Ganga Slams 95 But B'dos in Control

Trinidad and Tobago captain Daren Ganga narrowly missed a century, but Barbados hit back in the last session to claim six wickets on a fluctuating opening day's play of their Carib Beer International Shield semifinal match at Kensington Oval yesterday.

At the close Trinidad and Tobago, sent in to bat, were 250 for nine wickets. Ganga (95), one of nine batsmen to score over 500 runs in the forerunning Carib Beer Cup, which was easily won by Barbados, exhibited a cool head, sound technique and several well-executed strokes especially when driving on a fairly easy-paced Kensington Oval pitch.

He would have been, however, disappointed that after being 153 for three, his side slumped by the close following the dismissal of star batsman Brian Lara for 37.

At the crease are Dave Mohammed on 27 and Rodney Sooklal on four.

Seamer Corey Collymore has four for 61 - all of his wickets taken in the final session - and left-arm pacer Pedro Collins, who, like Collymore played in the recent World Cup in South Africa, picked up three for 40.

Hardly anyone would have wanted to grudge the 24-year-old Ganga a ninth first-class century and third against Barbados, but he edged an outswinger from Collymore for wicketkeeper Courtney Browne to gobble up his third catch of the innings. Ganga now has 682 runs for the season.

Ganga, who went in at No. 3 and was seventh out, batted for 350 minutes, faced 236 balls and hit 13 fours and a six. He featured in a fourth-wicket partnership of 61 - the best of the innings - with Lara who is playing in his first regional first-class match at Kensington in 12 years.

Trinidad and Tobago lost their first wicket in the day's third over when left-hander Andy Jackson, drove a short ball - the second - from Collins for a simple catch to wide mid-off before he had scored.

Ganga and Imran Jan (24) were both solid from early. Jan, who went into the match with 539 runs at an average of 38.50 this season, was strong on the pull against Vasbert Drakes and Ganga executed the drive with flair and command, taking two boundaries off the fifth and last balls of Collins' fifth over and forcing his immediate removal from the attack.

Jan moved to 20 by driving a half-volley from Drakes sweetly to the cover boundary. Yet, he showed an anxiety to take sharp singles and it was on one such occasion that he lost his wicket.

As Ganga pushed Tino Best to short midwicket, Jan darted down the pitch for a non-existent single. Ryan Hinds pounced on the ball, picked it up with his right hand, quickly transferred it to his natural left arm and struck one stump with Jan well stranded.

Trinidad & Tobago scored 42 for one off 14 overs in the first hour and by lunch had moved to 60 for two off 26 overs with Ganga on 27 and Bravo, eight, as Barbados used five bowlers.

After a drizzle delayed the resumption of play in the post-lunch session, Ganga and Dwayne Bravo were generally watchful against Drakes and left-arm spinner Hinds for more than half-an-hour, before Bravo straight drove Drakes for three and Ganga followed next ball with a sweetly timed drive to the extra-cover boundary.

In the following over, Bravo swept Hinds to the backward square boundary to move to 19.

Ganga soon attacked Hinds as well, swinging for a boundary to midwicket and sweeping to long-leg for another four as he took his score to 46 in a total of 92 for two.

Collins then made the breakthrough in the second over of his third spell after replacing Drakes at the Malcolm Marshall (southern) end. He slanted the first ball across Bravo, forced him to play, found the edge and Browne gobbled up a low catch to his right.

Lara was given a warm applause by the crowd in the Kensington Stand as he made his way to the crease. That this was only his third regional first-class match at Kensington and first since 1991 when he made 67 and 24 seemed unbelievable, but international tours have played a major part in his absence here more often at this level. His first ball struck the pads and went towards fine-leg for two leg-byes as the Barbadian fielders bellowed an appeal to umpire Eddie Nicholls.

Lara's second scoring stroke almost cost him his wicket as he fanned at a short ball from the re-introduced Tino Best as it went in the air just out of the reach of gully in Hinds.

After a slow period in which he spent 20 balls on 46, Ganga reached his half-century by pulling the first ball of a new spell from Collymore to the square-leg boundary. It took 205 minutes off 144 balls and contained eight boundaries.

The next ball was again pitched short and again pulled to the boundary, this time to midwicket.

Lara struggled with his timing for the first half-an-hour but as he started to find his touch, he went on the back foot to punch the last ball of off-spinner Ryan Hurley's first over to the extra-cover boundary to move to 17.

At tea the score was 124 for three with Ganga on 57 and Lara 17. Lara and Ganga soon both played a few attacking strokes for boundaries.

In an eventful over during which he lost his wicket, Lara pulled Collymore to the forward square boundary, was then bowled off stump by a no-ball, lifted the next to midwicket for four and immediately edged a big drive for Browne to gleefully take the catch.

Ganga was not daunted by Lara's demise and took a couple boundaries from drives off Best and Drakes.

There was a close shave for Ganga on 73 as he missed a drive off Drakes and the ball thudded into the pads.

Shazam Babwah showed some confidence by swatting Best over square-leg for four to move into double figures on 13.

But at the same score, he was lured into driving a full-length ball from Collins and found the second gully in Hinds, who was somewhat square and took the catch over his right shoulder.

Lendl Simmons gave two chances before Hurley bowled him for 19.

Collymore accounted for Mervyn Dillon, comprehensively bowled for four and Marlon Black (one), who provided Browne with his fourth catch.

* From Guyana Chronicle.