Breese Gives J'ca Upper Hand over T&T

In form all-rounder Gareth Breese produced another tight three-wicket haul to give Cup champions Jamaica control against Trinidad and Tobago on the opening day of their Busta International Shield semi-final at Sabina Park today.

Trinidad and Tobago, sent to bat, were an unsteady 200 for eight at stumps, with Dinanath Ramnarine not out on nine and Mukesh Persad on two.

Richard Smith led Trinidad and Tobago's batting with a fighting 63, but Breese returned remarkable figures of three for 34 off 26 overs with his off-spin for defending champions Jamaica, who are also aiming to complete the Cup and Shield double.

The Trinidad and Tobago opening pair of Daren Ganga and Imran Jan played steadily for a half-century stand, but the visitors dipped sensationally from 50 without loss 22 minutes before lunch, to 52 for three at the break. Jan (20) was given out leg before wicket when he missed a sweep shot against Breese at 50 for one, and two balls later, Breese had Dwayne Bravo (0) caught at first clip by Robert Samuels.

The 17-year-old Lendl Simmons departed three runs later for one, run out by a direct hit by Chris Gayle.

Simmons played the ball out to mid-wicket, hesitated with Ganga for a sharp single, and umpire Basil Morgan judged that he did not beat Gayle's throw to the non-strikers' end.

Smith and Ganga then held up the Jamaicans for close to an hour after lunch before Ganga, playing across the line, was trapped LBW by seamer Laurie Williams for 42.

Ganga had looked composed and solid before his departure, striking four boundaries in a 122-ball knock.

Zaheer Ali and Smith took the score to 138 for four at tea, posting a fluent 50-runs in 71 minutes, in a positive session for their team.

But Trinidad and Tobago, without a regional four-day title since 1985, suffered another dreadful run-out shortly after tea and then lost three more wickets - including Smith - before the close.

Ali, sent back by his captain, who had played the ball forward of square, failed to beat the throw from Wavell Hinds to Jermaine Lawson at the bowlers' end at 148 for five. Ali scored 36 with five boundaries, and shared in a 61-run fifth-wicket partnership with Smith.

It became 163 for six, when Keno Mason, sweeping at Breese, was caught by Ricard Powell at square leg for five.

Smith departed soon after to Williams, when he was caught at slip by Ricardo Powell, edging an attempted drive, and 14 runs later, Mervyn Dillon (12) gave a return catch to fast bowler Darren Powell. Smith, in his seventh half-century of the season, struck five fours and batted 218 minutes.

Ramnarine and Persad held on to the close, but the Jamaicans, who had crushed the visitors by seven wickets in the sixth round, are in command entering day two.

Breese moved his wickets tally to 38 this season, with support from Williams, two for 43 off 17 overs, and Darren Powell one for 36 off 16. Gayle and Williams, who missed Jamaica's seventh round win against Bangladesh "A", are back in the Jamaica team, in place of Wayne Cuff and David Bernard.

Trinidad and Tobago also made two changes to the team that drew with the Windward Islands in the seventh round, using Dillon and Ali to replace Dave Mohammed, and the out-of-form Lincoln Roberts.

Roberts, who played one Test match for the West Indies against Australia in 1999, scored a mere 134 runs in his last nine innings after early season centuries against the Leeward Islands and West Indies 'B'.

* SOURCE: West Indies Cricket Board.