Medium-pacer Uthman Muhammad came to the rescue of Powergen Sports Club with an unbeaten 46 runs that led them to a three-wicket victory over Preysal Sports Club in the featured match on day two of the T&T Cricket Board (TTCB) T20 Festival at the National Cricket Centre (NCC) in Balmain, Couva yesterday.
Struggling at 79/6 after 13.4 overs with all their top batsmen like Steven Katwaroo, Ewart Nicholson, and West Indies batsman Jason Mohammed, who lost his wicket for 29 runs off 27 balls before he was caught by Navin Bidaisee off Sanjiv Gooljar’s bowling in the 15th over. It appeared that it was all over for Powergen who was chasing 143 runs to win after Preysal, the former two-time tournament winners posted 142/7 from their allotted 20 overs batting first after their captain former West Indies wicketkeeper/batsman Denish Ramdin won the toss.
Vishan Jagessar top-scored with 28, Navin Badaisee and Ramdin each scored 25 runs. They also took 23 balls each to do so and they also scored three fours each.
Bowling for Powergen, Jaleni Seales like Muhammad took 3-33 from his allotted four overs.
However, in Powergen’s reply, Muhammed, who had taken 3-29 off his allotted four overs with his right-arm medium pace used the opportunity to put his batting skills on display.
The 33-year-old who represented T&T in the 2015-16 Regional Four-Day competition found a good partner in spin bowler Ansil Bhagan and together they rebuild Powergen innings with a partnership of 63 runs in five overs and guided their team to victory. The 16th over bowled by Sankar produced 21 runs.
Powergen then needed 19 runs from the last 12 balls. The 19th over bowled by Jagessar proved to be decisive for Muhammad, who decided to launch his run-spree. The first five balls were struck for - 6, 2, 6, 2, and 2, however, on the sixth ball Bhagan backed up too far up the wicket not expecting Muhammad to play a defensive stroke which the bowler himself fielded and seeing Bhagan way out of his crease he threw the stumps down with Bhagan well short in his attempt to get back in. He scored 17 runs off 15 balls with one four and one six.
However, the damage was done when Shaaron Lewis joined Muhammad for the start of the final over in which he played the second ball of the over wide on the off-side of the wicket and scampered home for the winning run.
Muhammad scored an unbeaten 46 off 18 balls with one four and five massive sixes and Bhagan added 17 off 15 balls with one six and one four during his 24 minutes stay at the wicket.
Bowling for Preysal, Rakesh Maharaj took 3-24 off his four overs, while Strassark Sankar, Sanjiv Gooljar and Jagessar took a wicket each.
Rajah half-century sparks QPCC I to victory
Opening batsman Isaiah Rajah scored a 32-ball half-century (64) which guided Queen’s Park Cricket Club (QPCC) first team to a nine-wicket win over the club’s second team in the first match of the double-header at NCC.
Akeal Hosein, the first team captain won the toss and asked QPCC II to bat first and they scored 134/8 off their 20 overs with Joshua Ramdoo leading the way with 35 off 36 balls in which he struck three fours and a six, Jesse Bootan scored 29 off 26 balls with five fours and Dexter Sween was unbeaten on 22 from 19 balls with a six and a four.
Bowling for QPCC I, Yannic Cariah took 3-18, while there was one wicket apiece for Anderson Phillip, Darren Bravo, Tion Webster and Christopher Vincent.
In reply, the tournament reigning champions, the Parkites senior squad opening duo of Webster and Rajah put on 66 runs for the first wicket. Webster scored 35 runs off 28 balls before he was bowled by McSween in the seventh over. From then former West Indies batsman Bravo joined Rajah and the pair took QPCC home without any further trouble. Rajah scored 64 runs off 32 balls for the highest individual score to date in the tournament. HIS fifty came off 25 balls. He also brought up his team’s hundred with a six off the first ball of the 11th over. He scored four consecutive off McSween’s bowling in the third over. Bravo scored 30 off 29 balls.
SUMMARISED SCORES
QUEEN’S PARK II 133/8 (20 overs) (J Ramdoo 36, J Boodan 29, D Sween 22, A Gomez 12, J Warner 11; Y Carriah 3-18) vs QUEEN’S PARK I 138/1 (14.3 overs) (I Rajah 64, T Webster 35, D Bravo 30). QPCC I won by 9 wickets.
PREYSAL SPORTS 142/7 (20 overs) (V Jagessar 28, N Badaisee 25, D Ramdin 25, S Gooljar 22, K Pooran 15, S Batoosingh 14; J Seales 3-33, U Mohammad 3-29) vs POWERGEN PENAL SPORTS 143/7 (19.2 overs) (U Mohammad 46 no, V Sookhai 39, J Mohammed 29, A Bhagan 17; R Maharaj 3-24. Powergen won by 3 wickets.
