Bishoo (5-75), Singh (66) shine for Guyana

Feb 14, 2010 Sports

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But Barbados in command at Albion

Twenty-four year-old Guyanese leg-spinner Davendra Bishoo produced his best performance this season to capture his 3rd five-wicket haul at this level as he captured 5-75 from 24.4 overs on his home ground Albion, to yesterday help to dismiss Barbados for 403 on the 2nd day of their 5th round Regional 4-day cricket encounter.
By stumps yesterday, the Guyanese were in serious trouble on 189-7 with Test player Shivnarine Chanderpaul unbeaten on 22 from 85 balls and 127 minutes and Veerasammy Permaul not out on 8 as Barbados put themselves in a commanding position at the half way stage of the match.
Gajanand Singh, back in the team for the first time this season, top scored with an attractive 66 as the Guyanese gave the impression that someone had replaced the pitch on which Barbados had piled up 403 when they batted.
Of course that was not the case and it was a combination of loose Guyana batting and impressive bowling from Tino Best (4-55) and left –arm spinner Ryan Hinds (3-27) that left Guyana again wobbling on the ropes still 214 away from first innings points. With just 3 wickets in hand, Guyana are still in danger of not making the 253 required to avoid the possibility of being asked to follow-on.
Barbados resumed on 326-5 with Kevin Stout on 36 and Shane Dowrich on 5 and together they extended their partnership to 42 as the Guyanese pacers (Brendon Bess and Chris Barnwell), not given the new ball, allowed too many free runs in steaming heat.
Stout pulled Bess for 4 and then edged him to the 3rd man boundary next ball as Barbados passed the 350 mark.
Bishoo, on his home ground then trapped Stout LBW for 49 with 6 fours from 91 balls at 363-6 while Mohamed, in his first over of the day, had Suleiman Benn (2) caught at mid-wicket at 365-7.
Shane Dowrich (24) missed a sweep at Bishoo and was leg before at 376-8 while Tino Best (15) was bowled at 381-9 by Bishoo who wrapped up the innings when he had Pedro Collins caught and bowled for 5 as Barbados were dismissed 29 minutes before lunch.
It was a commendable performance from the Guyanese who picked up the last half of the Barbados innings for 77 runs in 20.4 overs in the first session yesterday.
When Guyana began their reply, Rajendra Chandrika got going with an elegant flick off his legs for four off Best before his Skipper Sewnarine Chattergoon (1) drove Best to mid-off on the stroke of Lunch with Chandrika unbeaten on 6 and the hosts in early trouble.
After lunch the 22-year-old Singh, a former West Indies under-19 player with 5 First-Class matches to his name, took the attack to the bowlers with an array of entertaining shots while Chandrika again showed his repertoire of silky dives as the pair carried Guyana to 104 before Hinds struck as Chandrika, not for the first time this season, gifted his wicket with an impetuous shot when well set for a big score.
With the 2nd wicket partnership worth 89 and both batsmen looking well entrenched on a batting paradise, Chandrika seemed fortunate to survive an appeal for caught at slip off Hinds on 33 at 92-1 after the 2 Umpires had consulted.
As the partnership continued to build, Barbados used the strange tactic of asking rookie pacer Corey Edwards to bowl without a single fielder on the leg-side.
Chandrika played a flashing drive to Hinds and was taken at slip at 104-2 on the verge of Tea as concentration again helped to orchestrate his demise.
Singh, whose confidence increased as his innings progressed, past his previous highest of 43 not out and soon reached his maiden half-century at this level to be unbeaten on 66 by Tea with Royston Crandon (1) and Guyana on 112-2 by the break.
Barbados struck twice in quick succession after Tea when Singh, who struck 11 fours from 104 balls and 142 minutes, seemed unlucky to be adjudged leg before to a ball pitched outside leg stump from Hinds to leave Guyana on 116-3 before Crandon (6) was bowled in the next over without addition to the score.
Chanderpaul, batting at number 5 in the order, arrived to a warm round of applause from the small crowd and soon got going with a nonchalant lofted drive off Hinds for four while Chris Barnwell pulled Best savagely to the mid-wicket and then stroked him through mid-off for four.
Best then produced a brute of a ball that cut back and kept low to scatter Barnwell’s wicket as Guyana slipped to 137-5 and the DCC right-hander, who batted at number 3 in the last match, was gone for 14 with 3 fours.
Derwin Christian was dropped by debutant keeper Dowrich before he had scored but gradually settled down to offer good support to Chanderpaul, whose almost disinterested approach to the off-target delivers and a bat which seemed as broad as the Berbice River must have began to frustrate the Bajans.
An edged past slip for four from Christian and a few appeals that were turned down added to the Bajans plight in sweltering heat.
The poor Guyana top order display on a docile track on which Barbados joined T&T and Jamaica as teams with 400 totals against Guyana this season emphasized the inability of the Guyanese batsmen to convert good starts into meaningful scores this season.
Guyana slipped to 156-6 when Christian (17) was leg before to Hinds as Barbados tightened the screws.
It was 171-7 when Mohamed (1) was beaten for pace and bowled by Best before Permaul stayed with Chanderpaul to the close with Guyana needing another 65 to avoid the follow-on.
Play on the penultimate day is scheduled to commence at 10:00hrs today and a lot will depend on Chanderpaul to get Guyana close to the Barbados total.

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