Digicel Regional 4-day cricket…Hope & Rajah orchestrates Red Force fight back

Dec 19, 2016 Sports

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But Jaguars in the ascendency despite threat of rain today

By Sean Devers
When the truncated penultimate day of the Digicel Regional four-day contest at Providence ended yesterday the Guyana Jaguars were in the ascendency but Kyle Hope and 23-year-old Rookie Isaiah Rajah orchestrated a fight back for the T&T Red Force with a 60-run second wicket partnership to keep hope alive of them saving the game today.

Set 216 to avoid an innings defeat after the Jaguars fell for 378 from an overnight 357-6, the Red Force reached 96-2 despite losing Rajah in the day’s final over; caught behind off Veerasammy Permaul for 63 from 141 minutes, 116 balls with eight fours and a six.
Hope, rated as the team’s best batsman, was contented to play the supporting role as he dropped anchor in a subdued 20 from 156 minutes and 123 balls and allowed Rajah to do the bulk of the scoring.  With him at the close was night watchman Khary Pierre yet to score with their team still 120 adrift of the Jaguars’ total.
Joseph, who along with Raymon Reifer is the leading fast bowler (15 wkts each) in the tournament, has 1-21, while Permaul took the other Red Force wicket yesterday.
Shiv Chanderpaul added just two to his overnight 141, while Anthony Bramble progressed from 18 to 33 with two fours and two sixes. Imran Khan (4-77) and Pierre (3-49) were the main wicket takes for the Red Force who will need to bat for most of the day and possibly get help from the rain.
Overnight and morning rain delayed the start by 75 minutes and play resumed with the Jaguars on 357-6 replying to the Red Force’s 162, enjoying a lead of 195.
However, Chanderpaul was taken at slip off Khan at 369-7 while Permaul (1) soon fell to Pierre five runs later. Bramble came out with a positive mindset and by the time rain stopped play after 22 minutes, he had already hit a six in 31.
Play was halted at 10:37hrs with 24 required from 22 balls for the Jaguars to get 400 in 110 overs and an additional point and an early lunch was taken. When play resumed at 12:42hrs the Jaguars lost their last two wickets at 378 after batting 108.2 overs.
Red Force quickly lost Khan (3) lbw to Joseph who got lateral movement and Red Force were 3-1 under overcast skies with the floodlights already on.
Rajah joined Hope and the pair was troubled by Joseph who has looked a far better bowler since his return from Sri Lanka with the West Indies ‘A’ team.
When Motie replaced Reifer, the left-handed Rajah accepted an early Christmas gift and blasted a nice juicy full toss for four before hitting the left-arm spinner for six.
Rajah drove pleasantly on an outfield which had taken a pounding from the rain as the 50 was posted in 15th over and the half century second wicket stand in the next.
Rajah capitalized on the ordinary off-spin of Leon Johnson, who bowled two overs, spanking him for a nonchalant boundary before square driving Motie for another to post the second fifty in his three-match First-Class career to follow-up the 69 he made against the Hurricanes on home soil.  His 50 came from 84 balls, 115 minutes and was decorated with eight fours and a six.
Rajah danced into Motie and smashed him down the ground and the partnership was beginning to be a worry for the home team, whose only win in four matches this season was against Jamaica in the first round. The wicket of the talented Rajah must have been a huge relief for hosts. Play is scheduled to commence at 09:00hrs today.

SCOREBOARD

RED FORCE 1st Innings 162
JAGUARS 1st Innings
(overnight 357 for six)
R Chandrika c wkp Katwaroo b Richards   12
S Hetmyer c Cariah b Jagessar                     31
*L Johnson c Primus b Mohammed            69
Vishaul Singh lbw b Khan                            26
S Chanderpaul c Ottley b Imran Khan      143
C Barnwell lbw b Pierre                                   3
R Reifer lbw b Imran Khan                            38
+A Bramble c Cariah b Imran Khan             33
V Permaul c Mohammed b Pierre                   2
G Motie st Katwaroo b Pierre                         2
K Joseph not out                                             0
Extras (b8, lb3, w1, nb7)                                19
TOTAL (all out, 108.2 overs)         378

Fall of wickets: 1-13, 2-45, 3-94, 4-235, 5-243,
6-332, 7-369, 8-374, 9-378, 10-378.

Bowling: Richards 13-2-53-1, Primus 9-0-43-0,
Jagessar 28-7-99-1, Imran Khan 24-1-78-4,
Mohammed 15-2-44-1, Pierre 19.2-2-50-3.

RED FORCE 2nd innings
K Hope not out                                               20
Imran Khan lbw b Joseph                               3
I Rajah c wkp Bramble b Permaul                 63
K Pierre not out                                                0
Extras (b4, lb1, w1, nb4)                               10
TOTAL (2 wkts, 41 overs)               96

Fall of wickets: 1-3, 2-96.

Bowling: Joseph 7-3-22-1, Reifer 3-0-8-0,
Motie 15-5-40-0, Permaul 9-6-6-1, Johnson 2-0-10-0.

Position: Red Force trail by 120 runs.
Toss: Red Force.
Umpires: N Duguid, C Taylor.

 

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