The national cricket team was $500,000 richer after a satisfying day’s work at their Georgetown Cricket Club’s Bourda, office yesterday when they made light work of a USA team in a feature 40 overs-a-side game.
Travis Dowlin led the way with a man-of-the match performance which earned him two tickets to Trinidad courtesy of Travel Span after the national team, batting first, had rattled up 243-6 off their allotted overs with Dowlin slamming a run-a-ball 79.
The in-form Dowlin blasted six fours and three sixes and featured in a 97-run fourth wicket partnership with Leon Johnson, whose 46 came off 60 balls and included three fours and one six.
Krishna Deosarran chipped in with 27 not out off 20 balls with two fours; Royston Crandon eased his way to 24 off 29 balls with the aid of four boundaries and Derwin Christian’s 22 came off only 18 balls and included a solitary six and four.
Neil Mc Garrell, who along with Reon King and Lennox Cush played for the USA side ended with 2-54 from eight overs while King bagged 1-48 from six overs and Cush 1-39 from seven overs.
Fast bowler Telson Johnson ended with 1-19 from four overs and Kumar Nandalall 1-36 from eight.
The USA team in reply were off to a good start with openers Cush and Mohammed Rasheed putting on 37 for the first wicket.
Cush was eventually dismissed for the top-score of 36 and , apart from Karran Ganesh who made 32 and Rasheed, who made 19 the USA batting fell away and they were dismissed for 148 off 35.2 overs.
Cush faced 51 balls striking three fours and one six while Ganesh’s 32 came off 42 balls with four boundaries.
Their two most experienced batsmen Steve Massiah and Sudesh Dhaniram made seven and six respectively.
Johnson crowned a fine all-round match bagging 2-8 from seven overs while Mahendra Nagamootoo 2-31, Royston Crandon 2-23 and Zaheer Mohammed 2-28 were the other wicket-takers.
President of the Guyana Cricket Board Chetram Singh congratulated the “local Guyana” team for their win adding “better luck to you guys on my right.”
The two sides will clash again today at the National Stadium at Providence and Singh said he was looking forward to a good game. He also thanked the executive of the USA team for “making the game possible.”
Jack Bharrat, speaking on behalf of the USA team said his team congratulated the Guyana team for their win but warned that his team “would be coming back strong tomorrow.”
Presentations were made by Ed Ahmad and Krishna Raghubeer.
