Trinidad and Tobago Red Force delivered a clinical performance to register a massive innings and 56-run victory over a lackluster Barbados Pride on the second day of their fifth-round West Indies Championship clash at Kensington Oval on Thursday.
What was anticipated to be a closely contested battle between the second and third-placed teams turned into a one-sided affair, as the Red Force batters and bowlers seemed more at home in the familiar conditions than their hosts. After posting 263 in response to the Pride’s meagre 86—giving them a daunting 177-run lead—the Red Force seamers, aided by spinner Khary Pierre, once again dismantled the Pride’s experienced batting line-up for just 121.
Scores: Barbados Pride 86 & 121; Trinidad and Tobago Red Force 263
Resuming the day on 182-4, the Red Force aimed to stretch their advantage, as Amir Jangoo and Yannic Cariah continued their overnight partnership. The pair pushed their fifth-wicket stand to 68, which frustrated the Pride bowlers before Cariah edged Kemar Roach behind for 30.
Jangoo, whose patient knock lasted 147 balls and featured eight boundaries, reached a well-crafted 56 before Jason Holder got one to nip back and trap him leg-before-wicket. From there, the innings lost momentum, with the lower order crumbling against disciplined bowling from Holder and Matthew Forde.
Pierre tried to shepherd the tail with a gritty 22 off 83 balls, but wickets tumbled around him, and he was the last man out.
Holder led the Pride’s bowling effort with figures of 5-52, while Forde (3-53) and Roach (2-54) chipped in.
Facing a massive deficit, Barbados Pride needed a strong response. Instead, their top order faltered once again. Kraigg Brathwaite (two) and Zachary McCaskie (eight) fell cheaply, while Jonathan Drakes (10) and Kevin Wickham (12) failed to build on starts. At 41-4 shortly after tea, the writing was already on the wall.
Roston Chase and Shai Hope offered the only flicker of resistance, as they put on a 59-run partnership that briefly raised Pride’s hopes. Chase struck seven boundaries in a 79-ball 41, but his run-out by Jason Mohammed proved the final blow to the Pride’s chances. Hope fell immediately after for 20, and with the score at 100-6, the Red Force bowlers wasted no time cleaning up the tail.
Joshua James (3-16) sparked the collapse, removing Jason Holder for six, while Pierre (2-11) polished off Matthew Forde (one) and Jomel Warrican (two). Anderson Phillip claimed Kemar Roach (one) to wrap up proceedings well before the close of play. Seales (2-50) and Phillip (2-38) also played key roles in the demolition.
With the emphatic victory, the Red Force provisionally surged to the top of the standings with 101 points, as the performance not only boosts their title ambitions, but also serves as a statement heading into the final rounds.
Meanwhile, while the once-mighty Pride, still on 78.0 points, risk slipping further down the table as other results unfold.
