Sports
Newsday Reporter
VIDIA RAMPHAL
Trinidad and Tobago Red Force let a position of complete dominance slip as Guyana Harpy Eagles recovered from 21 for 4 to post in their Super50 Cup meeting at Tarouba on November 23.
Ricky Jaipaul’s early wickets, combined with excellent early support from Terrance Hinds and Joshua James, saw Guyana lapse to 79 for 6 in the 20th over.
However, Gudakesh Motie and Keemo Paul engineered a spirited fightback to rally the Happy Eagles to 196 in 40.3 overs, their inning ending neatly at press time.
Heavy rains forced a later start to the match, with the game reduced to 44 overs a side.
Joshua Da Silva’s team was eager to build on their 75-run win over the Jamaica Scorpions two days earlier.
Guyana were anxious to get their campaign firing after their opening two matches were rained out.
However, Hinds ensured a nervous start by casting Guyana skipper Matthew Nandu for two in the power play.
Jaipaul, who made his List A debut against Barbados, was quick to establish his presence on the game, removing Raymond Perez (11) for his maiden List A wicket.
He followed up by getting rid of the dangerous Kevlon Anderson (2) within the space of four balls.
Joshua James joined the party soon after, bowling promising batsman Mavendra Dindyal for 1 to leave the Harpy Eagles reeling at 21 for 4.
Guyana wicketkeeper Kemol Savory and Ronaldo Alimohamed attempted to mount a counterattack, with the latter defiantly launching Yannic Cariah over the ropes.
However, Cariah, who snatched victory for the Red Force with a hat-trick on Friday, bowled Alimohamed (25) before the over was complete.
Leg-spinner Navin Bidaisee ended Savory’s gritty knock at 20, guiding a delivery through his defences—the fourth Guyana batter to be bowled in the innings.
However, at 79 for 6, TT found stout resistance from Guyana’s batting all-rounders.
Motie—who has a first-class century and three international fifties—came in to join Paul, who had already cleared the ropes in his typically belligerent style.
Both batters—unfamiliar with passive resistance— successfully hit the usually Cariah out of the attack.
The former West Indies leg-spinner was relentlessly targeted, conceding 29 runs off his three overs.
Motie and Paul also had the youthful Abdul-Raheem Toppin, who made his List A debut against Barbados last week, in their sights.
They added a dangerous 65 off 64 balls, forcing De Silva to go back to his main weapon.
And Hinds delivered. The 33-year-old induced an edge off Paul’s bat on its way to Da Silva, sending Paul back for 39 off 40 balls.
Motie, who was dropped for the New Zealand tour due to poor form, showed his batting skills have not diminished, as he found and cleared the boundary regularly.
Da Silva also brought back Jaipaul, whose quickish spin proved to be the undoing of his former Marchin Patriots teammate Richie Looknauth (1).
However, it would be Toppin and his persevering bowling that ensured Guyana would not breach 200.
The former TT U19 captain, 20, ended Motie’s 58-ball stay at the crease at 65 to end with figures of 1 for 29.
Motie smashed six fours and three sixes in his stay with his audacious innings—returning hope to the Harpy Eagles camp.
Hinds ended the innings at 196, dismissing the number 10 batsman Junior Sinclair for 17.
He led the TT bowlers with 3 for 18, while Jaipaul took 3 for 29, the best figures of his nascent career.
With 197 to chase, Trinidad and Tobago hoped to notch their fifth successive Super50 win over Guyana.
The Harpy Eagles, mindful of eight defeats in their last 10 meeting with the Red Force, were eager to rewrite the script at Tarouba.
