Guyana face another defeat despite Bishoo’s second 5-wkt haul

Feb 15, 2010 Sports

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By Sean Devers in Berbice

“Barbados show Guyana love on Valentines’ day” was how Barbadian journalist Ezra Stuart described the strange decision by Barbados not to enforce the follow-on after Guyana fell 174 runs behind Barbados’ 403 in the first session of the 3rd day of their Regional 4-Day cricket match at Albion yesterday.

Tino Best, the lively hyper-active former Test pacer, bowled fast on a ‘dead’ track to finish with 6-65, his 10th five-wicket haul at this level, while left-arm spinner Ryan Hinds supported with 3-49 as Guyana slumped from their overnight score of 189-7 to 229 all out, 37 minutes into the penultimate day’s play.   

Veerasammy Permaul hit a cameo 36 from 47 balls with 6 fours for Guyana who were not asked to follow-on by the visitors who only bowled 7 overs yesterday morning and who need an outright win here to stay in the race to wrest the title from leaders Jamaica. 

Barbados were again undermined by clever leg-spin bowling from Devendra Bishoo (5-45) who took his 2nd five-wicket haul of the match as the Guyanese capitalized on an indifferent 2nd innings batting performance from Barbados who declared at 154-9, thirty-six minutes after Tea.

Set 329 to win in 16 overs yesterday and the final day today, Guyana, hunting their first win this season, reached 59-3 by the close with Royston Crandon on 9 and night watchman Bishoo on 8 and an unlikely come-from-behind victory 270 runs away with 7 wickets in hand going into the final day.

Guyana began the day with the experienced Shivnarine Chanderpaul (the man standing between the visitors and Guyana getting the follow-on target of 253) on 23. On another day blessed with glorious sunshine, a handful of spectators watched in dismay as the 28-year-old Best quickly trapped Chanderpaul leg before for his overnight score at 194-8.

Best, who has played 14 Tests and again ran in and bowled his heart out on a batting paradise, soon had Devindra Bishoo (4) caught behind to give 18-year-old Shane Dowrich his first dismissal in First-Class cricket and leave Guyana on 204-9.

Permaul who batted very well for his 42 against Jamaica in Barbados and who has a 90-odd batting at number 3 for Albion at first division level, took the attack to the bowlers with some audacious shots in 18 before he lofted left-arm spinner Suleiman Benn to long-off to give Barbados a lead of 174 runs.

When Barbados began their 2nd innings, Dale Richards got going with a pugnacious straight drive off Bess.

But West Indies under-19 opener Kraigg Braithwaite, who again looked limited in his stroke-play despite his ‘Chanderpaul-like’ temperament, struggled to get the ball away when it was expected that Barbados would be keen on putting runs on the board.

An unusually subdued Richards (20) cut Barnwell to point where substitute Vishaul Singh held a brilliant catch to dismiss the right-hander who has scored 5 fifties this season, to leave Barbados on 29-1.

Guyana restricted Barbados to 45-1 by lunch with the dogged Braithwaite on 8 from 51 balls and the left-handed Haynes on 13. Braithwaite’s batting in the first session was as exciting as watching paint dry.

After Lunch, Haynes (21) was bowled by Chattergoon at 54-2 before Hinds (2) lofted Chattergoon to long-on as Barbados slipped to 56-3.

Zaheer Mohamed and Permaul got their ‘wires crossed’ as they both left a catch for each other that fell to the ground as Braithwaite uncharacteristically played an injudicious lofted drive high to wide mid-off, going after Bishoo with his score on 11.  

Braithwaite freed himself with a pull for four off Bishoo as Chattergoon employed an all leg-spin attack of himself and Bishoo on a track beginning to keep just a bit low and when Permaul replaced Bishoo, swept him for four.

Braithwaite then skied a catch to short-mid wicket with an ungainly swipe to give Permaul his first wicket of the innings and leave the score on 97-4. Kirk Edwards was joined by Kevin Stout and the pair made a concerted effort to increase the scoring as Chattergoon kept things tight.

Edwards stoked Permaul over mid-off for four, then on-drove him sweetly to the wide long-on boundary before going back and cutting him through point as the spinner struggled for consistency.

With the partnership just beginning to build Bishoo produced a well flighted ball which Edwards (33) drove to Chanderpaul at extra cover to leave the score on 116-5 while Bishoo, who picked up 5-75 in the first innings, bowled another beautifully flighted ball which spun and took the edge on its way to slip as Stout (5) played a loose drive and Barbados were 118-6.

Dowrich (1) then cut at Bishoo and was caught behind as Barbados slipped to 121-7 seven minutes before Tea which was taken with Barbados on 124-7 with Benn on 5, Best yet to score, and the lead 198.    

After Tea, Bishoo bowled Benn (13) at 151-8 and had Best, who threw his bat around for a quick 18, caught and bowled, to take his first 10-wicket match haul at this level as Barbados declared.

Guyana began the run chase in enterprising fashion as Chattergoon latched onto Best with 3 scintillating boundaries off consecutive balls including 2 glorious pushes through the covers and an effortless clip off his legs. But he gifted his wicket in the same over when he skied the ‘pumped-up’ Best to square-leg after making 20 to leave Guyana on 34-1.

Gajanand Singh joined Chattergoon and the pair took the score to 49 before Umpire Khemraj Barrasingha (for the 2nd time in the match) sent Singh (6) packing with a very dubious leg before decision as left-arm pacer Pedro Collins struck late in the day.

Chandrika (17) then edged Benn to slip as Guyana slipped to 51-3.

The decision by Coach Ravindra Seeram and the Guyana camp not to use the team’s best batsman Chanderpaul before at least number six in the order seems counter-productive to Guyana’s cause as the South Americans seem headed for another crushing defeat today which will sink them further into the cellar position of the 7-team competition.

Both teams were invited to attend the Berbice Cricket Board’s Awards ceremony last evening at State House in New Amsterdam and Coach Seeram was expected to be among those to be presented with their Level 1 Coaching certificate at the function.

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