at the strikers’ end, that sparked jubilation among the Trinidad players.
Opener Devon Smith stroked a magnificent 81, decorated with seven gorgeous fours from 121 deliveries that put the Windward Islands in a position to overhaul Trinidad and Tobago’s challenging total of 210 for eight at the conclusion of their 50 overs, but as is customary a batting collapse once more haunted the Windwards.
The Windward Islands tumbled from a position of 159 for four, losing the remaining four wickets for 46 runs as they crashed to 205 all out in 49.4 overs.
Apart from the left-handed Smith, skipper Rawl Lewis (39) and Lyndon James (23) were the only other batsmen who offered any significant resistance.
Smith and James gave the Windward Islands a splendid start of 82 in 22 overs but the introduction of spinners Sherwin Ganga and Dave Mohammed in tandem immediately made an impact of the home team’s progress.
While Sherwin Ganga’s off-spin stemmed the run-flow from the northern end, Mohammed not only assisted from the other end but also snared two important wickets in quick succession, within the addition of 13 runs that brought Trinidad and Tobago right back into the reckoning.
Bowling his left-arm-unorthodox spin, Mohammed engineered the slide by trapping James (23) sweeping in front of his stumps then induced new batsman Andre Fletcher (3) to edge a catch, cutting against the spin, to Kieron Pollard at slip and when Hyron Shallow (1) was run-out, being unable to beat Lindl Simmons’ throw to wicketkeeper Denesh Ramdin from a tuck of the leg by Smith to short fine-leg, the Windwards in the 27th over had slipped to 95 for three.
Inspired by the efforts of Sherwin Ganga (10-3-17-0), and, in particular Mohammed, Trinidad and Tobago continued to pile the pressure on their opponents despite Smith and Darren Sammy trying desperately to free the shackles.
Fast bowler Mervyn Dillon, roughed up by the flamboyant Smith in his opening spell, had his man when Smith cut at a short ball that took the leading edge for Mohamed to clutch a catch at backward point.
The experienced Lewis entered the fray with the Windwards 129 for four, still 82 runs away from their target but once Sammy (18) was caught behind off medium pacer Pollard, it was always going to be an uphill task for the Windwards.
Mohammed finished with three for 36 and Pollard three for 44, bowling for Trinidad and Tobago.
Earlier, Trinidad and Tobago, inserted to take first strike on a good batting track, far better that those used for the two semi-finals, were off to a disastrous start, being reduced to 45 for three in the 16th over.
However, man-of-the-match Sherwin Ganga with a responsible 64, equalling his previous best at this level that included two fours and an equal amount of sixes off 82 deliveries and a solid unbeaten 41 from Richard Kelly, ensured the Trinidadians got to a substantial total.
Fast bowler Matthews (7-0-22-3) made the breakthrough in the fourth over of the morning, inducing a nick from Adrian Barath (0) on its way to wicketkeeper James when the score was six and then four overs later, again found the edge, this time of skipper Daren Ganga (7) for Smith to pouch a catch at first slip, leaving the men from the Twin Island Republic on 21 for two, before Sammy (1-41) rocked back the stumps of Simmons for (16) with the third delivery of his first over.
The much-touted Pollard, the leading run-scorer in the tournament with 238 runs coming into this match, was next to go, caught-and-bowled by Lewis for (22), in the leg-spinner’s first over after adding 38 for the fourth wicket with left-hander Sherwin Ganga and at that stage, Trinidad and Tobago in the 22nd over had stuttered to 82 for four.
Sherwin Ganga, who spanked Matthews high over midwicket and Lewis over long-off for his two sixes, in alliance with Ramdin steadied the situation somewhat, pushing the score along to 118 in the 34th over, when Ramdin (13) pushed a ball to point and scampered down for a impossible single, but being sent back by his partner, the West Indies wicketkeeper failed to beat Smith’s throw to the keeper, terminating a 35-run fifth-wicket partnership.
Rayad Emrit (1) did not last too long. Attempting to hoist Lewis over the top, he just succeeded in providing a catch to Fletcher at long-off before Sherwin Ganga, with Trinidad and Tobago on 165 in the 42nd over, was run-out, looking to stretch a single into a double as Smith’s return from midwicket to James had the better of him.
Sherwin Ganga posted 43 with Kelly for the seventh wicket and departed with his team on 165 for seven in the 42nd over.
Kelly, not afraid to take the attack to the Windwards bowlers, played several superb shots on either side of the wicket, including two sweetly timed fours through midwicket in one over from Lewis (2-45).
He overall struck three fours and along with Mohammed (21), last man dismissed with the total on 203, comprehensively bowled first ball of the last over by Matthews, also put together an important 38 in eight overs for the eighth wicket.
TRINIDAD AND TOBAGO innings
L. Simmons b Sammy 16
A. Barath c wkp. James b Mathews 0
D. Ganga c Smith b Mathews 7
S. Ganga run-out 64
K. Pollard c & b Lewis 22
D. Ramdin run-out 13
R. Emrit c Fletcher b Lewis 1
R. Kelly not out 41
D. Mohammed b Mathews 21
R. Rampaul not out 3
Extras: (lb-6, nb-5-w-11) 22
Total: (for 8 wkts, 50 overs) 210
Fall of wickets: 1-6, 2-21, 3-45, 4-82, 5-118, 6-122, 7-165, 8-203.
Bowling: Butler 10-3-30-0, Mathews 8-0-22-3, Sammy 7-0-41-1, Sebastian 10-0-39-0, Lewis 10-1-45-2, Mathurin 5-0-26-0
WINDWARD ISLANDS innings
D. Smith c Mohammed b Dillon 81
L. James lbw b Mohammed 23
A. Fletcher c Pollard b Mohammed 3
H. Shallow run-out 1
D. Sammy c wkp. Ramdin b Pollard 18
R. Lewis b Rampaul 39
L. Sebastian c Rampaul b Pollard 1
D. Butler c wkp. Ramdin b Pollard 0
E. Francis run-out 10
G. Mathurin b Mohammed 6
M. Matthews not out 2
Extras: (b-1, lb-8, nb-7, w-5) 21
Total: (all out, 49.4 overs) 205
Fall of wickets: 1-82, 2-92, 3-95, 4-129, 5-151, 6-159, 7-160, 8-188, 9-202.
Bowling: Kelly 4-0-15-0, Dillon 6-0-34-1, Rampaul 9.4-1-42-1, Emrit 1-0-8-0, S. Ganga 10-3-17-0, Mohammed 10-0-36-3, Pollard 9-0-44-3.