Windwards looking to rebound

The Windwards go into today’s second round match in the Carib Beer Cricket Series against the Leewards in Grenada looking to rebound after they were flattened by Barbados within three days here at the Arnos Vale Playing Field.{{more}}

The hosts were crushed to a 9-wicket defeat late Sunday afternoon, to give the visitors a day off.

Set 138 to win, just after lunch on Sunday, the Barbadians set up getting the victory with some power hitting by Dale Richards, who struck 80. The right handed Richards and the left handed Jason Haynes, 36 not out, carried the score to 111, before Richards was caught out. Dwayne Smith then played a cameo, 26 not out, which included two consecutive sixes off spinner Liam Sebastian that landed between the President’s Suite and the Frank Thomas Pavilion.

The Windwards were always up against it, when on the opening day, they trundled to 190 all out. Sebastian topscored with 68, and Hyron Shallow was forced to retire ill, having made a promising 30.

Left arm spinner Sullieman Benn was the pick of the Barbadian bowlers with 3 for 30, off 22.4 overs, 11 of which were maidens. Smith, Corey Collymore, Ryan Hinds and Kemar Roache, all had a wicket apiece.

A late burst by the speedy Nellon Pascal, even the contest, as Barbados went to be at 68 for 3. He got all three wickets to have fallen that afternoon, as his pace befuddled the top order batsmen.

On day two, Saturday, the Barbadians lost wickets steadily, and were 142 for 7, needing another 49 runs for first innings.

Hinds, the mainstay of the innings was dropped badly when he was 51 by wicketkeeper Lyndon James, with the score at 157. This proved a crucial miss as he and Tino Best made a further 53 runs, to see their team pass 190. The two put together 68 runs for the eighth wicket.

And coach of the Windwards team Ian Allen is looking forward to this sort of fight from his batsmen.

“We need someone to play an innings like (Ryan) Hinds, stay there and fight, and go on to make a good score”, Allen told SEARCHLIGHT last Monday evening by telephone from his hotel room.

“We need to bat at least a day and a half and score over 300 runs to give our bowlers something to bowl at”, he added.

Hinds went on to make 95 not out, as Barbados reached 246, a healthy lead of 56. Pascal finished with 4 for 70, and Shane Shillingford 4 for 60.

The Windwards did not fare much better in their second turn at the crease, as they were dismissed for 193. James made 56 not out and number ten batsman Mervyn Matthew scored 24. The two shared in a 62 run ninth wicket partnership that added some respectability the Windwards woeful batting.

Smith, with his gentle medium pacers, bagged 3 for 41, Benn 2 for 47 and Best 2 for 31. Hinds had 1 for 18, and was later named Man of the Match.

But an optimistic Allen wants his bowlers to bowl “a fuller length’, when they face the Leewards in St. George’s.

“If we do that, we stand a good chance to come out with some points, but our batsmen must also put together some useful scores”, Allen said.

The former Windwards and West Indies fast bowler said that he believed that the Windwards went into the match a bowler short, but he did not reveal what changes may be made to the team.

It is likely that the touring selection team, which includes Allen, Manager Lockhart Sebastian and Captain Deighton Butler, may include left arm spinner Denis George in the final eleven.

Like the Windwards, the Leewards also lost their first round match, going under to Jamaica by five wickets, inside three days as well.

Spinners Odean Brown and Nikita Miller destroyed the Leewards’ batting. (RT)