Guyana National Industrial Corporation (GNIC) will now meet Demerara Cricket Club (DCC) in the final of the Georgetown Cricket Association (GCA)/Digicel Twenty20 competition after beating Georgetown Cricket Club (GCC) by seven wickets at the Camp Ayanganna ground yesterday.
The team was led by an authoritative 67 from Krishna Arjune and an equally vital pinch hitting innings of 21 not out from Rayon Griffith as their team overhauled GCC’s 148-6 by posting 152-3 in 20 overs. When GCC, who won the toss, batted Leon Johnson made an unbeaten 49.
He was assisted by the aggressive Wasim Haslim (23) and Ravi Sarwan (18), who had to be rushed to the hospital for a knee injury he sustained while attempting to take a catch when GNIC batted. Ricardo Jadunauth (15) and Joshua Wade (15 not out) also contributed with the bat.
Rawle Merrell was the main bowler for GNIC with returns of 3-22, which included the wicket of Ramnaresh Sarwan, who made zero.
Arjune and Quincy Ovid-Richardson started off positively hitting sweetly timed shots before Ovid-Richardson was bowled by Raj Nanan as he backed away to cut a delivery off his stumps. Arjune pulled Jadunauth to wide long on for four and then lofted him for six over the same position.
Johnson was treated roughly by Arjune, who hit him for six to raise his half century. The right hander took a liking to Jadunauth by hitting him over midwicket for another one of his five sixes, before he held out to Vishal Singh at deep cover off Johnson.
When Arjune departed Griffith had to now play the anchor role. His team required three runs off the last ball with Johnson bowling. And as luck would have it Griffith top edged Johnson over the ropes at backward square for six to wrap the game up.
Johnson threw himself to the deck in disbelief as Griffith’s teammates converged on the field.
Earlier, Johnson had joined Vishal Singh at the crease and they brought some order back to the innings. Singh drove a free hit delivery from Griffith between extra cover and mid on for four before he was stumped by Dexter Solomon off Collis Butts to leave GCC on 61-4.
Johnson slowly started to assert himself on proceedings by striking Arjune and Shawn de Souza for sixes over mid wicket in partnership with Ravi Sarwan, who pulled Ranole Bourne for a boundary. Bourne, however, got the final say when he bowled Sarwan in his next over.
Subsequently, Wade muscled a quick-fire 15: he struck Butts for six over wide long on and followed with back to back fours from the final two deliveries of the innings bowled by Clyde Butts.
