West Indies top-order batsman Darren Bravo carved out his second straight half-century and all-rounder Terrance Hinds took three wickets that helped Queen’s Park Cricket Club’s (QPCC) first team past its third consecutive victory from as many matches in the T&T Cricket Board (TTCB) T20 Festival at the National Cricket Centre (NCC) in Balmain, Couva on Tuesday.
It was Parkites’ final preliminary match as they finished Group B in the first place being asked to chase 164/7 for victory.
Parkites, the tournament defending champions, had five of their six batsmen getting very good starts with Bravo leading the way.
Openers Tion Webster (18) and Isaiah Rajah (23) put on 33 runs in 3.3 overs for the first wicket going at 10.1 runs per over. Webster was the first to go, bowled by Vishan Jagessar after facing 15 balls and striking four fours.
Bravo, 33, then joined Rajah and they took the score to 58 before Rajah departed for 23. Hinds then put his batting skills on display in a 47-run partnership in which he scored 27 with two fours and after losing West Indies spinner Akeal Hosein for just two, Jyd Goolie and Bravo guided the team to its target of 165/4 off 19 overs.
Bravo, a left-hand batsman who was overlooked by the West Indies selectors for the tours of the Netherlands and Pakistan at the end of the month despite his 55 against Powergen on Saturday, returned with 51 off 46 balls with four fours and three sixes.
Goolie, a right-arm off-spin bowler, who can bat, finished with 32 off 17 balls with one four and three sixes.
Bowling for Preysal, Jagessar was the best on show with 2-17 off his four-over spell.
Earlier, Preysal’s batting attack was led by its captain, former West Indies standout wicketkeeper Denesh Ramdin, who finished unbeaten on 60 runs off 36 balls with four fours and four sixes. He had retired while on 59 but returned to face the last two balls at the fall of the sixth wicket. His fifty came off 31 balls.
Also contributing was Saiba Batoosingh, who scored 35 not out from 23 balls with one four and three sixes, Kamil Pooran added 25 off 26 balls and Navin Bidaisee 17 runs off 13 balls with three fours in their total of 164/7.
Hinds was the pick of the bowlers with 3-29 and Bryan Charles took 2-9 off two overs.
Kissoondath, Muhammad help Powergen book semis spot
An unbeaten half-century from Narad Kissoondath and four wickets from pacer Uthman Muhammad helped Powergen Penal book its place in the semi-final of the TTCB T20 Festival in the feature match of a double-header at NCC.
Chasing 120 for victory, Powergen made light work of their target after openers Kissoondath and Videsh Sookha compiled 62 runs in the power play, however, two runs later Sookha lost his wicket when Kristian Kallicharan and Camillo Carimbocas combined to remove him for 37 runs off 17 balls, he scored seven fours during his stay at the crease.
After a partnership of 66 runs between Akiel Cooper and Kissoondath, Cooper lost his wicket with his team needing one run for victory. He scored 19 runs.
Kissoondath’s innings consisted of 42 balls and it comprised nine fours and one six. He scored the 14th half-century of the tournament in the preliminaries and became the 11th player to achieve the mark.
In the first 20 overs of the match, the QPCC II team hoping to get their first victory of the tournament never got going, losing wickets regularly. The team’s best batsman was Dexter Sween with 32 from 22 balls with two four and two sixes, Joshua Ramdoo scored 30 from 37 balls that included three fours and Philton Williams got to 23 before he was run out after hitting four fours and Namir Suepaul contributed 18 off six balls with two fours and six to close their effort at 120 for eight off 20 overs.
Bowling for Powergen Penal, right-arm medium pacer Muhammed took four wickets from his four overs for 25 runs.
The semi-final line will see Central Sports clash with Powergen Penal tomorrow’s first match from 11 am at the NCC in Couva, while QPCC and Clarke Road United will meet in the second match at 3 pm at the same venue.
Centuries
Kjorn Ottley of Central 101 no vs Alescon Comets
Half-centuries
Jabari Mills of Alescon Comets scored 69 vs Central Sports
Darren Bravo (55) off QPCC I vs Powergen Penal
Lendl Simmons of Central Sports (60) vs Profilbau Victoria United
Isaiah Rajah of QPCC I (64) vs QPCC II
Vikash Mohan of Clarke Road United (56) vs Alescon Comets
Nicholas Sookdeosingh of Clarke Road United (84) vs Central Sports
Marcelle Jones of Victoria (58) vs Alescon Comets
Ewart Nicholason of Powergen (51) vs QPCC I.
Denesh Ramdin of Preysal 60 no vs QPCC I
Darren Bravo of QPCC I 52 no vs Preysal
Jabari Mills of Alescon Comets 69 vs Central Sports
Kyle Roopchand of Victoria 71 vs Clarke Road United
Nicholas Sookdeosingh of Clarke Road United 87 not out vs Profilbau Victoria United
Narad Kissoondath of Powergen Penal 55 no vs QPCC II
SUMMARISED SCORES
PREYSAL SC 164/7 (20 overs) (D Ramdin 60 no, S Batoosingh 35 no, K Pooran 25; T Hinds 3-29, B Charles 2-9) vs QUEEN’S PARK CC I 165/4 (19 overs) (D Bravo 52 no, J Goolie 32, T Hinds 27, I Rajah 23, T Webster 18; V Jagessar 2/17). QPCC I won by 6 wickets.
QPCC II 120 for 8 (20 overs) (D Sween 32, J Ramdoo 30, P Williams 23, N Suepaul 18; U Muhammad 4-25) vs POWERGEN PENAL 124/2 (12.5 overs) (N Kissoondath 55 no, V Sookha 37, Akiel Cooper 19). Powergen Penal won by 8 wickets.