Pooran, Narine script easy win for Red Force

By Clifton Ross

Nicholas Pooran smashed his second successive fifty to help the Trinidad & Tobago Red Force ease to a 35-run win over a spirited Guyana Jaguars in Friday’s day/night clash at the Queen’s Park Oval.
The flashy left-hander followed up his whirlwind 89 versus the reigning champs, Windward Volcanoes, in the first game by crunching 6 fours and a couple of trademark sixes in his 75 from 81 balls, to revive the Red Force after they were at 67-3 in the 15th over.
The damage was done by the Jaguars’ pacers Romario Shepherd, with 3-56, and Clinton Pestano, with 3-45, with ideal support coming from veteran seamer Chris Barnwell, who grabbed 2-19 in a top spell. Jaguars franchise player Ramaal Lewis was the lone spinner to make inroads, as he took 1-39.
Red Force openers Evin Lewis (22) and Lendl Simmons (26) looked ominous, before Trevon Griffith ran out the latter, while his comrade, Barnwell, had the left-hander caught as the Jaguars put the brakes on the Red Force.
Pooran joined his captain Denesh Ramdin, and the duo did the repair work for the home team with a stand of 63 for the 4th wicket. When Lewis removed Ramdin for 28, Pooran continued to keep the board ticking with runs, and put on a further 43 for the 5th wicket with veteran Kieron Pollard.
Pollard made 20, while seasoned all-rounder Dwayne Bravo hit two sixes in his 23, but the Jaguars pace duo of Pestano and Shepherd ran amok as they shared the last six wickets. The Jaguars folded for 207 all out inside 50 overs, despite some starts from a number of their batsmen.
Apart from the 60-run second wicket partnership between left-handers Captain Leon Johnson and Griffith, there was little stability from the Jaguars batting.
Griffith punched four fours as he led the way with 38, while the classy former West Indies Test player Johnson also found the ropes on four occasions during his 32. Barnwell made 20, but apart from vice-skipper Anthony Bramble’s 18, no other batsman stepped up.
All-rounder Narine continued to show his class in both departments these days, as he was the pick of the Red Force bowlers with a magical 3-28 from his allotted 10 overs. Guyana will have to regroup quickly as they prepare to take on the West Indies ‘B’ team in Sunday’s round.