Guyana advance to semis despite 6-wkt defeat to B'dos
By Sean Devers
Kaieteur News
February 11, 2007
A nail-biting Trinidad and Tobago victory against Jamaica provided Guyana with a place in the semi-finals of the KFC Cup regional one-day cricket competition after the hosts lost by six wickets to Barbados in the final preliminary round of the tournament yesterday at Bourda.
A disciplined 54 from 67 balls, decorated with four fours and two sixes from West Indies all-rounder Dwayne Smith and a Man-of-the-Match performance by skipper Ryan Hinds (1-34 & 36*) piloted Barbados to victory.
The visitors reached 244-4 in 47.2 overs after test left-hander Shivnarine Chanderpaul, who top scored with a strangely sedated unbeaten 51, had led the defending champions to 241-8 in a game reduced to 48 overs due to a 30-minute late start because of a short shower.
Chanderpaul, faced 32 'dot balls' and never made a genuine effort to confront the bowlers with any real aggression until the final over when he registered his only two boundaries, lofting left-arm spinner Sulieman Benn for a six and a four in his 72-ball innings after a Guyana 250-plus total seemed on the cards with the score on 130-2 in the 22nd over.
Guyana , asked to bat in hazy sunshine, reached 34 in seven overs before Sewnarine Chattergoon, who hit three fours from 31 balls for 15 after being struck on his shoulder by Fidel Edwards, edged Collymore to the keeper. Travis Dowlin (18) greeted medium pacer Kevin Stoute with two exquisite cover driven boundaries but was soon trapped leg before to Dwayne Smith (85-2).
Opener Royston Crandon and skipper Narsingh Deonarine added 45 before Crandon fell to the impressive Collymore, who beat the batsmen with several impeccable deliveries on a docile track.
Crandon, dropped on one by Floyd Reifer at first slip off Edwards in the fourth over, capitalized by pulling Smith through mid-wicket, hooking him into the Ladies pavilion and smashing him with disdain to the point boundary off successive balls as the host galloped to 50 in 10.3 overs on the lightening fast outfield. Crandon faced 59 balls and his 42 was punctuated with four fours and six.
Nine runs after Crandon's demise, Deonarine (35) was brilliantly caught off left-arm spinner Ryan Hinds by Edwards running to his right from long-on. He hit five boundaries in his 44-ball innings. Assad Fudadin (8) struggled for 24 balls to get the ball away and shortly after the 150 was posted in 29.2 overs he was taken low down by the keeper off Edwards (154-5), while Deon Ferrier (14) was leg before to left-arm spinner Sulieman Benn to leave Guyana on 178-6 in the 37th over.
Derwin Christian (19) and Chanderpaul took the score to 215 when Chanderpaul, content to work the ball around, ignored Christian's call as he attempted what should have been a second run to deep cover. Both batsmen ended at the non-strikers' end resulting in Christian's unfortunate demise.
Eusan Crandon (1) was bowled by Edwards three runs later before Chanderpaul, finally showed some urgency in the final over bowled by Benn. Edwards finished with 2-33 and Collymore 2-48 for Barbados who raced to 67 in 15 overs when Wayne Blackman, who hit three fours and a six in his 40-ball 27, missed a slog sweep to off-spinner Ferrier and leg before.
Smith's arrival increased the excitement level and after taking nine balls to get off the mark, he refused a call from Dale Richards for a single to point leaving the latter stranded by the length of the pitch. Blackman's 44 included seven fours and lasted 55 balls. Smith was a model of concentration and took 31 balls to score his first boundary; a brutal six off Ferrier on top of the Lance Gibbs double-decker at long-on to post the 100 in the 23 rd over in scintillating fashion.
The talented right-hander, often criticized for orchestrating his own demise with reckless hot selection, accelerated the scoring with intelligent batting and perfect cricket shots. A straight six off Nagamootoo and consecutive extra cover driven boundaries off Esuan Crandon to post the 150 in 31 overs, were top notch.
Smith played each ball on its merit with rare maturity and reached his 50 with a bullet-like straight driven boundary off left-arm spinner Veerasammy Permaul. He and Reifer added 89 for the third wicket before Fudadin held two catches in the deep as Nagamootoo, who finished with 2-62, struck twice in the 34th over.
Reifer, whose 29 came from 40 balls and included a four and a six, was taken at long-on (167-3) while one run later a leaping Fudadin held a stupendous one-handed catch inches from the boundary board under the Rohan Kanhai stand to dismiss Smith and send the raucous, flag-waving crowd off over 6,000 into ecstasy.
Hinds, who finished unbeaten on 36 with three fours from 45 balls and Alcindo Holder whose 38 included four fours and a six from 37 balls, then conspired to silence the partisan fans with responsible batting as Barbados won with four balls to spare.
Barbados play Windwards and Guyana face T&T in the semi-finals on Thursday and Friday in St. Vincent.