After his match-winning hat-trick against Regional Super50 hosts Trinidad & Tobago Red Force, Guyanese speedster Clinton Pestano has joined an elite group of bowlers who achieved a hat trick during the 42-year history of 50-Over cricket.
Pestano created his own bit of history when he became only the second seamer behind Kieron Pollard to achieve a hat trick. Ironically, one of his hat-trick victims was Pollard. Pestano is the 5th overall bowler to accomplish the phenomenon.
Clinton Pestano
With 10 wickets to his name in this competition, the 25-year-old is one of the leading fast-bowling wicket-takers. Currently placed 4th on the list, Pestano is closely trailing his teammate, spinner Ramaal Lewis, who has 11 wickets.
The Berbician Pestano accounted for the big scalps of top-scorer Lendl Simmons, who hit 70 with six fours and three maximums; along with the experienced duo of all-rounders Keiron Pollard and Dwayne Bravo, who were both out caught for ducks as Guyana broke the Red Force’s win streak to inflict on them a 75-run thrashing in their own backyard.
Of those who sit in that elite bowling company from various times in 50-Over history, some have gone on to represent the West Indies, and this is a credit to the class the Guyanese fast-bowler now enjoys.
Ex- Trinidad & Tobago/West Indies spinner Rajindra Dhanraj earned his honours versus Guyana at the legendary Bourda Oval back in 1996. The “Googly” specialist played 4 Tests and 4 One Day Internationals (ODI) during a period in the 90s; ending with 18 wickets in total from both formats.
Dhanraj got rid of the Guyana big three in ex-Windies Captains Ramnaresh Sarwan and all-rounder Roger Harper and batsman Kenneth Wong. Pollard, who now features as both hero and villain, should feel honoured as he, too, got to bowling fame by dismantling the Leeward Islands at the same Bourda Oval in 2008.
The medium-pacer, who occasionally bowls light spells these days, whether it be international or franchise cricket, was more lethal in his younger days of Regional cricket. His victims were veteran all-rounder Wilden Cornwall; current Leeward Islands Hurricanes skipper Devon Thomas, and his teammate, Hurricanes batsman Justin Athanaze.
Rajindra Dhanraj
Anthony Martin, the Antiguan leg-break spinner who played 9 One Day Internationals (ODI) and one T20 International for the West Indies in 2011, dismantled the Windward Islands at Sabina Park in Jamaica in the 2010 season. He snared the wickets of batsman Lyndon James, ex-Windies spinner who currently plays for the Windward Volcanoes Shane Shillingford, and pacer Mervin Matthew.
Mystery spinner turned opening-batsman Sunil Narine was the last bowler to achieve the feat against the Windward Islands Hurricanes, who went on to win the title last season. Narine’s battleground was the Three W’s Oval, and his fatalities were Volcanoes batsman Kavem Hodge, pacer Delorn Johnson and Windies ODI specialist bowler Kesrick William.
With 5 five rounds left before the semi-finals, Pestano could easily end as the leading wicket-taker should he continue his venomous bowling form. Group ‘A’ table-leaders Guyana, with 20 points, are seeking to lift the title after more than a decade, and will be keen on going into the latter part of the championships with as many points and as much confidence as they can muster from the remaining matches.
