Guyana, Barbados play to exciting draw
Carib Beer series 4th round
By Sean Devers
in Albion.
Stabroek News
February 25, 2003
With 17 runs to get in fast fading light and two wickets in hand, Barbados preferred to be safe rather then sorry and accepted the umpires’ offer for bad light as their fourth round Carib Beer Series regional first class cricket encounter ended in an exciting draw at Albion yesterday.Set 138 to win, Barbados who last beat Guy-ana in Guyana 23 years ago, were 121-8 when Dwayne Smith (12) and Suleiman Benn (2) felt it was too dark to continue to bring the game to a premature end at 5:49 PM.
When Guyana was dismissed in the day’s first over for 247 leaving the visitors a mere 138 to win in almost an entire day, most felt that on a track with unpredictable bounce, the Bajans would have to fight hard for what would be an eventual win.
But rain, which came during the lunch break and which took out 204 minutes of play in the day, along with Mahendra Nagamootoo’s eight five wicket haul in first class cricket, ensured a pulsating finish was achieved with no team winning outright.
Those few fans who stayed until play resumed at 4:30 PM after only a single over was bowled in the post lunch session, were treated to action galore before bad light had the final say at 5:49 PM.
Nagamootoo, with 19 wickets now to his name in the competition, grabbed 5-40 after pacer Reon Griffith who finished with 2-56 had taken the first two wickets to fall before lunch.
By lunch the Bajans were staging a recovery on 63-3 after Nagamootoo had sent back Sherwin Campbell for 17 to leave the Bajans on 37-3 in hazy sunshine.
Floyd Reifer was on 22 at lunch. Ryan Hinds was with him on 14 and with victory 75 runs away with two sessions remaining Barbados were on top and the home team hoping to hold on for a draw.
Guyana means ‘ Land of many water’ because of the many lakes, rivers and creeks that run through the South American country. But yesterday, it was water from the sky that set up an action packed afternoon of cricket on a ground which hosted the first ever One-Day International match in the West Indies.
Benn who finished with 5-77 removed Reon King for 19 to end the Guyana innings after they had added only five to their overnight 242-9
Griffith who was unbeaten on 15 in the Guyana second innings then picked up two quick wickets before lunch as the Guyanese fought back.
Watched by the smallest crowd of the match, Griffith knocked out Phillo Wallace’s off stump, leaving the score at 1-1 and then endued Kirk Wilkinson (3) to edge a catch to the keeper to reduce Barbados to 5-2.
With the score on 35, Sherwin Campbell (17) edged Nagamootoo to slip as Guyana maintained the pressure.
The rain then came at lunch and by the time play eventually restarted in overcast conditions, Barbados needed to get 72 runs from nine overs and the final 15 in the last hour.
The Guyanese, slowing the game down, removed Reifer (39 with five fours from 95 balls) and the dangerous Courtney Browne (2) to leave the score on 98-5 as Nagamootoo struck twice in quick succession.
Reifer was comprehensively bowled while Browne, attempting to clear the long off boundary as Barbados desperately hunted quick runs, was taken at long off.
Nagamootoo trapped Ryan Hinds LBW for 29 at 112-6 and removed Ryan Hurley (3) at 116-7 as the excitement mounted.
Now both teams were in with a great chance of claiming full points from the game which seemed heading for a Barbados win when Guyana were dismissed in the days first over.
When Ian Bradshaw was run out (1) with Barbados 118-8 with the victory 20 runs away, Guyana were now on top and the fans jumping in the stands.
Guyana got three points from the game while Barbados collected six points.
Guyana who remain third on the points table with 27 points, face Jamaica at Bourda from Friday while Barbados, still the leaders with 36 points, battle Trinidad and Tobago at the Kensinton Oval from Friday.
Phillo Wallace was named Man-of-the Match for his first innings 74 which helped Barbados to first innings points.
