Sarwan hit 31st First-Class ton and 9th for Guyana

Feb 28, 2010 Sports

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Windwards 57-2 replying to Guyana’s 454

By Sean Devers in Grenada
In association with Lifetime Reality &
Juliette’s Book Library & Dating Service

Test player Ramnaresh Sarwan hit his 31st First-Class ton and 9th at this level for Guyana on the 2nd day of Guyana’s final round Regional 4-Day First Class cricket match against hosts Windwards Islands at the Grenada National Stadium yesterday.
By the close, the Windwards, in the cellar position just below Guyana, had reached 57-2 replying to the 454 posted by the visitors.   Devon Smith is unbeaten on 37 while night watchman Nelon Pascal is with him yet to score as the hosts need another 398 runs for first innings points heading into the penultimate day today.
The stylish Sarwan, in his first match since a back injury forced him to pull out of the Guyana squad just before his team departed for their first match, struck 13 delightful fours in his 114 from 245 balls before he was dismissed just after Tea and added 183 with Assad Fudadin, who struck 9 fours in 96 before he edged a catch to the keeper when 24 short of his maiden century at this level.
Esuan Crandon, who finished unbeaten on his maiden fifty (51) and Veerasammy Permaul (47) shared in a century partnership in the lower order to help Guyana pass the 450 mark before leg-spinner Rawl Lewis, one of 3 Grenadians to play Test cricket, wrapped up the innings to finish with 4 wickets. Off-spinner Shane Shillingford supported with the first 3 wickets in the Guyana innings.
Guyana resumed the 2nd day on 238-3 with Sarwan on 79 and Fudadin on 66 and Sarwan, who was dropped early in his innings on the first day, soon reached his 31st First-Class century inside the first hour of play yesterday.
The 2nd new ball was taken and Sarwan, who favoured the cut shot in his innings, was very watchful on a track with some ‘carry’ for the bowlers on another day of sweltering heat.
The former West Indies Captain took over half an hour after getting to his century to score his next 4 runs while the left-handed Fudadin once again showed his inability to convert a half-century into a three-figure total when he was caught by the wicketkeeper off 21-year-old debutant left-arm pacer Delorn Johnson for 76 at 277-4.
This was the 8th time that Fudadin has reached fifty in 31 First-Class games and Coach Ravindra Seeram would want to stress the need for the Rose Hall Town batsman to focus more on his concentration once he gets a half-century.
Fudadin’s demise made way for the arrival of West Indies ODI player Royston Crandon, back in the side after missing the last match and Craig Emmanuel replaced Nelon Pascal and eased the pressure with some ordinary bowling even as Johnson, a former West Indies under-19 pacer, moved the ball both ways off the seam in an impressive spell.
Sarwan survived a confident run out appeal on 107 at 296-4 when Wicketkeeper Lyndon James threw the stumps down with the former West Indies skipper wandering out of his crease just before lunch.
Sarwan cut Emmanuel through the point fielder and then savagely pulled the medium pacer through forward of square for boundaries and by lunch had reached 112. Crandon was 10 at the interval with Guyana on 302-4.
Sarwan was eventually caught at mid-wicket off leg-spinner Rawle Lewis just after lunch to leave the South Americans on 314-5.
The inconsistent Derwin Christian, good enough with the bat to have scored a First-Class ton, joined Royston Crandon and another small crowd watched as Guyana lost two more quick wickets after the demise of Sarwan.
Pacer Nelon Pascal trapped Royston Crandon (31) LBW, while Christian (8) soon departed to again exposed the inability of the new brigade of Guyanese batsmen to get hundreds at this level after Shivnarine Chanderpaul, and now Sarwan walked into the team after injury and immediately notched up three-figure scores.
Sarwan’s ton yesterday was the 15th for the season but Chanderpaul in the last round and Narsingh Deonarine in the first, have been the only other Guyanese to register centuries this season.
Permaul again showed signs of developing into a genuine all-rounder and played some handsome shots on the lightning outfield to help Guyana to 416-7 by Tea with an unbeaten 41. Esuan Crandon (33) was the other not out batsman at the break. Guyana’s decision not to declare at the break could have been influence by the fact that Permaul was one away from his highest First-Class score.
After tea the elder Crandon who is among the most hardworking players in the Guyana side and Permaul continued to bat positively as both batsmen neared maiden fifties at this level.  Permaul fell 3 short of his fifty while Davendra Bishoo and debutant Keon Joseph departed for ducks as the experienced Lewis wrapped up the tail leaving Esuan Crandon unbeaten on 51.
The Windwards began in explosive fashion with Test left-hander Smith taking the attack to West Indies under-19 pacer Joseph who conceded 32 runs from his 4 overs before Tyrone Theophile (8) was trapped leg before to Esuan Crandon.
Miles Bascombe (5) dropped by Sarwan at slip off Bishoo, smashed the Albion spinner through extra cover for four before hitting the next ball to cover where Singh held a sharp diving catch to leave the score on 46-2.
Pascal, dropped off Royston Crandon at short leg by Rajendra Chandrika, and the enterprising Smith, who scored a double century when the 2 teams last met in Grenada, joined forces to see their team to the close without further loss as the spin of Bishoo and Permaul was used with a ring of fielders around the bat.
Smith has already scored a century and a fifty this season and has been the rock the fragile Windwards’ batting has been built on.
Today, on home soil he will again need to produce if the Windwards are to have any hopes of avoiding a crushing defeat.
In other scores: T&T vs Jamaica – T&T batting a second time were 63/4 (S. Ganga 45*, Jaggernauth 1*) replying to Jamaica’s 379.  They were earlier dismissed for 144 in their first innings. (Guillen 24) Wkts: Russell 3 Dawes 1.
Jamaica 1st Inns: Parchment 109, Hyatt 104; Wkts: Khan 7, Brown 5/51.
Combined Campuses vs Leewards – Combined Campuses 94/3 Currency 25* Reifer 0* and earlier 65 (Phillips 20; Corbin 40; Wkts: Baker 12.4 Overs 8/31, Martin 2); Leewards 227 ( Leewards enforced the follow on) Hamilton 98, Baker 32 :Moore 2/, Kantasingh 5/69 , Wallace 2/2.

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