By Marlon Munroe
Yesterday belonged to national middle-order batsman Assad Fudadin who chalked up his successive century on the first day of the second three-day trial match for the national team days ahead the commencement of the West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) regional four-day tournament.
Fudadin, after featuring in two century partnerships with opener Sewnarine Chattergoon and Narsingh Deonarine respectively, closed yesterday undefeated on 111.
The innings was decorated with 14 boundaries and two sixes from 182 balls and at stumps the national side was on 302-4 from 79 overs.
Chattergoon fell five runs short of his century (95) while Deonarine is the other not out batsman on a stroke-filled 61 from 66 balls.
After the Guyana XI lost opener Travis Dowlin for 19 when the score was 32, Fudadin and Chattergoon set about the task of rebuilding admirably. Their 149-run second wicket stand was built on patience and vigilance.
The two worked the ball around on the flat Georgetown Cricket Club (GCC) ground and hit the occasional boundary on the heavy Bourda outfield. The team went to lunch on 76-1 from 24 overs.
Upon resumption, the two upped the tempo with Fudadin dominating proceedings.
Eventually the pair brought up their respective half centuries as the team went to tea on 152-1. However after tea off-spinner Deon Ferrier struck when he had Chattergoon trapped lbw off a full toss to end a 170-ball vigil that saw the ball going to boundary 11 times and one going over the ropes.
With the breaking of this partnership, the middle order’s Achilles heel was exposed as the team lost Royston Crandon without scoring when the score was 182 off Christopher Barnwell, who had started to work up some serious pace and aggression. Barnwell constantly troubled Vishal Singh, the replacement of Shivanrine Chanderpaul who is sidelined by a hand injury. Singh’s inability to handle the shorter ball was evident and Barnwell used it with reckless abandon before the batsman fended another short ball to short leg where Shemroy Barrington took an easy catch.
Deonarine entered the crease and immediately started aggressively.
He hoisted Ferrier over long on twice for sixes and flicked him over midwicket for another maximum.
He and Fudadin blasted the bowling to every part of the ground before Fudadin reached three figures from 165 balls. Deonarine showed some class when he caressed pacer Trevon Garraway through extra cover for four to bring up his half century from 58 balls. Barnwell finished with figures of 3-58 from 16 overs while Ferrier took one scalp.
