ALBION, Berbice - A previously out-of-sorts Guyana upset second place Trinidad & Tobago with a seven-wicket victory in their fifth round Carib Beer 2004 Series clash at the Albion Community Centre Ground yesterday.
Guyana quickly rattled up the 67 needed for their outright victory for the loss of three wickets having dismissed Trinidad and Tobago for 193 in their second innings.
After a first innings score of 270 in response to Trinidad & Tobago’s 143, Guyana with a lead of 127, did not have to do much to secure their first victory of the season after losing their first three games outright.
Within an hour of the morning’s play, Guyana wrapped up the staggering Trinidad & Tobago innings, 169 for eight overnight.
Dwayne Bravo, fought bravely for a 155-ball 68 -- containing seven fours and one six -- but after he added 13 runs to his overnight score, he was left stranded as the last two wickets were snapped up by Esaun Crandon in the 13th over of the morning.
Amit Jaggernauth (10) went first. Flashing at a slightly short delivery, he got an edge that was comfortably taken behind by Vishal Nagamootoo.
Two balls later, last man Rodney Sooklal went lbw for a duck to a snorter.
Crandon (2-33) did the job required of Guyana early in the morning session, taking both wickets but then they gave themselves two needless scares as they made a dodgy start, losing two wickets for four runs.
Needing 67 to complete the victory, the struggling opener Krishna Arjune (0) could not avoid getting a snick to a Marlon Black lifter in the first over.
The ball flew sharply to Jaggernauth at second slip and Guyana were one down without a run on the board.
Then in Black’s next over, Narsingh Deonarine (1) drove at a delivery outside the off-stump, edged, and gifted wicketkeeper Gibran Mohamed with the simplest of catches.
At four for two, there was a slight sign of panic when the other opener, Sewnarine Chattergoon drove loosely at Reyad Emrit and edged to slip where Shazam Babwah spilled the chance.
It broke the Trinidad & Tobago momentum and man-of-the-match, the confident Travis Dowlin (24) and Chattergoon, added 56 runs, which virtually secured the victory.
With just seven needed to formalise the result Dowlin was bowled by Rodney Sooklal.
Chattergoon blasted six, mostly aerial fours in an unbeaten and attacking 41 to take Guyana home about thirty minutes after lunch from 21.3 overs.
They now have 16 points and are joint bottom of the table on 16 points with the Leewards and Kenya, trailing runaway leaders Barbados (60),
Trinidad and Tobago (36), Jamaica (28), West Indies-B (27) and the Windwards (24). Second-placed Trinidad & Tobago next take on Jamaica in Jamaica and will travel with an unchanged squad.
Their Test players, West Indies captain Brian Lara and Merv Dillon are taking a break after the marathon tour of Africa, while Ricardo Powell is injured.
Guyana take on the competitive West Indies-B at the Enmore Community Centre ground and will be in the hunt for another outright victory to stand an outside chance of making the semifinals of the competition.
It is not yet known whether their Test players, batsmen Shivnarine Chanderpaul and Ramnaresh Sarwan will play in that game.
I. Jan b Griffith 0
S. Ganga c Dowlin b McGarrell 11
S. Babwah lbw McGarrell 17
A. Kanhai c Arjune b Dowlin 16
G. Mohamed c wkp. Nagamootoo b Dowlin 3
D. Bravo not out 68
R. Emrit c Griffith b Mohamed 14
M. Black c & b Daesrath 10
A. Jaggernauth c wkp. Nagamootoo b Crandon 10
R. Sooklal lbw Crandon 0
Extras: (lb-2) 2
Total: (all out from 86.3 overs) 193
Fall of wickets: 1-13, 2-36, 3-65, 4-86, 5-88, 6-89, 7-120, 8-169, 9-193.