Shivnarine Chanderpaul again showed why he is the rock of the Caribbean constructing an unbeaten match-winning 98 to steer the Guyana Jaguars to the finals of the NAGICO Super50 finals with a win over Jamaica last evening at Trinidad’s Queen’s Park Oval.
The West Indies Test batsman batted 142 balls with six fours, missing a well-deserved hundred as he took Guyana to their target of 189-4 in 48.1 overs in a flowing partnership with Royston Crandon. Crandon scored an unbeaten 45 from 55 sharing a 99-run fifth wicket partnership with his more senior partner as they replied to the Jamaicans 188 for 9.
The surprise package for the losing team was John Campbell who bagged 3 for 20 and missed a hat-trick while Derval Green picked up 1-25 in a losing cause. The former West Indies Test spin twins Devendra Bishoo (3-33) and Veerasammy Permaul (3-38) were the chief tormentors for the Jaguars and managed to restrict the Jamaicans to their low total in 50 overs afterHorace Miller stroked a composed 64 for his side.
Chanderpaul, who opened with Rajendra Chandrika (05), were cautious when approaching their relatively low target as the opening bowlers Mindley and Green managed to beat the bat a few times in the opening overs.
Green found success soon after when he had Chandrika given out leg before wicket. Vishaul Singh (18) and Chanderpaul then joined forces with a sedate half-century partnership which stabilized the middle-order after the loss of Chandrika. Singh then played all around a delivery from part-time John Campbell and was bowled, bringing an end to the partnership. All-rounder Raymon Reifer (00) was then out on the first ball, caught and bowled by Campbell who was on the verge of a hat trick.
Chanderpaul reached his half-century with a push through the off-side off Campbell with four boundaries from 91-balls. This was followed by the untimely dismissal of the captain Chris Barnwell who was trapped LBW by Campbell who continued the fool the Guyanese batsmen.
Crandon’s arrival at the crease saw the two West Indies ODI players adding 47 in just 49 deliveries with the younger Crandon easing the pressure tremendously with his busy approach to the chase. The two motored on and eventually took the required rate to 24 from 41 balls in the 45th over with Chanderpaul less than 20 runs from a well-deserved, match-winning century while Crandon edged close to a well-deserved 50.
The innings came to an inevitable end when Chanderpaul flicked Dave Bernard Jr through mid-wicket for two which sealed the Jamaicans doom and took the Guyanese to Sunday’s final.
Earlier, openers Nkrumah Bonner (24) and Campbell (21) were involved in a half-century stand before Steven Jacobs (1-26) drew first blood when he had the latter trapped LBW. The following over saw the veteran instincts of Chanderpaul coming into play when he smartly assessed a mix up between new man Jermaine Blackwood (1) and Bonner, when he had the other opener ran out.
The Test batsman Blackwood was then removed LBW by Permaul while Andre McCarthy (13) who was put down by Griffith in first slip, was out caught in the deep off Permaul which gave Crandon (1-38) a well-deserved scalp. Veteran Danza Hyatt (00) became Permaul’s second victim when he edged a beauty of a ball to the keeper Bramble as the Jamaicans had their top order rattled for less than 80 runs.
But Miller defied the bowlers during his well-crafted innings as the likes of Dave Bernard Jr (14), Green (11) and skipper Nikita Miller (05) fell to the spin of Bishoo and Permaul. The final pair of batters Damion Jacobs (10) and Mindley (11) shared a nice partnership at the back-end of the innings before the overs expired.
Scoreboard
JAMAICA
N Bonner run out 24
J Campbell lbw b Jacobs 21
J Blackwood lbw b Permaul 1
A McCarthy c Permaul b Crandon 13
D Hyatt c Bramble b Permaul 0
+H Miller b Bishoo 64
D Bernard Jr c Beaton b Bishoo 14
D Green c wkp Bramble b Permaul 11
*N Miller c Crandon b Bishoo 5
D Jacobs not out 10
M Mindley not out 11
Extras (lb4, w10) 14
TOTAL (9 wkts, 50 overs) 188
Fall of wickets: 1-51, 2-51, 3-54, 4-54, 5-79, 6-111, 7-150, 8-162, 9-171.
Bowling: Beaton 3-0-19-0, Jacobs 10-2-26-1, Barnwell 7-1-30-0, Permaul 10-2-38-3, Crandon 10-1-38-1, Bishoo 10-2-33-3.
JAGUARS
R Chandrika lbw b Green 5
S Chanderpaul not out 98
V Singh b Campbell 18
R Reifer c & b Campbell 0
*C Barnwell lbw b Campbell 6
R Crandon not out 45
Extras (lb7, w9, nb1) 17
TOTAL (4 wkts, 48.1 overs) 189
Fall of wickets: 1-17, 2-76, 3-76, 4-90.
Bowling: Mindley 10-2-31-0, Green 8-1-25-1, Bernard 4.1-0-28-0, Miller 10-0-39-0, Jacobs 10-0-39-0, Campbell 6-1-20-3.
Result: Jaguars won by six wickets.
Series: Jaguars qualify for final.
Man-of-the-Match: Shiv Chanderpaul.
Toss: Jaguars.
Umpires: G Brathwaite, J Wilson.
