NORTH SOUND, Antigua, CMC – Leon Johnson marked his debut in the shortest version of the game yesterday, with a vital, unbeaten 37, helping Guyana overcome the mambo-jambo that almost kept them out of this Caribbean Twenty20 tournament, and leading them to a five-wicket victory over Leeward Islands.
Johnson struck two fours and two sixes from 32 balls, as the Amazon Conquerors, as they are also known, put the dispute about the running of the affairs of the game back home behind them to successfully chase down 135 for victory in the second match of the tournament at the Vivian Richards Cricket Ground.
The left-hander was fortunate on 11, when makeshift ‘keeper Jahmar Hamilton muffed a run-out chance, and remained to share a vital 46 for the fifth wicket with his captain Christopher Barnwell that put the Guyanese firmly on course for victory, after they wobbled to 69 for four.
Johnson earned the Man-of-the-Match award, after he formalised the result, lofting Lionel Baker over wide long-off for six.
The victory was the perfect way for the two-time regional T20 champions to start the tournament, after their participation looked in jeopardy, when the Guyana Cricket Board said last week it could not field a side for the tournament and the West Indies Cricket Board had moved to select a West Indies B-Team.
This stemmed from the Guyana Government’s decision to establish an Interim Management Committee to oversee the affairs of the game in the country, deposing the current GCB executive and shutting them out of their offices at Bourda Oval.
The Guyana Government felt compelled to intervene in a dispute between the GCB and its members, following a legal challenge of the legitimacy of the Ramsay Ali administration and Chief Justice Ian Chang’s ruling that they should get involved.
The Conquerors had looked in charge from early, after Leewards chose to bat and got into difficulty on 99 for six in the 18th over before Justin Athanaze hit three sixes in the top score of 30 not out from just 15 balls, giving them a competitive 134 for six from their allocation of 20 overs.
Sewnarine Chattergoon gave Guyana brisk start, launching the innings with a crisp cut through backward point for four before he was caught at mid-wicket off Athanaze’s off-spin in the fifth over.
Durable West Indies batsman Shivnarine Chanderpaul marked his return to national colours with consecutive sixes from his first two deliveries off Athanaze, but two balls later, Trevon Griffith was run out for six.
Chanderpaul seemed on a mission and continued to bat with enterprise. He struck two sixes over long-on in the first over of left-arm spinner Jason Campbell before he lofted the same bowler to long-off and was caught for 30 in the ninth over.
Left-hander Narsingh Deonarine soon followed, caught behind for 15 nibbling at a delivery outside the off-stump from Gavin Tonge in the 12th over.
Johnson, who played three One-day Internationals for West Indies four years ago, joined Barnwell and they batted with crisp assurance, striking boundaries in between nifty running between the wickets.
Barnwell tilted the balance of power in his side’s favour with a six over deep backward square leg off Athanaze that eased the equation before leg-spinner Anthony Martin, his opposite number, bowled him for 21 in the 18th over, leaving Johnson and Royston Crandon to chip away at the remaining 19 from the last 15 balls.
Earlier, Leewards too, started briskly, but Guyana’s spin-based attack kept their batting under wraps until Athanaze’s pyrotechnics in the closing stages.
West Indies leg-spinner Devendra Bishoo had his figures spoiled, when he conceded three sixes in his final over, the last of the innings, which cost 22.
The victory earned Guyana four points and T&T none with the losers set for action tomorrow, when they face Trinidad & Tobago at the same venue, where Guyana meet the same opponents two days later in their second match.
LEEWARD ISLANDS: Anthony Martin (captain), Austin Richards Jr, Kieran Powell, Chesney Hughes, Javia Liburd, Devon Thomas, Jahmar Hamilton (wicketkeeper), Justin Athanaze, Gavin Tonge, Jason Campbell, Lionel Baker
GUYANA: Christopher Barnwell (captain), Shivnarine Chanderpaul, Trevon Griffith, Sewnarine Chattergoon, Narsingh Deonarine, Leon Johnson, Royston Crandon, Steven Jacobs, Derwin Christian (wicketkeeper), Devendra Bishoo, Veerasammy Permaul
UMPIRES: Vincent Bullen, Peter Nero
TV UMPIRE: Joel Wilson
MATCH REFEREE: Adrian Griffith
RESERVE UMPIRE: Bernard Joseph