Trinidad and Tobago Trial: Jan jams south (9 January 1999)

9 January 1999

Trinidad and Tobago Trial: Jan jams south

By Garth Wattley

In the context of this game, six next to Asif Jan's name in electric lights on the Queen's Park Oval scoreboard was par for the course. Except that the six, barring all but two of David Williams's South batsmen, were sorry failures.

But it represented spectacular success for the Mayaro teenager. Sweet six.

The scoreboard flashed dancing babies and George Foreman highlight reels as the new video screen got a test run. But there was no image of Jan, leading his applauding North teammates off after his destruction of the southerners for 90.

Jan's six for 30 may not go down as a classic performance in the annals of the North/South series. But in the context of this contest, and bearing in mind too the Busta Cup commitments around the corner, it was worthy of salute.

South will begin the day 39 runs in arrears, North resuming on one without loss.

But Williams, Jan's final victim, may feel, justifiably, that 90 all out was poor. Pitiful.

Even with the off-season rustiness. Even on a too lush ground absorbing the hard hits, conceding 38 runs on first innings to a team that had mustered a mere 128 on the first day on a track free of demons was embarrassing.

But take nothing away from ambitious Asif.

Coming back for a second spell after a fruitless first go of 5 overs for 16 runs, the left-handed fast medium bowler sent down 12 on the trot, claiming six for 14. He eventually surrendered the ball, having failed to pick up the final wicket for make his tally a treasured seven. Ken Hazel then almost immediately had swiping Marlon Black caught.

Jan had come on at 55 for 3 after Ricardo Paty ended top scorer Anil Balliram's typically measured knock of 31 (139 minutes) and when he came off, South had declined to 80 for 9.

Nippy, enthusiastic and accurate, Jan frequently curled the ball away from the right-handers from over the wicket and earned just reward especially for finding the right length.

Consistently pitching the ball up in a way that some of his colleagues on the West Indian senior team would do well to emulate, Jan put the southerners under pressure. They crumbled.

Two of his victims, Jerry Jumadeen and Mukesh Persad, went lbw, the latter having to be helped from the field after being struck a painful but not critical blow flush on the foot.

Shazam Babwah was yorked, Williams snicked to the slips while Andy Jackson popped a ball to Leon Romero at forward short-leg.

That middle-order collapse would have been doubly disappointing given the fairly solid start.

After Persad (5/44) and Marlon Black (3/20) had polished off the two remaining North wickets for the addition of just three runs, and rain had accounted for most of the first session, Suruj Ragoonath and Balliram set about building a platform.

Both survived close lbw appeals off Bishop. Displaying refreshing control and probing away consistently with his away-swingers, the national skipper bowled much better than his 15-7-11-0 suggests.

But by the time he had pulled himself out of the attack, the opening pair was still together. They were only separated by some Vishal Persad-Maharaj brilliance when the total had reached 39.

Inducing Ragoonath (14) to drive at a well flighted delivery, the leg-spinner then flung himself two-handed to his right to snare a spectacular effort that would have done West Ham's Shaka Hislop proud. That breakthrough proved to be more than a minor setback for South.

Before he took his leave, Persad-Maharaj also removed Dennis Rampersad at 43, caught by wicketkeeper Mark Ramkissoon.

Twelve runs later, Balliram's lengthy stay was ended when he was adjudged lbw, driving at Paty.

It was then time for Jan to jam.

Source :: The Trinidad Express (https://www.trinidad.net/express/)