OHANNESBURG, South Africa, CMC – Ramnaresh Sarwan’s highest Twenty20 score failed to carry Guyana over the threshold, and they limped out of the Champions League T20 yesterday, following a 15-run defeat to South Australia’s Redbacks.
The Guyana captain smoked eight fours and two sixes in 70 from 46 balls, as his side failed to successfully chase 192 for victory from their allocation of 20 overs in the 17th match of the competition at the Wanderers.
Opener Richard Ramdeen – one of three changes to Guyana’s line-up – supported with 35 from 22 balls, and all-rounder Steven Jacobs scored 32 from 19 balls, but no other batsman passed 20.
Daniel Harris was the most successful South Australia bowler with three wickets for 33 runs from three overs, and his namesake Daniel Christian completed a tidy all-round performance with two for 20 from four overs.
The result condemned the Amazon Conquerors to exit the CLT20 without a point from their four matches, and confirmed the Redbacks as the group winner with a perfect record, and the first side to reach the semi-finals.
Choosing to field, Guyana wobbled South Australia at 41 for three in the sixth over, but they allowed the Redbacks to wriggle free.
Callum Ferguson struck four fours and two sixes in the top score of 55 from 37 balls for South Australia, Cameron Borgas hit three fours and one six in 48 from 36 balls, and Daniel Christian crunched three sixes in 23 from 10 balls.
Paul Wintz – another of the changes to the Guyanese line-up – was the pick of the bowlers for the Amazon Conquerors with two for 11 from three of his allotted four overs, and Davendra Bishoo captured two for 29 from four overs.
Guyana then suffered an early setback, when opener Travis Dowlin’s poor vein of form continued, and he was adjudged lbw to Jake Haberfield for two in the second over.
Sarwan then came to the crease, and increased the tempo with a stand of 42 for the second wicket with Richard Ramdeen.
But opener Ramdeen was caught at backward point off Christian in the seventh over to leave Guyana 51 for two.
Jacobs joined Sarwan, and they started to turn the tide in a stand of 56 for the third wicket, playing some handsome strokes, particularly through the off-side.
Sarwan’s most memorable stroke came when he sauntered down the pitch, and lofted Haberfield over extra cover for his first six in the 11th over.
Jacobs also slammed his only six over cover off Harris in the following over, but he sliced a drive off the ball of the next over from Aaron O’Brien, and was caught at backward point.
Christopher Barnwell was caught at long-off off Harris in the next over to leave Guyana 108 for four.
Sarwan continued to carry the burden of responsibility, but he was fortunate on 48, when Haberfield dropped him on the cover boundary off O’Brien in the 15th over.
He reached 50 from 37 balls with a drive to long-off for a single off Christian, but Jonathan Foo was caught behind off Christian in the 16th over to leave Guyana needing 63 from 29 balls.
A single to long-on off Gary Putland carried Sarwan passed his previous highest score of 59 in T20s, and he celebrated with a six over the cover boundary off the same bowler three balls later.
But Derwin Christian was caught at deep cover for three, and Sarwan was caught at long-on in the space of three balls off Harris in the 18th over to signal the end of the match as a genuine contest.
Earlier, Wintz bowled Harris for five, and Graham Manou for 15, while Barnwell had Michael Klinger caught at deep mid-wicket for 16, as Guyana rocked South Australia early.
Their bowlers failed to maintain the pressure however, and Ferguson in tandem with Borgas swung the match for the Redbacks with a stand of 88 for the fourth wicket.
Assad Fudadin – another of the Guyanese changes – bowled Borgas in the 16th over, but Ferguson persevered, and reached his 50 from 33 balls, when he swung Jacobs’ wayward, final delivery to the long-leg boundary for his fourth four.
The Guyanese paid the price for ragged bowling towards the end, with 66 coming from the last five overs.
Scoreboard
SOUTH AUSTRALIA (20 overs remaining)
*M. Klinger c Fudadin b Barnwell 16
D. Harris b Wintz 5
+G. Manou b Wintz 15
C. Ferguson c Jacobs b Bishoo 55
C. Borgas b Fudadin 48
D. Christian c Jacobs b Bishoo 23
T. Cooper not out 13
A. O’Brien not out 6
Extras (lb5, w3, nb2) 10
TOTAL (6 wkts, 20 overs) 191
G. Putland, C. Bailey, J. Haberfield did not bat
Fall of wickets: 1-15 (Harris, 1.2 overs); 2-32 (Klinger, 4.3); 3-41 (Manou, 5.3); 4-129 (Borgas, 15.3); 5-164 (Ferguson, 18.2); 6-170 (Christian, 18.4)
Bowling: Barnwell 4-0-39-1 (w1); Wintz 3-0-11-2 (w1); Bishoo 4-0-29-2; Cush 3-0-26-0; Jacobs 3-0-50-0 (nb2, w1); Fudadin 3-0-31-1
GUYANA (target: 192 off 20 overs)
T. Dowlin lbw b Haberfield 2
R. Ramdeen c Cooper b Christian 35
*R. Sarwan c Cooper b Harris 70
S. Jacobs c Cooper b O’Brien 32
C. Barnwell c Putland b Harris 1
J. Foo c wkpr Manou b Christian 5
+D. Christian c Borgas b Harris 3
L. Cush not out 12
A. Fudadin not out 7
Extras (lb2, w7) 9
TOTAL (7 wkts, 20 overs) 176
P. Wintz, D. Bishoo did not bat
Fall of wickets: 1-15 (Harris, 1.2 overs); 2-51 (Ramdeen, 6.6); 3-107 (Jacobs, 12.3); 4-108 (Barnwell, 13.1); 5-129 (Foo, 15.1); 6-150 (+Christian, 17.1); 7-154 (*Sarwan, 17.5)
Bowling: Putland 4-0-39-0; Haberfield 4-0-36-1 (w3); Christian 4-0-20-2 (w2); O’Brien 4-0-35-1 (w1); Bailey 1-0-11-0; Harris 3-0-33-3 (w1)
Result: South Australia won by 15 runs
Points: South Australia 2, Guyana 0
Toss: Guyana
Man-of-the-Match: Callum Ferguson (South Australia)
Umpires: J. Cloete, S. Tarapore
TV umpire: Aleem Dar
Matchreferee: R. Mahanama
Reserve umpire: R. Tucker