Barbados was nearly stripped of their pride yesterday after spinners Veerasammy Permaul and Devendra Bishoo ran amok at the Guyana National Stadium leaving the islanders tottering with a lead of 54 and only three wickets in hand.
Half-centuries from Shane Dowrich and Ryan Hinds helped Barbados Pride gain a lead after they were forced to follow-on in the WICB’s Professional Cricket League. They were mowed down for 101 off 42.2 overs in the first innings by the venomous spin of Permaul who snatched 8-26 as he defended Guyana’s first innings of 261.
Played in front of a sprinkling of spectators at the Guyana National Stadium, Permaul followed up his mesmerizing 11-wicket haul against the Windwards with another magical spell of left-arm spin which yielded first innings figures of 8-26 from 15.2 overs, again exhibiting good control, variation and use of the conditions.
The 25-year-old Permaul then returned in the second innings to snare 2-65, wrapping up day three with figures of 10-91 while the right-arm leg-breaker Bishoo joined the party in the second innings to bag 4-65. Chris Barnwell (1-17) was the other wicket-taker.
The two half-centurions added a crucial 97-runs to bail Barbados out of a possible three-day defeat. Dowrich stroked a workman-like 50 from 120 balls with seven fours while Hinds, the ex-West Indies all-rounder hit an unbeaten 60 from 126-balls with three fours and one six, leaving the Barbados Pride at 214-7 from 69 overs heading into the final day with Ashley Nurse (*6), set to resume his innings with Hinds.
After their collapse in the first innings, Guyana skipper Vishaul Singh, in his debut match as captain rotated his bowlers in a productive effort. After sensing a possible win inside four days, the skipper decided to enforce the follow-on minutes before lunch which meant Barbados needed to score another 161 runs upon the resumption of play to ensure Guyana bat a second time.
Barbados started off their second innings positively with openers Omar Phillips (11) and Kyle Corbin (35) taking the score to 30 before Barnwell struck after the lunch break removing Phillips LBW. The top/middle order would again implode when Corbin was removed by Permaul and Shai Hope (9) and Johnathan Carter (6) were sent back to the dressing room compliments of Bishoo.
The experienced pair of Hinds and Dwayne Smith (10) came to the middle with their team in all sorts of trouble but managed to launch a brief counter-attack before Bishoo foxed Smith into a playing an expansive shot off a slow delivery and was nailed leg before wicket leaving the score at 78-5.
The spinners would operate in a tag-team manner with Bishoo operating from one end and Permaul from the other as the Jaguars hunted the last five wickets, hoping to complete another emphatic thumping on home soil. Hinds and Dowrich however managed to score boundaries of the odd bad delivery and picked up the necessary singles which eventually helped to raise the 100-run mark.
Dowrich took his score to 26 while Hinds was on 19 at the tea break with the score 121-5. When play resumed the duo knuckled down and gave the Guyana bowlers a test as both
batsmen took their scores into the 40’s with Dowrich the first to reach his half-century with single.
Bishoo then broke the partnership when Dowrich was caught by Rajendra Chandrika in the gully area. The skipper Brathwaite who chose to open the batting in the first innings then came to partner Hinds who was seven runs short of his 50.
The left-hander smacked Bishoo for a huge six over the mid-wicket area to take his score to 49 before reaching his 50 with a single. But Brathwaite (14) soon became Permaul’s 10th victim of the match when he was trapped LBW by the left-arm spinner who returned to operate from his favourite Media Centre End.
The 200 came up for the Pride minutes before the close of play with Hinds and Nurse fighting to keep the match alive, which they did as the curtains came down on an eventful day of cricket.
Earlier, resuming on 33-2 after heavy rain washed out most of the action on day two, Permaul ripped through the remainder of the batting lineup, accounting for the wickets of Hope (10), Carter (16), top scorer Smith (32), Dowrich (3) along with the trio Nurse, Miguel Cummins and Jomel Warrican who were all dismissed for ducks.
Openers Brathwaite and Corbin were the batsmen dismissed by Permaul and Ronsford Beaton respectively on the second day prior to rain interrupting the action. Smith struck four fours and one six in his brisk knock but was unable to carry on and with the majority of the top order back in the pavilion, the lower order became easy pickings for the home team who snared the last five wickets for fewer than eight runs, as Phillips remained stranded yet to score.
Barbados will be hoping to extend their lead to provide a respectable challenge on the final day while the Jaguars will be seeking to roar to their third consecutive win at home. The match is scheduled to start at 9:00hrs.
Scoreboard
GUYANA 1st Innings 261
BARBADOS 1st Innings
(overnight 33 for two)
K Corbin c Griffith b Beaton 6
*C Brathwaite c Reifer b Permaul 18
S Hope c wkp Bramble b Permaul 10
J Carter c Bishoo b Permaul 16
D Smith lbw b Permaul 32
R Hinds lbw b Bishoo 7
+S Dowrich lbw b Permaul 3
O Phillips not out 0
A Nurse lbw b Permaul 0
J Warrican lbw b Permaul 0
M Cummins lbw b Permaul 0
Extras (b7, lb2) 9
TOTAL (all out, 42.2 overs) 101
Fall of wickets: 1-6, 2-33, 3-36, 4-71, 5-85, 6-95, 7-95, 8-95, 9-95, 10-101.
Bowling: Permaul 15.2-5-26-8, Barnwell 4-0-18-0, Beaton 6-0-22-1, Reifer 9-4-9-0, Deonarine 3-0-11-0, Bishoo 5-2-6-1.
BARBADOS PRIDE 2nd Innings (following on)
K Corbin c Hetmyer b Permaul 35
O Phillips lbw b Barnwell 11
S Hope c and b Bishoo 9
J Carter lbw b Bishoo 6
D Smith lbw b Bishoo 10
R Hinds not out 60
+S Dowrich c Chandrika b Bishoo 50
*C Brathwaite lbw b Permaul 14
A Nurrse not out 6
Extras (b7, w1, nb5) 13
TOTAL (7 wkts, 69 overs) 214
Fall of wickets: 1-30, 2-58, 3-58, 4-69, 5-76, 6-171, 7-196.
Bowling: Beaton 8-1-21-0, Perrmaul 23-3-65-2, Barnwell 7-2-17-1, Reifer 8-1-30-0, Bishoo 20-3-65-4, Deonarine 2-0-9-0, Griffith 1-1-0-0.
Position: Pride lead by 54 runs overall.
Toss: Pride
Umpires: Nandkumar Shivsankar, Patrick Gustard.
