If the idiom “one way traffic” ever needed explaining to a group of students in an English class, the day’s play at Everest yesterday in the U-19 tournament would have been the perfect visual representation.
They would have witnessed a combination of disciplined bowling, fielding and batting, which saw the Bajans claim the ascendancy over the home side, on the opening day of fifth and final round, of the West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) three-day tournament.
Guyana who had played unchanged in the tournament before this game, made three switches. Essequibo all-rounder Ricardo Adams (no relation to Anthony Adams) replaced Berbice all-rounder Jamal La Fleur. Secondly, a makeshift arrangement saw inconsistent opener Kandasammy Surujnarine replaced by Linden Austin who is a middle-order batsman by trade and Berbice all-rounder Clinton Pestano made way for his county compatriot – off-spinner Loyydel Lewis.
Skipper Ronsford Beaton then won an important toss in brilliant sunshine and predictably elected to take first strike on the typically spinner- friendly Everest wicket.
His side immediately found themselves in trouble as West Indies Under-19 new-ball pair of Justin Greaves and Jerome Jones blew away the Guyanese top-order.
Wicket-keeper/opener Kevon Boodie whose tournament output with the bat, has suffered from a combination of unfortunate dismissals, was dismissed second ball of the day. He pushed forward to quick bowler Justin Greaves and sent a thick outside edge to Neil Brown at second slip, to leave Guyana 4 for 1.
Austin followed next over, bowled comprehensively by left-arm quick bowler Jermaine Jones for a duck, with the score on 5.
Guyana’s middle-order lynchpin Chanderpaul Hemraj presented the “ct Browne b Greaves” combination, its second dismissal in 3 overs, to be out for 1. The Bajans greeted his departure with wild celebrations, given that they knew how psychologically important it was to get him early.
Dominic Rikki who was demoted from number 3 to number 5 for this game, then completed a miserable opening passage of play for the home side, when he was bowled behind his legs by Jones, to leave the home side in serious strife at 7 for 4 in just the fourth over.
A counter-attacking 53-run 5th wicket partnership in 54 minutes off 68 deliveries, between Kwame Crosse and Anthony Adams went about building the bridges towards recovery in the Guyana innings, with Crosse being the aggressor and Adams content on working the singles.
But in attempting his first aggressive shot in his innings and partnership off the bowling of off-spinner Chaim Holder, Adams only managed to hit a catch into the hands of Jonathan Drakes at square leg for 15, as Guyana’s innings continued to stumble at 60 for 5.
Off-spinner Holder bowling a tight off-stump line, while extracting appreciable turn from the Everest surface, soon sent back Ricardo Adams and Amir Khan both bowled for 0 and 4 respectively. Barbados skipper Kraigg Braithwaite entered the wicket-taking act, by accounting for innings top-scorer Kwame Crosse for a fighting 42 from 57 balls, that included seven boundaries, when he had him caught by wicket-keeper Mario Rampersaud.
Guyana at that stage were 74 for 8 and facing the ignominy of being bowled out before lunch. They managed to stave off that disgrace though, going to lunch on 82 for 8 in 27 overs.
The insipid Guyana batting effort was brought to an end 28 minutes after the interval, when the last man Gudakesh Motie-Kanhai was leg-before to Greaves. Guyana were all out for 87 in 34.4 overs. Justin Greaves claimed the last two wickets to finish the pick of the Bajan bowlers with figures of 9.5-3-17-4.
It has been a stunning capitulation by the talented Guyanese batting in the last two games. They started the tournament with an impressive 317 total versus the Leeward Islands but have suddenly forgotten how to compile a proper innings, as this 87-run total follows miserable scores of 103 and 79 all out versus Trinidad at this same venue in the third round, just over a week ago.
The Barbados reply suffered an early set-back when Guyana’s captain castled opener Shane Parris for 3 in the 3rd over, as the Guyanese hoped for a bowling fight back.
It wasn’t to be however, as the Bajans led by an unbeaten 55 by captain Kraigg Braithwaite (his first half-century of the tournament), along with useful innings of 31 from Anthony Alleyne and an aggressive 34 not out from Kyle Mayers, took the Bajans to the close quite pleased with their day at the office.
