By Marlon Munroe
Barbados maintained their stranglehold against Guyana yesterday after pacer Tino Best and Ryan Hinds conspired to exhibit the home team’s poor batting performance in the WICB regional four-day tournament at the Albion Community Development Centre ground yesterday.
Guyana started the day with great expectations and certainly supporters had not envisioned the rapid decline by the end of the day.
The first sign of fight came when right arm leg-spinner Devendra Dishoo restricted the smooth flow of the Barbadians when he picked up four wickets yesterday to end with 5-75 from 17 overs as Barbados only adding 77 runs to their overnight score of 326-5 to close at 403 all-out from 113.4 overs.
Guyana’s batting, however, sought to further undermine the early morning success of Bishoo and indicate clearly why they are languishing in the cellar position on seven points from three matches. After a 91-run, second-wicket stand between Gajanand Singh (66), and opener Rajendra Chandrika (32) Guyana finished day two struggling on 189-7 from 67 overs.
Camera replays showed that Singh was adjudged lbw to a ball that pitched outside the leg-stump.
`Mister Dependable’, Shivnarine Chanderpaul, whom many felt should have batted earlier rather than at number five, was unbeaten on 23 and with him was Veerasammy Permaul on eight.
Best returned in the afternoon to end with 4-55 from 12 overs while Hinds ended with 3-27 from 16 overs.
After Guyana lost its captain Sewnarinre Chattergoon for one driving uppishly to Best on the stroke of lunch, Singh and Best buckled down after the luncheon period and returned a semblance of balance to the proceedings. Singh, who has been constantly overlooked by selectors for national duty, paced the innings with young Chandrika taking notes.
He played with great timing and was patient throughout his 142-minute stay at the crease. However, during his innings there was a moment of indecision when he pushed tentatively forward to medium pacer Korey Edwards and was dropped at second slip by beanpole Sulieman Benn on 29 when Guyana was 51.
This was not to deter the stylish left-hander who stroked nine sweetly timed fours before he cut Edwards through the cover region to bring up his maiden first class half century. Chandrika also showed his class when he caressed Edwards through extra cover and then helped one on its way to the boundary through backward point.
Chandrika then survived a confident appeal from the Bajans after slip fielder Dale Richards took a diving one handed catch from a thick outside edge off the bowling of Benn.
But in Guyana’s 32nd over he threw his wicket away and broke an invaluable partnership when he stretched forward and failed to get to the pitch of the ball, swiped and got another edge that went easily to Richards off Hinds. He batted for two hours and hit four fours.
Off the first ball of the 38th over right hander Hinds bowling from over the wicket to left handed Singh struck again. Singh attempted a pull from a ball that pitched outside and turned back and hit him on his pads before getting the dreaded finger when the score was 116.
In the next over Royston Crandon was bowled by Best for six without any movement on the scoresheet; Christopher Barnwell came and was bowled off a ball that kept low for 15 from 17 balls (3×4, 31m) as Guyana crumbled to 138-5.
Chanderpaul all this time was accumulating runs and frustrating bowlers as he constantly left balls that were not there to be played or simply defended them. He had wicketkeeper Derwin Christian, who once again flattered to deceive before he was lbw for 16 to continue his poor form in the tournament with Guyana.
Zaheer Mohammed spent 31 minutes at the crease but was eventually bowled for one before Chanderpaul and Permaul, who is no rabbit with the bat, saw Guyana to the end without further disaster.
Earlier in the day Bishoo came good at the right time striking when debutant Shane Dowrich and Kevin Stoute were cruising.
He had Stoute lbw playing back on 49 before Mohammed picked up his second wicket that of Benn caught by substitute fielder Vishal Singh for two.
Bishoo confused the batsmen with his variety and turn and Dowrich went via the lbw route for 24 while Best was clean bowled for 15. Pedro Collins put up some resistance with a defiant unbeaten 13 before Corey Edwards offered an easy return catch to Bishoo to depart for five.
Mohammed and Barnwell finished with two apiece while Bess had one wicket.
