- JUNIOR DOWIE/STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER
Jamaica batsman Donovan Pagon acknowledges the crowd after reaching his century against Trinidad and Tobago yesterday at Alpart in Carib Beer fifth-round action. Pagon hit 104 not out in Jamaica's first innings of 316.
Tym Glaser, Associate Editor - Sport
ST. ELIZABETH;
YOUNG JAMAICAN opener Donovan Pagon notched his first century for the island yesterday but a slow day's cricket belonged to the visiting Trinidad and Tobago side in their fifth round Carib Beer Series match at Alpart yesterday.
Reduced to 10 batsmen when the enigmatic and delightfully- named Shazam Babwah flew home after news of his father's death, Trinidad and Tobago reached 217-5 at stumps chasing Jamaica's total of 316 and setting the stage for an intriguing race for first-innings points today.
It was a stodgy performance on a benign pitch which offered little to pacemen and spinners alike, but the visitors' tactics were understandable under the circumstances and against the region's best attack.
BRIGHT SUNSHINE
Jamaica resumed in bright sunshine yesterday morning at 293 for eight with Pagon on 88 and Bevon Brown on eight.
Pagon, sensing the urgency of reaching his maiden century for Jamaica with only two batting partners remaining, wasted little time in reaching the milestone, hooking paceman Kyron Lynch for a six to midwicket and bringing up the ton with a flick for four down to fine leg of Rayad Emrit.
His urgency was well placed as, soon after, Brown was caught at first slip by Lendl Simmons off Emrit for 15 and Dwight Washington perished straight after being trapped leg before by the same bowler, who finished with the figures of 5-55 off 18.4 overs.
Theoretically, Pagon carried his bat but he did miss almost two hours of play on Wednesday due to a cramp before batting again and completing a knock which included 13 fours and a six off 200 deliveries in 288 minutes.
Still, the 22-year-old was happy to notch his first hundred for his country and second in regional cricket after a three-figure sum for West Indies B in 2002 against Guyana.
"I was batting with numbers 10 and 11 so I knew I had to keep most of the strike and take as much of the new ball as possible," Pagon said. "I knew I had to get the runs quick because you never know what can happen with the tailenders.
"It was a great feeling because I have been playing for Jamaica for the past two years and it has been frustrating getting starts and not carrying on."
Jamaica coach, Robert Haynes, said after the team's triumph earlier this week over Guyana that Pagon needed to fulfil his potential.
"That obviously spurred me on because it is my responsibility to, once I get in, go on and make a big score," he said.
Chasing a reasonable first-innings target of 316, Trinidad and Tobago fell into an early hole and were two wickets down for 58 going into the lunch break.
Opener Sherwin Ganga inexplicably left a straight ball from Washington which clipped his off bail when on seven and the score at 18 and his brother and skipper, Daren, was trapped leg before by left-arm spinner Nikita Miller in his first over for nine to make it 43 for two.
However, a resolute Lendl Simmons and potential West Indies 'keeper in waiting Dinesh Ramdin steadied the ship with a 115-run third-wicket partnership which saw the team to almost the tea break. Unfortunately for the visitors, Simmons (77 six fours and one six) was sharply caught by Danza Hyatt at short leg off Brown in the second last over before the break and Imran Jan (four) fell straight after the hiatus to see the score read 168-4.
COOL AND LUCKY
Cool and somewhat lucky Ramdin and Sam Badree consolidated the situation until, just before stumps, the former ill-advisedly tried to cut an arm ball from Miller and was bowled for 84 (seven fours).
Badree (17) and Emrit (0) saw the team through to stumps without further loss.
Trinidad and Tobago were aided and abetted by some ordinary close-in fielding which saw at least four catches go down and a whopping 11 no balls from David Bernard, which bizarrely featured the clean bowling of Simmons and the catching of Ramdin.
Tall paceman Washington was the pick of the bowlers with 1-20 off 14 overs but young pacer Daren Powell also performed well (0-57) without claiming a wicket. He bowled a particularly aggressive and chatty post-lunch spell which should have reaped at least one scalp.
SCOREBOARD
Jamaica first innings
(Resumed at 293-8 - Pagon 88, Brown 8)
D. Pagon not out 104
B. Brown c Simmons b Emrit 15
D. Washington lbw Emrit 0
Extras (b5, lb2, w1) 8
TOTAL: (all out - 94.4 overs) 316
Fall: 0, 88, 142, 182, 212, 225, 276, 276, 316, 316.
Bowling: Kelly 16-5-46-2, Lynch 15-1-72-1, Emrit 18.4-2-55-5, Mohammed 23-5-74-0, S. Ganga 18-3-46-2, Badree 4-0-16-0.
Trinidad and Tobago first innings
L. Simmons c Hyatt b Brown 77
S. Ganga b Washington 7
D. Ganga lbw Miller 9
D. Ramdin b Miller 84
I. Jan c Powell b Brown 4
S.Badree not out 17
R. Emrit not out 0
Extras: (b4, lb4, nb12) 20
TOTAL: (for five wkts - 83 overs) 217
Fall: 18, 43, 158,168, 217
Bowling: Powell 17-4-57-0 (1nb), Washington 14-4-20-1, Bernard 14-0-55-0 (11nb), Miller 15-6-31-2, Brown 22-3-46-2, Lambert 1-0-0-0.
