Gangas lead T&T to final
Saturday, October 30 2004
1st Semifinal
Trinidad and Tobago vs. Barbados
Windward Cricket Ground, Lucus Street, St. Philip, Barbados
Toss: Trinidad and Tobago
Trinidad and Tobago impressively advanced to the tournament final with a 5-wicket win on DL over favourites Barbados. Ricardo Powell (47 not out) and Dinesh Ramdin (29 not out) played spirited innings in an unbroken partnership of 66 until the light intervened with T&T at 256/5 chasing 277 for victory.
Barbados was inserted on a good batting strip and started well with 101 runs for the first wicket. Martin Nurse (48) and Dale Richards (64) batted purposefully against some ordinary bowling. The first to go was Nurse, bowled by Sherwin Ganga to end a 53-ball innings that featured 3 fours and 2 sixes. Sherwin Campbell struggled at the crease and then flashed outside the offstump to be caught behind for 2. It was 129/3 as Richards was taken at midwicket for Jan's second wicket.
Imran Jan and Sherwin Ganga were superb in the middle overs to slow the charge that accounted for 101 runs in first 18 overs. Jan finished with figures of 10-2-28-2 and Ganga 10-2-28-1. The problem arose when the two were bowled out, as the other Trini spinners failed to prosper in such a vein. The other two offspinners, Rodney Sooklal (7-0-47-0) and Ricardo Powell (6-0-46-0) were unceremoniously clobbered whilst Samuel Badree's legspin allowed 41 runs in 7 overs. Trinidad and Tobago's seam options, Richard Kelly (5-0-50-0) and Reyad Emrit (5-1-32-0), were also extremely ineffective.
Courtney (20) Browne swept consecutive sixes off Sooklal to complete a second consecutive 14-run over amidst the Bajan acceleration. Ryan Hinds and Ryan Hurley then came together when Browne found Richard Kelly in the deep attempting another six, and they exploded further. A total of 66 runs were scored off the last 5 overs and Hurley contributed 37 of them from 16 balls faced. His partner Ryan Hinds was equally impressive in scoring 69 not out off 64 balls. The innings closed at 276/5.
Acknowledging the quality Barbadian bowling, the Trinbagonian openers played out a triplet of maidens to start their chase. Having beaten the edge on several occasions in those 3 overs, Collins and Collymore were in for a beating themselves and Sherwin Ganga and Gregory Mahabir got into stride. Runs flowed, then Mahabir (27) picked out the cover fielder with a cut shot.
The new batsman was captain Daren Ganga and he batted with total ease alongside his brother. Sherwin Ganga batted positively and extremely impressively to reach a second consecutive half-century against Barbados. A partnership of 59 was added to the T&T cause, until Collymore enticed Sherwin Ganga (64) to flick a delivery down to deep square leg.
Shazam Babwah received a sharp riser first ball and fended it uncomfortably through the empty slip cordon for a boundary. In the next over he flat batted Bradshaw over longon for a mighty six and later struck him back overhead for a boundary. Babwah's cameo of 17 ended soon enough though, when he tried to force a bouncy delivery from Collymore and succeeded only in being caught at cover.
Some 6 overs later Daren Ganga hit a full toss back to Ryan Hurley, caught-and-bowled for an even 50. The score then read 187/4 and slipped to 190/5 in the next over - Imran Jan bowled by Hurley for 1. Adopted Trini Ricardo Powell and wicketkeeper Dinesh Ramdin were then united for the opening acts of the eventual matchwinning partnership.
Powell was dropped inexplicably by Ryan Hinds off Hurley on 25, then by Richards after skying Collins straight up into the air with 29 runs to his name. He added 12 more runs and then went for the jugular again, once more against Collins. Once again he failed to get ahold of the ball and skied another chance. Nurse and Reifer ran to take the catch, but the efforts only resulted in an ugly collision and the service of a stretcher. Both men were taken carefully off the field seemingly in severe pain.
Not long after play was called off with 22 balls remaining in the game and 21 runs still needed for victory. The equation meant that Trinidad and Tobago were comfortable winners by 11 runs on Duckworth-Lewis method. Experienced ODI bowler, Corey Collymore came back well to end with figures of 10-1-35-2 and Ryan Hurley bowled better than his 7-0-41-3 suggests, but the typically consistent Pedro Collins (9.2-2-46-0) and especially Ian Bradshaw (9-0-59-0) struggled. Strangely Ryan Hinds did not bowl at all, but the specialist spinner Sulieman Benn bowled 10 overs, taking 0 for 61.
Barbados innings 276/5 (50 overs)
Ryan Hinds 69 not out, Dale Richards 64, Martin Nurse 48
Imran Jan 2/28 (10), Sherwin Ganga 1/28 (10)
Trinidad and Tobago innings 256/5 (46.2 overs)
Sherwin Ganga 64, Daren Ganga 50, Ricardo Powell 47 not out
Ryan Hurley 3/41 (7), Corey Collymore 2/35 (10)
Result: Trinidad and Tobago won by 11 runs (D/L method)
Man of the Match: Sherwin Ganga
Posted by Liam