Sookdeosingh (75) leads Scarlet Ibis over Hummingbirds in 50-overs clash

AN explosive run-a-ball 75 by opening batsman Nicholas Sookdeosingh earned him the Man-of-the-Match award as the Scarlet Ibis senior team trounced Hummingbirds on Saturday by 116 runs in round two of the Trinidad and Tobago Cricket Board Senior 50 Overs Cup, at the National Cricket Centre in Balmain, Couva.

A valuable half-century by QuinCi Babel (56) helped Scarlet Ibis to 290 for nine wickets in the encounter. Teshawn Castro (47) also set the tempo with Sookdeosingh, putting on 102 in 41.2 overs in an opening partnership.

Babel also combined with Satroghan Rambaran (27) to add 65 for the sixth wicket in nine overs with the next best partnership of the Scarlet Ibis innings.

For the Hummingbirds, Namir Suepaul grabbed four wickets for 45 runs in his ten overs while Marlon Richards had figures of three for 52.

Chasing 291 for victory, Scarlet Ibis were immediately rocked losing their first wicket without a run on the board with opener Gabriel Blackwell caught by Rambaran bowled by Shaaron Lewis.

Fellow opener Kyle Ramdoo held the fort with a well-played 34 and Rajeev Ramnath kept up his outstanding form with 62 including ten fours.

Adrian Ali chipped in with 32 in the middle-order but the rest of the batting succumbed to the penetrative Hummingbirds attack to be all out for 174 for nine wickets in 40.1 overs.

Sharing the spoils were Andrew Rambaran, Shaaron Lewis, Ricky Jaipaul and Ryan Bandoo who all took two wickets apiece.