Contrasting unbeaten centuries by Guyanese middle-order batsman, Narsingh Deonarine and Jamaican wicket-keeper Carlton Baugh jr almost took their team to an inconceivable victory over World Cup Champions Australia during the final day's play of the opening match of the tour at the Everest ground yesterday.
Set 442 for victory, the Caribbean side eventually settled for a draw, ending the day on 402-6, just 40 away from victory.
Deonarine in an unbroken partnership with Baugh, put on a seventh wicket partnership of 222, as they blunted the Aussies pace and spin attack in contrasting styles.
Deonarine stroked his way to his hundred after coming in at no.3, with the fall of opener Devon Smith's wicket and his side on 59-1.
Baugh joined him with his side in dire straits at 180-6 and the two almost pulled off the impossible.
Earlier in the day the Australians were bowled out for 196 adding 16 more runs to their overnight total of 180-8 while losing their last two wickets.
The first to go was Martin Love who was bowled by Adam Sanford for 59 off 112 balls with five fours.
The last wicket to fall was that of Stuart MacGill who went bowled for 23 by Omari Banks with three fours and off 33 balls.
Sanford and Banks had three wickets each and Dave Mohammed two.
With a victory target of 442 runs, an almost impossible task lay ahead for the Carib Beer XI, who began their reply with the impressive Imran Jan and West Indies selectee for the first test Devon Smith.
Jason Gillespie took up the attack from the northern end and bellowed a vociferous appeal, first ball, as the delivery struck Jan's pads, but he survived the appeal.
Smith came off the mark with some relief as he had failed to score on three previous occasions. He soon found some of his old touch and was driving and cutting as he finally found form with the bat racing to 23 when the total was only 28.
He and Jan continued to attack the Aussie pacers and by the 13th over the home team had already scored fifty.
Spin was introduced in the 14th over and Jan greeted Stuart MacGill with a drive through cover point for four to move to 21 and the score 59-0.
Brad Hogg then took up the attack from the south in a double change and he got the first success for Australia when he won an LBW verdict against Smith who played back and was struck in front and was dismissed for 37, with his team, 59-1.
Smith's 37 came off 54 balls and he struck four fours.
With his dismissal, just before lunch, Narsingh Deonarine was promoted up the order from no. 5 and he joined Jan who again looked very correct and sound in his technique, as he did in the first innings, against the spin and pace of the Australians.
At lunch the home team was in some degree of comfort as they had progressed to 64-1 with Jan on 21 and Deonarine 4.
After lunch the two batsmen consolidated their team's position as Deonarine in particular was quick to pounce on anything short. The Guyanese raced quickly to 22 with a succession of boundaries, bringing up the 100 for his team in the 25th over.
Noffke was introduced into the attack in the 27th over and he was roughed up by Jan who was growing in confidence, driving him for two consecutive fours in his opening over to move to 44.
However, Jan's vigil at the crease was ended at the same score when he was adjudged LBW to Hogg playing back, mirroring the dismissal of his opening partner Smith, and the home team was now in a spot of bother on 119-2.
Jan's 44 was made off 83 balls with eight lovely fours and he spent 116 minutes at the crease.
Dwayne Bravo joined Deonarine at the crease and he got off the mark with a straight drive past mid-on for four. He and Deonarine who was striking the ball superbly continued to play positively and brought up their team's 150 in the 35th over.
Hogg struck again for Australia and gained sweet revenge after he was struck the ball before to the boundary, by bowling Bravo with a quicker, fuller delivery with the batsman on 14.
The Carib Beer side seemed to be wobbling at this point of their innings with the score on 152-3. Captain Sylvester Joseph who was demoted to no. 5 came in next and joined Deonarine who had moved nicely to 41.
Joseph perished quite cheaply, making only 2, when he picked out the mid-wicket fielder hitting a long hop from Hogg straight to him.
The West Indian side seemed to be sliding to defeat at 162-4 as the Australians seemed to be in the ascendancy.
Aneil Kanhai joined Deonarine and he did not trouble the scorers, departing for a `duck', caught at slip by Love first ball, and the bowler Hogg, on a hatrick for the second time in the match, with the home side in deep trouble at 162-5.
No. 6 batsman Omari Banks, who many at the ground felt should not bat before Baugh, joined Deonarine at the wicket, and averted the hatrick as a loud LBW appeal erupted when the ball thudded into his pads, the ball running down to the fine leg area for a leg bye.
At the other end, Deonarine brought up his 50 with a `tickle' to the fine leg boundary. His 50 came up in 101 minutes off 81 balls with seven fours and one six.
With the score on 180 Banks fell to the persistent Hogg caught at first slip by Stuart MacGill, making a paltry six runs and the Carib Beer XI seemed to be sliding to defeat at 180-6.
West Indies selectee, Baugh joined forces with Deonarine who was now perfectly placed on 60 and a partnership of major proportions between the two seemed what was required, with their team in danger of defeat.
Baugh showed his intentions early as he came off the mark with a sweetly timed on drive off Darren Lehman and his side closing in on the 200 run mark. The 200 was brought up with Deonarine square cutting Hogg for four to move to 73, twenty seven away from a well deserved century.
Tea was taken with the home side on 206-6 with Deonarine on 73 and Baugh 8.
Baugh continued where he had left off before tea as he rushed to 21 with an array of strokes to various parts of the field and picking up two more boundaries in the process as his side moved along to 225-6.
He soon launched into Stuart MacGill, whose bowling he seemed to have taken a liking to and clobbered the leg spinner over long on with a savage pull for six.
The next ball from MacGill was cut cleanly past the diving gully fielder for another boundary as the little Jamaican sought to impress the West Indian public and selectors with his sound technique and shot selection.
He raced to 33 and the score was moving along at a good clip at 237-6.
With the partnership growing and his confidence also, Baugh went into fifth gear as he took three boundaries off MacGill in one over to hurtle to 46 and his team closing in on 250 which duly came up in the 60th over.
Deonarine on the other side of the wicket had by now moved into the 90's with a straight drive off the expensive MacGill. The next ball was `late' cut past the wicket-keeper as Deonarine moved to 95, five away from his hundred.
Baugh meanwhile brought up his half century with another boundary, off only 48 balls, with nine fours and one six in 65 minutes of batting. His first milestone also brought up the century seventh-wicket partnership with Deonarine as they moved the score to 281-6.
Deonarine soon celebrated the accomplishment of scoring the first century against the Australians on this tour, his hundred coming up off a streaky outside edge past the keeper and crashing into the boundary boards. The small but vocal crowd at hand applauded his achievement and he also got congratulations from his partner out in the middle, Baugh.
The Carib XI 300 came up in the 67th over.
After a water break, Baugh resumed his assault on the Aussie's bowling and also took a liking to Brad Hogg's as he cut and hooked his way to scoring sixteen runs in one over off the hapless bowler with strikes for 2, 4, 6 and 4 as he rocketed to 68.
The score by now had rifled to 321-6 and the victory target of 442, at one time a distant target, now seemed achievable.
The seventh wicket partnership was worth 141 valuable and timely runs by this time and both Baugh and Deonarine seemed to be `seeing' the ball as big as a football.
Baugh was unstoppable as he took ten runs off another Hogg over moving his score to 82 and just 18 away from a richly deserved century.
Deonarine joined the carnage as he struck the hapless Hogg for three consecutive fours in another expensive over to bring up the 350 and his score to 126.
Baugh was not to be outdone as he moved into the 90's with another boundary this time off MacGill and his century within reach. He moved to 99 with two more boundaries as the Australians tried their best to dislodge him.
His hundred came with another lofted drive, this time for two as he celebrated by taking off his helmet and pointing his bat to the West Indies dressing room. He was warmly embraced by his teammate Deonarine who seemed to have been inspired by him later in his innings.
His century, remarkably came off only 92 balls, with 15 memorable fours and three sixes in 123 minutes of scintillating batting. His innings belied his size as he struck the ball with immense power to all parts of the field.
The small crowd at hand gave him a standing ovation and even Australian supporters on the ground applauded his efforts.
The 200 partnership between Baugh and Deonarine soon came up as they batted their side to safety, earning an honourable draw.
Deonarine ended on unbeaten on 141 with 20 fours and one six off 206 balls, while Baugh was also unbeaten on 115 at the end with 17 fours and three sixes off 109 balls.
Australia no doubt have some major rethinking to do after this display by the West Indian batsmen with the first test three days away.