Veerasammy Permaul’s excellent form from the WICB Professional Cricket League carried over into the Nagico Super50 as his spell of 4 for 12 decimated Windward Islands in a 142-run win for Guyana at Queen’s Park Oval in Trinidad. Windwards had started confidently in reply to Guyana’s 227 for 6 but slid from 34 for 0 to 49 for 5 in the space of seven overs thanks in large part to Permaul’s left-arm spin.
The slide initially began when Devon Smith was stumped off the bowling of Steven Jacobs, who darted in a quicker delivery to counter Smith’s premeditated charge to have the opener out for 13 two balls into the eighth over. Permaul was brought on to start the ninth over and burrowed into the breach immediately, exploiting the poor footwork of Johnson Charles to have him pinned on the crease for 21. Four balls later, Keddy Lesporis was beaten by a brilliant delivery which turned past his forward prod to clip the top of off stump as part of a double-wicket maiden for Permaul.
An indecisive swish from Miles Bascombe produced another leg before decision in favour of Permaul to end the 11th and his carnage culminated in the wicket of Craig Emmanuel in the 15th, who fell after a loose flick to midwicket, to give Permaul four wickets in his first four overs. Sunil Ambris fought a lonely battle after entering at number five and finished unbeaten on 26 but Christopher Barnwell and Devendra Bishoo cleaned up the tail with two wickets each as Windwards were eventually bowled out for 85 in 33.4 overs.
Guyana had grafted their way to a defendable total after losing the toss and being asked to bat first. They were in trouble early on after Mervin Matthew and Delorn Johnson dismissed Trevon Griffith and Shiv Chanderpaul respectively inside the first five overs to make it 15 for 2. Rajindra Chandrika dug Guyana out of the early hole to bring up a half-century off 64 deliveries but was run out two balls later to end a 50-run stand. Miscommunication with his partner Vishaul Singh left Chandrika stranded halfway down the wicket, giving plenty of time for Smith fielding at midwicket to throw the ball to Alston Bobb standing over the stumps at the non-striker’s end to make it 75 for 3.
Singh made amends by constructing a 75-run fourth-wicket partnership with Barnwell but threw away a solid start to be dismissed on 49. Singh started the 39th over attempting two straight reverse sweeps off Shane Shillingford, neither of which connected cleanly, before another try on the third ball resulted in a top edge to cover. Barnwell slogged Shillingford to deep midwicket to start the 41st for 34 and Jacobs was run out three balls in to the 43rd to make it 156 for 6 after Johnson got fingertips to the ball in his followthrough off a straight drive from Raymon Reifer to redirect the ball onto the stumps.
Reifer and Anthony Bramble took back the initiative for Guyana with a superb 71-run stand in the last 7.3 overs to finish the innings. Bramble slogged three sixes over cow corner as part of his 43 not out in just 23 balls to give Guyana more than enough to defend.
The match at Couva between Combined Campuses & Colleges and Barbados was abandoned without a ball bowled after heavy rain from the previous several days rendered the field unplayable.