Barbados were in total control at the end of day one of their second round 2008 Carib Beer Regional four-day match against Guyana at the Kensington Oval yesterday thanks mainly to Ryan Hinds’s 4-14 that helped rout Guyana for 185 to which they were 58-2 in reply at the close.
Scores: Guyana 185, Barbados 58-2.
Winning the toss and opting to bowl first on a fast Kensington wicket, Barbados reaped early success when fast bowler Tino Best had Royston Crandon caught by wicketkeeper Carlo Morris without scoring with the score on 12 in the fourth over.
Travis Dowlin and former West Indies under-19 captain Leon Johnson then added 30 runs for the second wicket before Johnson, who was in a spot of bother against Best and Kemar Roach, but still found the gap to score two wonderful boundaries against each bowler, was caught by Hinds at second slip as he drove loosely at a delivery from Roach.
He made 19 from 40 balls and batted for 61 minutes. All this time, Dowlin was playing some wonderful shots of his own and he looked set for a big total.
Guyana went to lunch on 74-2 with Dowlin on 32 and new batsman Narsingh Deonarine, 19, which included a huge six, struck off Suleiman Benn.
But the defending champions had something to shout about when Deonarine turned one off his hip straight into the hands of newly appointed West Indies under-19 captain Shamarh Brooks at square leg, without any addition to his or the team’s total two balls after lunch.
Dowlin was then trapped lbw by Roach who looked on helplessly as Dwayne Smith grassed an easy chance offered by Ramnaresh Sarwan when he was on 10 and the Guyanese score 89-4.
Dowlin made 37 from 144 minutes of batting and he struck six fours from the 96 balls he faced during his sojourn at the wicket.
Sarwan then made the Barbadians pay for their lapse as he began to punish the bowling whether short or full pitched using his trademark square cut to the fullest.
He and Assad Fudadin set about repairing the damage with some purposeful running between the wickets in a partnership that was worth 55 runs for the fifth wicket.
Fudadin, like Johnson, before him looked a bit shaky to the fast bowlers especially Best, who rapped him on the glove a couple of times. He, however, weathered the storm and sweetly drove the same bowler through the cover area for four.
However, just on the stroke of tea, he drove loosely to one from Hinds and was superbly caught by Dale Richards one handed at first slip. At tea, Guyana was 148-5 with Sarwan on 46 and Derwin Christian on one.
After tea, Sarwan brought up his 50, his third consecutive one of the season with a push to short cover off Benn. He faced 83 balls and struck seven fours in getting there.
Christian, in the meantime, was belting the home attack to all parts of the Oval including two sweetly timed sixes that went over the midwicket boundary off Hinds and Benn respectively. He also swept Benn to long leg for four.
But just when the Guyanese looked set to take control of the match, Hinds wrestled it back for his country as they took the last five wickets for 41 runs after tea in a spell of 12.2 overs, as the Guyanese collapsed losing their last five wickets for just seven runs.
It started with the demise of Sarwan who drove a delivery hard but straight to Hinds at cover who accepted gleefully. Sarwan made 55 from 95 balls and counted eight fours in his innings that spanned 158 minutes. At his demise, Guyana were 178-6 and shortly after Christian struck Hinds straight to deep midwicket where Brooks took another comfortable catch to gave the bowler a double strike in his seventh over.
Zaheer Mohammed came and left so quickly that persons were surprised, as he was caught by Smith also off Hinds and when Permaul went lbw to Hinds the Guyanese were 184-9.
Esaun Crandon soon departed for six caught at the wicket by Morris off Benn, to leave Jeremy Gordon not out on nought.
Hinds ended with 4-14 from eight overs and received support from Roach (3-30), Benn (2-44) and Best (1-45).
When the home team began their reply their openers Dale Richards and Jason Haynes found the pace of Gordon too much to handle with Richards taking 14 balls to open his account.
He, however, did so in convincing fashion with a pugnacious square drive off Gordon that sped away for four. They posted 42 for the first wicket before Richards lost his wicket foolishly.
He backed away to give himself room with the intention of cutting a delivery from Mohammed, who was extracting lots of turn from the wicket, but only succeeded in losing his middle stump to the joy of the Guyanese. He made 24 from 34 balls and struck four fours during his 52-minute stay at the wicket.
Dwayne Smith replaced him but did not last long as he got one from Gordon that pitched and left him outside off stump and he edged it through to Sarwan at slip after making only one.
The score read 43-2 but Hinds (11*) and Haynes (22*) saw their team through to the close which came four overs early due to fading light at 58-2. Gordon and Mohammed are the wicket takers for Guyana with one apiece for 15 and 20 respectively.
Today is the scheduled second day and the visitors will be looking to reap early success against the home team as they seek to rebound back into the game.
