Royal Bangalore Challengers win by 9 wickets

Sep 13, 2010 Sports

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As Guyanese look overwhelmed by occasion

By Sean Devers in South Africa
In association with Digicel, Carib Beer, Leisure Inn, Igloo Ice-Cream, Forest Enterprise, Dave West Indian Imports (NY), Cops Security & Universal DVD Club

The atmosphere yesterday at the beautiful Centurion Super Sports Park in Pretoria was absolutely fantastic. The huge grass mound was ram-packed while the almost fanatic support for Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) by the Indian fans was unbelievable.
Music in between overs and the dancing girls added to the fun and frolic although the chilly gusts of winds that swept across the ground reminded the Guyanese how they were far from the tropics of South America.

The Royal Challengers (RCB) performance must have also reminded the Caribbean T20 champions about the standard of regional cricket in the West Indies and the difference in pace and bounce of the pitches from the ones here.
While Guyana’s crushing 9-wicket defeat was not a true indication of their level of talent it clearly exposed how mentally fragile the Guyanese were in their first outing on the big stage.
Centurion Park is just about 40 minutes outside the city of Johannesburg and yesterday over 20,000 screaming fans, including a small group of Guyanese from North America and Africa watched as the Guyana Amazon Conquerors looked overawed by the occasion and were outplayed in every department as ‘stage fright’ appeared to have affected the Ramnaresh Sarwan led side.
Chris Barnwell was dismissed in the final for 30 from 35 balls with 2 fours but none of the Guyanese batsmen reached 20 on a good track and the high percentage of ‘dot balls’ bowled in their 103 all out in 20 overs must be a major headache for Coach Ravindra Seeram. RCB coasted to 106-1 to win with 7.4 overs to spare.  Jacques Kallis made 44 not out from 32 balls with 4 fours and a six and Robin Uthappa 25 not out from 8 balls with 2 fours and 2 sixes.
Guyana were asked to bat and managed just 3 runs from the first over from Praveen Kumar and 4 from the 2nd bowled by Dale Steyn. Both Travis Dowlin and Sewnarine Chattergoon began nervously under the lights.   Dowlin missed a wild charge at Steyn in the 4th over before flicking the next ball for the game’s first boundary but soon pulled a short ball from Kumar to short fine leg to leave Guyana on 17-1 in the 5th over. He made 10 from 17 balls.
Chattergoon was joined by Sarwan and struck Kumar for boundaries off consecutive deliveries-over mid-wicket and extra cover. He then top-edged a slower ball ‘miles’ into the air but Raul Dravid dropped the offering with him on 14 and Guyana on 26-1 in the 5th over. Jacques Kallis was introduced in the 6th over and Sarwan hit him over long off for six before he tried to run a ball to 3rd man 2 balls later and had his off-stump knocked out to the deafening roar of the crowd, madly waving RBC and India flags. Sarwan’s 7 lasted 3 balls and Guyana were in trouble at 34-2.
Chattergoon clipped Kallis for his 3rd boundary to finish off the 6th over but leg-spinner Anil Kumble’s first over cost just 4 runs as Guyana scored 42 in the first 6 ‘power-play overs.  Chattergoon (18 from 17 balls) was run out by a direct hit from cover as Narsingh Deonarine called for a single to leave Guyana on 42-3 in the 8th over to spark spectacular fireworks from around the boundary edge.
With three of their four Test batsmen out of the way RBC were on top and the Indian fans were dancing in the stands.    Barnwell hit left-arm spinner Nayan Doshi for a boundary over his head to post the Guyana 50 in the 9th over.  It was 59-3 when Deonarine (13 from 19 balls) who again struggled badly with his strike-rate, skied Kumble to long-on in the 12th over.
Royston Crandon who played in the make-shift West Indies team here last year, joined Barnwell and the Guyanese just could not get the ball away under a clear night sky.
Crandon (5 from 10 balls) soon lofted Doshi to long-on in the 14th over to leave Guyana, who beat Barbados in the Caribbean T20 Championships to qualify for this tournament, on 70-5.
Jonathon Foo who turned 20 on Saturday, encountered all sorts of problems trying to score off the experienced Kumble before he was caught behind off of a Kallis short ball for 1 from six balls without ever trying an attacking shot.  Derwin Christian (0) lofted a catch to long-on and Kallis had struck twice in 3 balls as Guyana sunk to 75-7 in easily the most one-sided contest in the competition so far.
Lennox Cush, who recently scored a century opening the batting for the USA against Italy, joined Barnwell and they took the score to 92 before Cush (5 from 8 balls) was taken at cover off Kumar as Guyana slumped into further trouble in the penultimate over.
Guyana finally reached a three-figure total when Barnwell hit Steyn for a straight boundary in the final over but Esuan Crandon (0) was run out and Barnwell was caught behind in the last over cost just 9 runs.
When RBC began their reply Kallis struck Cush for consecutive boundaries in the first over and disdainfully flicked Esuan Crandon out of the park in the 2nd as the Indian team began positively.    Dravid then caressed Crandon for two delightful cover boundaries and after 4 overs RBC were 32-0.
Dravid punched leg-spinner Davendra Bishoo to the cover boundary as RCB raced to 50 from just 40 balls while Bishoo, the leading bowler in the Caribbean Championships leaked 2 more boundaries in his next over as he bowled too flat and seemed to lack confidence.
Royston Crandon broke the 78-run opening partnership in the 11th over when he bowled Dravid for 33 from 34 balls but Robin Uthappa clobbered Barnwell for a four and consecutive sixes in the 12th over which cost 20 runs and brought up the 100.
Kallis finished the match in style in the next over with a vicious pull of Royston Crandon for four.
The Guyana contingent leave Johannesburg today for their next match against the Mumbai Indians on Thursday and need to place emphasis on mental preparation and shot selection if they are to win their next three games to qualify for the semi-finals.
This group is still open with Highveld Lions of South Africa who beat Mumbai Indians on Friday, losing yesterday to South Australian Redbacks and once the Guyanese can believe that they belong here and bat well they are capable of an upset or two.  The big question is can they believe that after yesterday’s moral sapping defeat?

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