IF THE OPENING DAY was disappointing, yesterday was depressing for Barbados.

They woefully surrendered any chance of qualifying for the Carib Beer Challenge final with another ordinary bowling display and a spineless batting performance on the second day of their decisive match against Trinidad and Tobago.

After two days of their key final-round match at Guaracara Park, it is difficult to see them avoiding defeat in a match in where the gulf between the two teams has been gaping.

The hosts extended their overnight 301 for seven to 420, an unexpected extension that was largely helped by more uninspired bowling and a fourth first-class century from Lendl Simmons who featured in a ninth-wicket partnership of 98 with Ravi Rampaul.

As another fair-sized crowd assembled in the afternoon, they cheered on as Barbados meekly capitulated for 184 without a semblance of a fight.

Lack of resistance

The resistance, or lack thereof, lasted only three hours and ten minutes or 44.3 overs, and it was characterised by a few loose strokes or batsmen simply not being able to cope with the bowling.

With a sizeable lead of 236, Trinidad and Tobago had the option of enforcing the follow-on, but with plenty of time left in the match and with the knowledge that first innings points in a drawn game will take them to the final, they chose to bat again.

It was not a popular decision in some quarters but no one should fault Daren Ganga against the background that Trinidad and Tobago are not in a must-win situation.

In 13 overs before the close, the openers were not separated in adding 31 to push the overall lead to 267 ahead of the third day, which will start a half-hour early at 9:30 a.m. to accommodate the teams'
early presence at the West Indies Players Association annual awards dinner in Port-of-Spain tonight.

Big hole

Barbados are without Ryan Hinds and Pedro Collins for the match and their absence has left a big hole in both departments of the game. It was the batting that was most inadequate yesterday.

As usual, Dale Richards was a joy to watch with a volley of exquisite strokes, but it was all too brief.

The sweet-stroking Richards, whose 332 runs at the start of the match made him the tournament's
second-highest run-scorer, blazed 38 off 45 balls with eight fours, before he was lbw to off-spinner Amit Jaggernauth when he was somewhere between the front and back foot.

Dwayne Smith played with some degree of self-restraint for almost an hour in making 39, before falling in the first over from left-arm wrist spinner Dave Mohammed to a catch by the keeper when he attempted a cut.

It was one in the group of disappointing strokes from the Bajans who were parading a lengthy batting line-up that stretched all the way down to No. 8 with the presence of Patrick Browne.

A few of them perished from drives and among them were Jonathan Carter and Alcindo Holder. Apart from Smith, Shamarh Brooks was also a victim to a cut stroke that was brilliantly caught low down at backward point by substitute Andre Browne.

There were also a couple catches off the outside edge, the first offered by Jason Haynes to a good ball from Richard Kelly and the second came from Kevin Stoute's bat from a ball from Ravi Rampaul which he could have left.

Haynes provided the first of three catches to Gibran Mohammed, the replacement for injured Denesh Ramdin. Mohammed performed tidily and many Trinidadians believe he is just as good as Ramdin behind and
in front of the stumps.

The easy manner in which Richards was gloriously stroking fast bowler Richard Kelly for four fours in an over, did not suggest the swift collapse that was to follow against the off-spin of Jaggernauth, the left-arm spin of Mohammed and the fast medium stuff of Rayad Emrit.

At 132 for four at tea, Barbados were already in a big hole, but it was even more worrying for them after the interval when Emrit hastened the end by claiming three quick wickets.

One of them was Brooks, who was playing soundly for an hour and a half. Emrit also removed an uncertain Patrick Browne cheaply and claimed Sulieman Benn for a duck.

It was all happening so fast and the last six wickets after tea went by in a shade over an hour for only 52 runs, prompting many in the crowd to ask what had gone wrong with Barbados' cricket.