Trinidad & Tobago's massive slide

Top-of-the-table clashes are usually expected to be tight, gripping battles between two sides vigorously fighting for a championship.

It was completely the opposite at Kensington Oval yesterday.

It was one-way traffic in all directions.

By the close of day in which more interest was centred on the World Cup match between West Indies and Sri Lanka in Cape Town, leaders Barbados romped to first innings points over opponents who hardly did anything right after lunch.

Trinidad and Tobago, rocked by Tino Best in a sensational post-lunch collapse, lost their last nine wickets for 51 and were dismissed for 147 ten minutes before tea.

In the evening session, their misery continued in the face of on onslaught from Philo Wallace and Sherwin Campbell. Between them, they smashed 17 fours and two sixes in an unfinished stand of 148 in 33 overs in which the visitors never looked likely to take a wicket.

Wallace cracked an unbeaten 75 off 112 balls that included 13 fours and a six over long-on that landed on the second tier of the Pickwick Pavilion, while Campbell's 59 not out came from 96 balls with four boundaries and a hooked six.

At no stage were they bothered by the innocuous Marlon Black, Ravi Rampaul or Dwayne Bravo.

Among them, the trio conceded 7.5 runs and over and Trinidad and Tobago only managed to contain things when the spin of Dinanath Ramnarine and Mukesh Persad combined for 19 overs.

Positive attribute

The visitors have played well for most of this season to occupy second place. Their performance yesterday, however, did not reflect their position in the standings, especially when they batted.

From one end, they capitulated against pace like fire. From the other, they tamely folded against wily spin.

Three "stinging Bs" each with its own positive attributes, helped Barbados roll over men whose minds might very well have been on Carnival Celebrations in their homeland.

Before a sprinkling of spectators in the first match of the season at Kensington, Trinidad and Tobago were rapidly undermined by the pace of Best and Ian Bradshaw and the spin of Sulieman Benn.

The visitors, in the course of their best season in recent years, would have been happy when they went to lunch at 91 for one after they were asked to bat first.

Best appeared to have had a special lunch and came back out to unsettle Trinidad and Tobago with his genuine pace and was backed up by some splendid catching.

Best struck with his first ball after the break when the solid left-hander Imran Jan miscued a pull to mid-on to bring a disappointing end to a half-century.

His 53 was compiled in a shade over two hours and contained five fours and a six in a second wicket partnership of 90 which he dominated with Dwayne Bravo.

Without addition, Benn bowled the promising Bravo behind his back for 31 to open the floodgates.

As it turned out, both Best and Benn finished with the identical figures of four for 36, but it was Best who created the bigger impression against a team that has traditionally struggled against Barbados' pacers at Kensington.

It was in Best's third over after the break when he created most of the mayhem by dispatching the uncertain trio of Lincoln Roberts, Zaheer Ali and Navin Chan.

Roberts edged a loose drive to wicket-keeper Courtney Browne before the spectacular stuff followed.

Left-hander Ali awkwardly fended a lifting ball off the glove, and Kurt Wilkinson, standing at forward short-leg, clutched the catch inches off the ground with his left-hand.

Browne's sprawling effort with his right hand that accounted for Chan was even more brilliant. It was out of the top drawer and the finest catch taken by a Barbadian this season.

Trinidad and Tobago might have wondering what had hit them. Five wickets had tumbled for the addition of six runs and they never recovered.

Benn, the tall left-armer who has bowled impressively all season, took the opportunity to polish off the innings.

Among his victims was Trinidad and Tobago captain Daren Ganga, whose 32 was made at a time all the wickets were falling.