T&T Red Force continued its good start to the 2020 Cricket West Indies (CWI) Four-day championship when the team bowled out the Leewards Hurricanes for 186 and responded with 74/1 at the end of the first day at the Brian Lara Cricket Academy in Tarouba, San Fernando on Thursday.
Pacer Odean Smith used the conditions well and grabbed four wickets after the Leewards won the toss and decided to take the first strike. Only skipper Jahmar Hamilton with 55 showed he was ready for the battle as the local bowlers proved to be too much on the day.
After the team's satisfying draw against the Jamaican Scorpions in the opening round last week, the Red Force came out focused and hungry and it showed on the scoreboard at the end of the day.
As if to say thank you to his bowlers for their efforts, skipper Darren Bravo battled manfully towards the end of the day to carry his team to 74/1.
The left-hander finished not out 36 and with him was opener Keagan Simmons who was 32 not out. The two buckled down nicely and added 71 runs towards the end of the play that carried their team to a position of strength.
When play resumes at 10 am on Friday, the pair will need a further 112 runs to reach the Leewards score with nine wickets in hand.
Earlier, Bravo backed up his players with aggressive field placings and they responded. With Smith and Hinds getting movement off the pitch early on, there were times four slips and two gullies were in place.
The exaggerated movement of the seam early in the piece was too much for the tentative bats of the Leewards and Red Force took control. With batting mainstay Keiran Powell leaving very early and the experience Devon Thomas following him for a duck - both to Smith, Leewards had their work cut out.
When Hinds sent back Montcin Hodge the visitors were 26/3 and looking down the barrel of a gun. Hamilton, who threw T&T out of the Super50 with a brilliant half-century in the semis again took a liking to the locals and climbed into their bowling. Youthful Kacey Carty fought a bit with him but Akeal Hosein took him out at 77 and it was more pressure for the Leewards. A 51-run stand for the fourth wicket was followed by a 45-run association for the fifth between Hamilton and local boy Amir Jangoo.
However, just after lunch, Hosein delivered the prize catch for Bravo, removing Hamilton for 55. He faced 79 balls, hitting eight fours and one six. Jangoo would then fall to off-spinner Bryan Charles for 17 and it was into the tail.
As the Leewards struggled to get up to the 150-run mark, they found a saviour is Alzari Joseph who picked 35 not out to take them to 186 all out. He faced 38 deliveries hitting five fours and one six. Smith ended with 4/50, while Hosein took his tally this season to nine with 2/32.
Smith said he enjoyed his spell and the conditions: "There was something in the wicket and I was able to exploit that. That moisture upfront assisted us and it was just a matter of putting the ball in the right areas. As the pitched dried out it became better for batting and we are hoping to put up a good score before going out in the second innings. I attend to approach the second innings, in the same way, getting the balls in good areas and we will be looking to get the comfort of a good lead.