The Guyana Jaguars yesterday clawed their way back and into a winning position, going into today’s final day of their seventh round Cricket West Indies regional four-day clash against the Jamaica Scorpions at the Providence National Stadium.
At close of an absorbing day’s play the jaguars were left requiring just 145 more runs to win with 10 wickets in hand.
Jaguars resumed yesterday on 203-5 in pursuit of the Jamaica Scorpions first innings score of 358 all out and were dismissed for 321 in 113.2 overs, conceding a lead of 37 runs.
The visitors began their second innings 30 minutes before tea and were dismantled for 132 in 48.1 overs, leaving the Jaguars 170 runs to win the match outright.
Jaguars got off to a blitz, with Tagenarine Chanderpaul (9 not out) and Chandrapaul Hemraj (16 not out) racing to 25 without loss from four overs.
Earlier, Christopher Barnwell flicked the first ball of the day to the mid-wicket boundary. The 32-year-old and his Barbados-born partner Raymon Reifer, forged a 60-run partnership until leg-spinner, Dennis Bulli, dismissed both batsmen in the 95th over for 42 and 27 runs respectively.
Anthony Bramble was left stranded on an unbeaten 54-ball 45 consisting of five boundaries after Jerome Taylor made light work of the lower order.
Jaguars were also aided with a five-run penalty award for time wasting after a fielder allegedly refused to go into a forward short leg position.
The Scorpions line-up lost their venom after Reifer broke the leg stump of Oraine Williams with the first ball of the second over. That created the foundation for Barnwell to snatch two quick wickets and Gudakesh Motie to tidy up the lower order as 15 wicket tumbled on the day.
Assad Fudadin consolidated with an 84-ball top score of 24.
He looked to accelerate the scoring with two boundaries, one of which was punched down the long on boundary off of Reifer but two balls later, looking for the same result, he found Romario Shepherd, who was hovering around the cover region, and who pouched the offering.
Only Chadwick Walton and Jermaine Blackwood reached double figures with 23 runs each. Blackwood was bowled by Barnwell, a beautiful delivery that nipped back and hit the off stump while Veerasammy Permaul broke through the defence of Walton who shuffled down the wicket with a forward block.
Scorpions’ total was padded with 32 extras.
Jaguars, in pursuit of 170 to win, began with a maiden but the opening pair looked keen on aggressive batting, stroking five boundaries so far.
The match resumes at 10.00hrs today.
