PORT OF SPAIN – Fast bowler Miguel Cummins snatched career-best figures to fire Barbados to first innings points over Trinidad and Tobago as 17 wickets tumbled on the opening day of the final round Regional Four-Day Cricket Contest yesterday.
The tall right-armer claimed seven for 45 to rout Trinidad and Tobago for a paltry 109 after the visitors were sent in on a grassy Queen’s Park Oval pitch.
Seamer Javon Searles supported with two for 31, while all-rounder Imran Khan led the home side’s fight with an unbeaten 30.
At the close, Barbados were 143 for seven – a lead of 34 runs heading into today’s second day.
Captain Kirk Edwards struck 29 and Shane Dowrich stroked 24 but seamer Rayad Emrit (2-40) kept Trinidad and Tobago in the game.
Despite the seamer-friendly track, openers Lendl Simmons (18) and Adrian Barath (16) put on 32 for the first wicket before the drama began.
They were separated when Cummins, a 22-year-old in only his seventh first-class match, got one to nip back and trap Simmons on the back foot, while Barath drove the same bowler to Edwards at extra cover at 48 for two.
Four wickets then astonishingly fell for six runs to leave Trinidad and Tobago tottering on 54 for five, as Cummins ran through the top order.
He had Jason Mohammed caught at second slip by Rashidi Boucher without scoring before claiming Kjorn Ottley to a catch at the wicket by Shai Hope for 11. In between, captain Denesh Ramdin gloved a lifter from West Indies speedster Tino Best to Jonathan Carter at second slip.
However, Khan then anchored two small but key partnerships to see the hosts past the 100-run mark. He put on 20 for the sixth wicket with Yannick Cariah (8) and a further 23 with Emrit (12) for the seventh wicket.
In reply, Barbados slumped to 35 for three before Edwards and Dowrich stabilized the innings in a stand of 42 for the fourth wicket.
Fast bowler Shannon Gabriel broke the stand, when he had Dowrich caught at mid-on and with just four runs added, Hope, who was earlier pressed into the job as wicketkeeper, fell to Simmons’ medium pace for two as Barbados stuttered to 81 for five.
Meanwhile, Edwards said he was not too disappointed with his team’s performance after losing to Trinidad and Tobago in their final preliminary round match of the Regional Super50 tournament last Sunday.
The 41-run defeat also saw the Bajans being edged out of a spot in the semi-final phase of the competition scheduled to take place at Kensington Oval on April 18 and 19.
“As far as our cricket is concerned, I’m not too disappointed in the way the guys played,” said Edwards. “We just have to keep learning and go forward from here.”
Barbados were in a strong position at one stage as Trinidad and Tobago tottered on five runs for three wickets.
However, a fourth-wicket partnership of 170 between Ramdin, who scored 134 and Mohammed, 63, rescued the Trinidadians.
“I thought it was a good game. All credit to Ramdin, he rode his luck, he had a few chances as well,” the Barbados captain said.
“It was good to see that he’s improving all the time. That’s only a positive for West Indies cricket”. (CMC)
