T&T Squeaks First Innings Points from J'ca

THERE are few arenas in cricket to rival Sabina Park when it's bubbling. Boos and whistles gush down in torrents from the sprawling George Headley Stand.

Like the Christians in the coliseums of ancient Rome, visiting teams do not get much sympathy. But yesterday afternoon as the sun began to go down, Lapeyrouse Cemetery at midnight could not have been more silent.

An entire millennium seemed to pass by as Mervyn Dillon waited on Ryan Cunningham?s skier at mid-on. Up and up it went and then down, safely into the big man?s hands. That ended one of the most riveting battles of the 2002 regional cricket season.

Jamaica, the defending champions of the Busta International Shield, had been dismissed for 209 on a daisy of a pitch when chasing just 216.

The crowd in the Headley Stand did not quite welcome the turn of events. There was a stifled chorus of boos as the T&T players headed for their dressing room under the stand.

It had been a day of swirling emotions, hiccups and heroics. One in which the players on both sides showed again how gloriously uncertain this game can be.

At the end of it, the stage was primed for more drama with the visitors on 42 for one in their second innings, an overall lead of 49.

The crowd was in their element when Jermaine Lawson shattered Daren Ganga?s stumps with just 12 runs on the board. And they were ready to holler again when first change Gareth Breese, as in the first innings, got Dwayne Bravo, on just six, to edge to slip. But this time skipper Robert Samuels took the ball on the bounce.

The late action brought a tense end to a tumultuous day.

Even though, grudgingly, the Headley posse will not forget the slide effected by Dillon, Marlon Black and Dinanath Ramnarine that saw Jamaica sink to 86 for six after lunch, more fondly they will remember the Ricardo Powell skier that was not caught?by substitute fielder Denzil James.

And how Powell made the most of that chance and almost took his side to the target with his blazing 71 (151 minutes, 100 balls, seven fours, two sixes).

But there was so much more to the day. The telling effort of West Indies paceman Dillon (14-3-48-2), bowling in three short spells with his sore shoulder, lifted his side.

The fine work of the young tyke Lendl Simmons, with the wickets of Leon Garrick and Laurie Williams, did as much as anything to undermine first the Jamaicans? challenge and then their recovery.

And his catch at mid-off, running back and diving full stretch to dismiss No.10 Jermaine Lawson to make it 209 for nine, was the stuff of school boys? fiction.

Almost in the same vein was the hitting of Powell, whose "lash them harder" approach to batting nearly rendered T&T skipper Richard Smith a nervous wreck, in the period when Powell, in partnership with Williams, added a priceless 81 for the seventh wicket.

James? unfortunate miss seemed to be playing on his captain?s mind long after the moment had passed. And as Powell continued to find the boundaries with uninhibited driving off the back or front foot, pulls and swings, the controlled length bowling that had prompted error became more ragged, previously purposeful fielding became loose, and team tactics were reduced to ultra-defensive, panicky attempts to stop the hitter.

It eventually took a Mukesh Persad off-spinner that popped to get rid of Powell. Wicketkeeper Keno Mason, running from behind the stumps, held the catch.

Another crucial twist had changed the plot again. Just like what happened shortly after lunch.

In the second over after the break, Wavell Hinds belted Ramnarine over the ropes at midwicket, just shy of the Kingston Cricket Club pavilion. But in the third, Dillon forced him to play at a delivery around off-stump and Smith at second slip held the catch.

That was the start of a sequence that saw, in total, three wickets fall for no runs in 12 balls.

Hinds? departure was followed in the next over by that of Keith Hibbert, beaten in flight and smartly stumped by Mason, with whom he had just had an exchange of words. Umpire Basil Morgan was prompted to have a chat with Mason.

The temperatures rose higher still in the following over when Dillon had Samuels playing slightly across a delivery which was calmly pouched by third slip Simmons.

The scoreboard to the west read 52 for five. Only the shrieks of the 11 fielders in a happy huddle could be heard.

The events of the morning, when T&T were dismissed for 216, seemed days ago, as did the pre-lunch dismissals of openers Chris Gayle, lbw to Black, and Garrick, caught at mid-on off Simmons.

Sabina could hardly believe its eyes. The folks were blinking even more when Black, replacing Dillon at the northern end, induced Breese to play in the corridor outside off-stump and Dillon, standing at first slip, held a very good catch low to his left?86 for six.

The big man turned to the George Headley Stand and pointed. They got the message but were not happy with it.

And today, when Act Three of this drama is played out, "Coliseum" Sabina will hope the Trinis don?t spoil their fun once more.

SOURCE: Trinidad Express.