Red Force batsmen face uphill battle

THE TT Red Force will be facing a tough task today, as they seek an elusive victory on the final day of their West Indies Four Day Championship Round Two match against the Leeward Islands Hurricanes at the Brian Lara Cricket Academy, Tarouba.

Set a victory target of 342, the hosts closed the penultimate day’s play on 26 runs for the loss of no wicket. Openers Jeremy Solozano and Kyle Hope will resume today on 16 and six respectively.

Earlier, the Red Force, who began the day on 149/4 in response to the Hurricanes’ 425, were dismissed for 252 on the stroke of lunch with Solozano top-scoring with 80 and tail-ender Bryan Charles hitting 39.

Off-spinner Rahkeem Cornwall collected four wickets for 73 runs, with fast bowlers Alzarri Joseph and Jeremiah Louis taking 3/80 and 2/32 respectively.

Boasting a healthy lead of 173, the Hurricanes declared their second innings on 168/6 with first innings centurion Montcin Hodge hitting an unbeaten 77 (131 balls, 10 fours). West Indies fast bowler Shannon Gabriel claimed 3/35 and off-spinner Charles had 2/35.

Solozano and Hope had little trouble in negotiating the 10 overs available but the inconsistent Red Force batsmen will have a lot more work to do. TT have not won a match in this tournament since defeating the Hurricanes by an innings and 16 runs in St Kitts on December 2, 2017.

During that time, the Red Force lost five successive matches including a 76-run defeat to the Windward Islands Volcanoes in their first round match at Tarouba last month.

SCOREBOARD

Red Force vs Leewards

Leewards 1st inns: 425

Red Force 1st inns:

(Overnight 149-4)

K Hope c Hamilton b Louis*3

J Solozano c Hamilton b Cornwall*80

A Jangoo b Cornwall*21

J Mohammed c Thomas b Cornwall*6

D Ramdin c Saunders b Louis*31

D St Clair c Thomas b Joseph*9

Y Cariah LBW b Cornwall*0

J Da Silva c Warde b Joseph*19

I Khan c Saunders b Berridge*12

B Charles c Hamilton b Joseph*39

S Gabriel not out*11

EXTRAS: (B11, LB6, NB4)*21

TOTAL: (all out)*252

Fall of wickets: 11; 76; 95; 148; 154; 154; 183; 183; 213; 252.

BOWLING: Joseph 17-6-80-3 (NB3); Louis 14-6-32-2 (NB1); Cornwall 37-14-73-4; Berridge 10-2-36-1; Warde 6-1-14-0.

Leewards 2nd inns:

M Hodge not out*77

K Powell c Charles b Gabriel*10

K Carty LBW b Gabriel*0

D Thomas c Cariah b Charles*19

A Saunders b Gabriel*7

J Hamilton b Charles*0

R Cornwall c Ramdin b Cariah*22

T Warde not out*19

EXTRAS: (B4, LB2, W5, NB3)*14

TOTAL: (six wickets dec)*168

Did not bat: J Louis, A Joseph, S Berridge.

Fall of wickets: 32; 32; 75; 91; 97; 136.

BOWLING: Gabriel 9-1-35-3; St Clair 5-0-34-0 (W1, NB3); Khan 13-2-42-0; Charles 14-1-35-2; Cariah 5-0-16-1.

Red Force 2nd inns:

K Hope not out*6

J Solozano not out*16

EXTRAS: (B4)*4

TOTAL: (no wicket)*26

Still to bat: A Jangoo, J Mohammed, D Ramdin, Y Cariah, J Da Silva, I Khan, D St Clair, B Charles, S Gabriel.

BOWLING: Louis 3-0-4-0; Cornwall 3-0-12-0; Joseph 2-2-0-0; Warde 2-0-6-0.