West Indies Domestic: Barbados hole out

Roseau - The seemingly contagious hitting-out syndrome that crippled the Windward Islands on the opening day spread to Barbados here yesterday. Confronted by a terribly sluggish outfield, slowish pitch, small boundaries and flighted spin bowling, Barbados? batsmen opted for primarily an aerial route and predictably paid the penalty.

Their last nine wickets fell for 90 after a promising foundation between Philo Wallace and Sherwin Campbell, and the most cowboy-like batting came in a stunning after-lunch collapse in which six wickets went for 44 runs. Most of the batsmen did not take the time to see what was going on and were caught in the deep. It wasn?t necessary, manager Tony Howard admitted.

This is a difficult ground to score runs on but the batsmen did not come to terms with what they had to do: score singles. Since the Windwards? first innings total was very modest, Barbados were still able to gain a useful lead of 70 and by the close had picked up two second innings wickets leaving the hosts still trailing by 54.

It represents an advantage for the defending champions and a victory in this fourth-round contest should assure them of a place in the semifinals. Barbados, resuming on 15 without loss, set out to occupy the crease for the entire day and were satisfied with the progress just after lunch on reaching 90 for one, mainly on the strength of Wallace?s grafting half-century.

The approach suddenly changed and it appeared as if someone decided that six-hitting was the right option with the outfield at the Botanic Gardens offering little chance of balls reaching the boundary. A mere six fours were struck in the innings, but there were as many as eight sixes, two coming from skipper Wallace and the others from Adrian Griffith, Floyd Reifer, Roland Holder, Ryan Hurley, Hendy Bryan and last man Pedro Collins.

Three of them (Griffith, Holder and Bryan) perished attempting more sixes and Dayne Maynard should have as well, but the catch was dropped on the long-off boundary.

Still, Windwards spinners Roy Marshall and Rawl Lewis were to be complimented for persistently flighting the ball against batsmen who could not resist the temptation to go after them. Campbell and especially Wallace were getting it right in their opening stand of 48 before Marshall induced Campbell into nibbling at one and edging a catch to the ?keeper. Wallace attacked the bowling in a measured away and never chanced his hand when he lifted the pace of Nixon McLean and McNeil Morgan over the heads of fielders at mid-off and mid-on.

Both his sixes were clobbered over long-on, one struck off Lewis and the other the first ball after lunch from Marshall. But there were some problems for Wallace against the wily and experienced Marshall, who nearly had Campbell caught and bowled in his first over, in which Wallace also came close to giving a catch to Reynold McLean at sillypoint.

The same fielder missed Wallace in Marshall?s next over in the identical position, but Marshall was eventually rewarded with the scalp of the Barbados captain who sliced a drive to backward point. The collapse was in the making. Before Wallace went, Griffith had failed to clear the square-leg boundary.

It brought together two seasoned batsmen who have struggled this season and both once more failed. Reifer showed early confidence with a straight six off Lewis and Holder was just as commanding in lifting Marshall over cover for half-dozen runs. While Reifer could be excused for falling to a sharp catch at forward short-leg in attempting an ondrive, Holder deserved a harsh word for skying a ball so high that it gave Kester Sylvester ample time to sprint in 20 yards from long-off to take a good running catch.

Barbados secured the lead half-way into the day, but required a sensible approach from Courtney Browne to push on for an advantage. The in-form Browne made 33 and found a solid partner in Dave Marshall who stayed around for an hour and 20 minutes in a seventh-wicket stand of 40 before fast bowler Cameron Cuffy came back to dismiss Browne lbw.

It was the first of three quick wickets for Cuffy. Before Browne and Marshall came together, the six-hitting and the catches in the deep accounted for Ryan Hurley and Hendy Bryan, who opened their accounts in style but failed to go on.