BRIDGETOWN, Barbados, (CMC) - Four wickets in the final hour brought Barbados back into their semifinal of the Carib Beer 2004 Cricket Series, after century-maker Ramnaresh Sarwan and captain Shivnarine Chanderpaul engineered a recovery for Guyana with a record partnership at Kensington Oval yesterday.
Left-arm medium-fast bowlers Pedro Collins and Ian Bradshaw equally shared four wickets in the final hour to restrict Guyana to 248 for seven when stumps were drawn on the opening day, after Sarwan completed his second century since his return from the West Indies tour of South Africa and Chanderpaul weighed in with a half-century.
The deceptive Collins has taken four wickets for 72 runs from 20 overs and the hard-working Bradshaw has supported with an economically penetrative effort of two for 38 from 30 overs that included 15 maidens, eight on the trot.
Sarwan and Chanderpaul, Guyana’s two most experienced batsmen, hammered the Barbadians for close to five hours to share a record 203-run, fourth-wicket stand that lifted their side from the perils of 29 for three in the first hour.
Sarwan, the Guyana and West Indies vice-captain, transported the rich vein of form that he has carried in the two previous matches to strike 13 fours in 121 from 205 balls in just over five hours of batting.
He played strokes on either side of the wicket, but a square drive on bent knee for four off Corey Collymore showed the kind of ominous form that prompts great expectations for him ahead of the imminent four-Test home series against England, starting at Kingston on March 11.
Chanderpaul, controversially appointed Guyana captain last year ahead of Sarwan, offered his vice-captain essential support throughout their record-breaking stand that eclipsed Guyana’s previous record against Barbados of 167 shared between Clayton Lambert and Andre Percival seven years ago at Kensington Oval.
The crabby left-hander spent just under five hours at the crease for his 81 from 192 balls. Although he played a few delightful strokes to gather nine boundaries, he was clearly not at his fluent best. But he would have been happy to spend such a long period in the middle to shape up for higher intensity tussles next month.
Both batsmen benefited from Barbados’ weakest performance in the field for the season. Ryan Hinds put down Chanderpaul, then zero, at third slip off Collins and Bradshaw twice missed Sarwan at square leg off Corey Collymore when the batsman was on 60 and 64 respectively.
After Guyana were sent in to bat on a hard, easy-paced pitch in sunny conditions, three quick wickets, two to Collins, in the space of three overs in a ten-minute period, rocked Guyana’s innings.
First, opening batsman Ryan Ramdass, who played earlier in the Championship for West Indies-B, was caught down the leg-side by wicketkeeper Courtney Browne, the Barbados captain, off Collins for 14.
Ramdass’ fellow opener Sewnarine Chattergoon was adjudged lbw for 12 in the next over and Collins then removed Travis Dowlin lbw for one in the following over to seemingly justify Barbados’ decision to field first.
But missed chances, unpenetrative bowling from the Barbadians on an unresponsive pitch, along with the skill of Sarwan and Chanderpaul, weaned on over 100 Tests and One-day Internationals between them denied the repeat Carib Beer Cup champions more early success.
Bradshaw, however, made the breakthrough that Barbados knew was vitally important to their progress through a questionable Guyana batting line-up when he removed the two West Indies stars in successive overs after tea, caught behind essaying cuts to take Browne’s record tally of dismissals to 37.
Narsingh Deonarine nervously batted through close to 40 minutes before Collins gained an lbw verdict to put him out of his misery for two, and Neil McGarrell, who led Guyana in their opening match of the season which they lost to the Barbadians, also went lbw to Collins for four offering no stroke as the visitors threw away a healthy position.
GUYANA 1st innings
S. Chattergoon lbw b Collymore 12
R. Ramdass c wkpr Browne b Collins 14
R. Sarwan c wkpr Browne b Bradshaw 121
T. Dowlin lbw b Collins 1
S. Chanderpaul c wkpr * Browne b Bradshaw 81
N. Deonarine lbw b Collins 2
D. Daesrath not out 9
N. McGarrell lbw b Collins 4
M. Nagamootoo not out 0
Extras: (lb-3, nb-1) 4
Total: (7 wkts) 248
V. Nagamootoo, R. Griffith to bat.
Fall of wickets: 1-27, 2-27, 3-29, 4-232, 5-233, 6-243, 7-247.