Regional four-day cricket...Bishoo grabs career best 7-67, but T&T hold slim advantage

Regional four-day cricket…Bishoo grabs career best 7-67, but T&T hold slim advantage

Apr 12, 2014 Sports

By Sean Devers
Test Leg-spinner Devendra Bishoo made an auspicious return to the Guyana team after being dropped with a career best 7-67 but Trinidad & Tobago ended the opening day of their final preliminary round of the Regional four-day cricket tournament at Providence yesterday with a slim advantage.

Bishoo about to capture another wicket during his 7-67 yesterday.

The 28-year-old Bishoo, who bowled 34 overs, bettered his previous best of 6-48 to capture his 11th five wicket haul but half-centuries from Evin Lewis (64) and Daren Bravo (61) spearheaded leaders T&T to a respectable 276-8 from 93 overs when stumps were drawn.
Lendl Simmons, playing in his first match of the competition did not last long; hitting a catch to Vishal Singh off Keon Joseph at 35-1 in the 10th over after making 12, but that was Guyana’s only success in the first session as the visitors, who need to beat Guyana to lift their first Regional title since 2006, reached 116-1 by lunch in overcast conditions.
The 22-year-old Lewis reached his fifty from 58 balls decorated with six fours and two sixes and by lunch was unbeaten on 56, while Bravo was on 42 at the interval as the Guyanese bowlers found life hard work on the placid track.
Lewis in particular was quick to pull anything short from pacers Joseph, Ronsford Beaton and Christopher Barnwell with Bravo, who took 17 balls to get off the mark, getting better the longer his innings progressed.
Bishoo, struck seven overs after Lunch when he trapped the Left-handed Lewis LBW for 64 from 88 balls, 143 minutes with eight fours and two sixes to break the 83-run partnership and leave T&T, who already have assured of a place in the Final, on 128-2.
Bravo soon reached his 21th half-century at this level before falling to Bishoo after hitting nine fours and a six from 112 balls and 144 minutes and the visitors, hunting their sixth Regional title, 147-3.
Bishoo, who has 40 wickets from 11 Tests, then removed Jason Mohamed (17) and Jonathon Augustus (15) to leave the team from Carnival Country on 187-5 by Tea.
Playing in his 50th match at this level, the Alboin leg-spinner took three more wickets in the final session although T&T ended the day with two batting bonus points.
Bishoo, who had 5-71 against Barbados when Guyana lost by 136 runs at the same venue before being omitted for the last match against the Leeward Islands, induced Skipper Rayad Emrit who made 26 and is one of four Trinidadians with centuries this season, to sky a catch to cover as he wasted a good start.
The leg-spinner, who took his wicket tally in the competition to 20, then sent back Stephen Katwaroo (3) and Guyanese born pacer Marlon Richards, who hit a cameo 20 and added 46 with Imran Khan for the eighth wicket.
Khan remained to the close unbeaten on 37 for Trinidad and Tobago who have won all four of their games at home but suffered their only loss when Barbados beat them in Barbados.
Guyana, who have four losses and a draw and have no chance of progressing in the seven-team tournament, will be hoping to deny the visitors a 300 total by wrapping up the tail early on the second day, today.
Meanwhile, the Combined Campuses & Colleges ended Day one of their Round seven, Regional Four-Day match against Jamaica trailing by 123 runs.
Jamaica recovered from 44-5 to be 182 All Out with Carlton Baugh Jr hitting 57, Jerome Taylor 39, Tamar Lambert* 18, Marlon Samuels 12; Raymon Reifer 11-3-24-3, Jomel Warrican 24-8-42-2, Akeem Dewar 10.2-0-24-2, Ryan Austin 22-5-70-2.
CCC in reply were 59 without loss from 16 Overs with Shacaya Thomas 33*, Kyle Corbin 21*; Nikita Miller 5-3-4-0, Damion Jacobs 1-0-2-0, Jerome Taylor 4-0-19-0, Sheldon Cottrell 6-0-32-0.
In the other match played yesterday at the Vivian Richards Cricket Ground, Leewards Islands were toppled for 98 and by the close Barbados were 167-1 enjoying a lead of 65 runs. Kraigg Braithwaite was unbeaten on 73 while Omar Phillips fell to Anthony Martin for 79.

Scoreboard
T&T 1st innings
E Lewis lbw Bishoo 64
L Simmons c Singh b Joseph 12
D Bravo lbw Bishoo 61
J Mohammed c Griffith b Bishoo 17
J Augustus c Johnson b Bishoo 15
R Emrit c Barnwell b Bishoo 26
S Katwaroo wkpr Bramble b Bishoo 3
I Khan not out 37
M Richards lbw b Bishoo 20
A Jaggernauth not out 4
Extras: (2nb, 3w, 4lb, 6b) 15
Total: (for eight wickets; 93 overs) 274
Fall of wickets: 1-35, 2-128, 3-147, 4-164, 5-187, 6-207, 7-220, 8-266
Bowling: Beaton 16-3-48-0 Joseph 15-5-44-1 (1nb)
Barnwell 12-2-47-0 Shadir 12-0-50-0 Bishoo 34-14-67-7 Griffith 4-1-4-0