Skipper of Guyana’s Super50 team Christopher Barnwell scored his second consecutive half-century yesterday as his team defeated the Rest XI team, by 26 runs after bad light stopped play in the second practice match by the national side at the Everest Cricket Club ground.
The 50-overs-a-side match saw the national team clinching the win after the officials decided to call off the match at 18:00hrs due to bad light.
The adjudication was done on a comparison basis and saw the Rest XI ending on 194 for 7 from 46 overs and the National XI being 220 for 6 at a similar stage. The national team was subsequently adjudged the winners.
Barnwell continued his excellent form by slamming an 80-ball 84 decorated with ten fours and two sixes. Former West Indies captains Shivnarine Chanderpaul (32) and Ramnaresh Sarwan (35) were the cornerstone of the middle order as the national side, which was named on Thursday, ended on 251 for 9 from their 50 overs.
Pacer Keon Joseph (3-59), Shaquille Williams (2-31) and Amir Khan (2-42) were the principal wicket takers while Raun Johnson and Chanderpaul Hemraj bagged a wicket each.
In reply the Rest Team reached 194 for 7 from their 46 overs before the umpires stopped the match.
Openers Sewnarine Chattergoon (44) and Assad Fudadin (34) added 87 for the first wicket before Rajiv Ivan (37) not out and the pugnacious Jonathan Foo (34) added 67 for the sixth wicket in the defiant chase. Ex-West Indies spinner Devendra Bishoo snared (3-27), while Paul Wintz and Royston Crandon grabbed a wicket each.
Earlier, Joseph removed openers Robin Bacchus (14) and Trevon Griffith (16) while Leon Johnson was sent packing by his fast-bowling namesake Johnson. After his dismissal, Sarwan and Barnwell added 75 runs which was followed by another half-century partnership between Barnwell and Chanderpaul as the national side looked to post a winning total.
The team’s 50, 100, 150 and 200 came in the 15th, 28th, 27th and 44th overs respectively. Sarwan looked solid hitting three fours in his knock before Hemraj had him caught while the dependable Chanderpaul accounted for two boundaries before he was clean bowled by Joseph nearing the expiration of the allotted overs. Barnwell dealt lusty blows to the opposition bowlers and at times made the Everest ground seem too small for his liking after tearing in to the slower bowlers.
But following his dismissal, caught in the deep by Rajendra Chandrika and the dismissals of Royston Crandon (5) and Anthony Bramble (13), a late surge from Test left-arm spinner Veerasammy Permaul saw him hammer a six and a four of a Williams over before ending unbeaten on 18 off eight balls.
During the Rest team’s chase the Berbice duo of Chattergoon and Fudadin batted with confidence and synchronization as they brought up the team’s 50 in 13 overs before Fudadin was run out by Bacchus and Chattergoon was caught by wicket-keeper Bramble off the bowling of Bishoo.
With the team’s century mark coming up in the 32nd over, Chandrika (10), and Hemraj (0) went cheaply before a resurgence from Foo and Ivan saw the two Berbicians staging a brave fight against the national team’s bowlers. Foo clobbered three boundaries before he had his stumps uprooted by a Wintz delivery while Ivan confidently cut anything short and wide to the fence for his pair of fours.
Zaheer Mohamed (14) and Williams (4) were dismissed by Bacchus and Crandon respectively but Ivan continued to hold up his end with wicket-keeper/batsman Derwin Christian (2) before the umpires were forced to call off the match prematurely due to the light.
The match was the second of many organised by the Guyana Cricket Board (GCB) as a part of the ongoing training camp which is being used to prepare the players ahead of this month’s Nagico Super50 tournament set to start on January 30 in Trinidad and Tobago.
The next match is set for Monday at the Bourda Cricket ground at 9:00hrs
