da betsson： If there were a crime called cricket brutality, Barbados cricketerswould be wanted men this morning
da bet nacional： Haydn Gill10-Mar-2002If there were a crime called cricket brutality, Barbados cricketerswould be wanted men this morning. And most likely, they would becharged, convicted and given the maximum sentence.For the second day running, West Indies ‘B’, a team comprising reserveplayers from around the Caribbean, were battered, bruised and beateninto submission.The youngsters spent the first half of the day constantly retrievingballs from the boundary as Barbados sped to the highest total of theseason with the help of Ryan Hinds maiden first-class hundred and somebig-hitting from a few others.The lashes were enough to deflate them, and, for the second half ofthe day, the West Indies ‘B’ team went through even more misery inlosing all but one of their first innings wickets.They now trail by the small matter of 407 runs.No team has had it so rough during the season and it does not take arocket scientist to predict that Barbados will complete the mostemphatic victory of the tournament sometime today or early tomorrow.It will not get them to the semifinals of the Busta InternationalShield unless the Windwards Islands secure first innings points in adrawn match against Trinidad and Tobago. The progress by the Windwardsyesterday, however, will offer some encouragement to SherwinCampbell’s men.Having scored more than 400 against Guyana in the previous series,West Indies ‘B’ were expected to give a good showing, but they wereundermined principally by left-armers Sulieman Benn and Pedro Collinsafter early defiance from Krishna Arjune and confident strokeplay fromDonovan Pagon.Benn followed up his five-wicket haul in Anguilla with a similareffort, while Collins took three wickets, one with the finest ball ofthe day that shattered the stumps of Antonio Mayers, one of the fourBarbadians in the West Indies ‘B’ team.Roland Holder, the most experienced of them, fell to one of the mostdisappointing strokes, a cross-batted swing that found him leg-beforefor 27.Benn also removed Pagon, the century-maker on debut last week who wasstruck low on the boot to a faster ball.Pagon had shown some enterprise by swinging Benn for a six overbackward square-leg, but his downfall was at the start of a slide inwhich seven wickets fell for 64 runs.Even the most die-hard Barbados supporter might have felt sorry forthe West Indies ‘B’ team.The batting just did not click yesterday and their bowling attack isclearly not up to the standard you would expect to see in a firstclass match.The onslaught of the previous day extended until early into theafternoon session when Barbados finally declared after reaching thesecond 500 of the season.Ryan Hinds, 87 at the start, duly completed a long-overdue first-classcentury in his 31th first-class match and 18th at the regional level.The Barbados vice-captain went on to make 166 off 246 balls, aninnings that he will cherish for some time.I thought that it came at a very vital stage. This is my fourth seasonand it was very important that I got a hundred under my belt, the 21-year-old West Indies recruit said. I was very patient. Thank God I hada chance to make it today. The support was good. Floyd (Reifer) andKurt (Wilkinson) kept me going. Apart from Hinds’ 100, following thoseof Campbell and Wilkinson on the opening day, there were halfcenturies from Reifer and Courtney Browne yesterday that contributedto Barbados’ cause against a very weak bowling attack. One might wantto say that, but at the end of the day, this is cricket we are playingand I thought that it was an important 100, Hinds said. I have beenworking very hard in the nets. Most of the guys have been trying tohelp me and I am very thankful for it. Hinds arrived at his century 20minutes into the day and would soon launch into Reon Griffith,cracking the Guyanese fast bowler for three boundaries in an over. Oneof those was a disdainful straight hit that typified the confidence ofthe left-hander, whose innings included 17 fours and a six that wascarted over mid-wicket off off-spinner Chaka Hodge. That set thepattern for the mayhem that followed. There was only one other six inthe morning session, coming from Reifer, who hoisted Hodge back overhis head. The scoreboard ticked over to the extent that the firstsession yielded 132 runs, but the fireworks were reserved for thebrief period after lunch, when many spectators might have beenexpecting a declaration at 481 for five. Hinds and Browne were stilltogether and Browne exploded with awesome venom after the break. Heneeded only a few deliveries to move from eight to 52 not out, hisrapid advance highlighted by four beefy sixes, including three insuccession from Vishal Arjune. The ‘keeper’s half-century came fromonly 43 balls. After Hinds was well caught by fellow Barbadian AntonioMayers on the mid-wicket fence, Benn came out and clobbered threesixes off four balls.
