Sarwan’s masterful 70 not enough as Redbacks conquer Guyana by 15 runs

Sep 22, 2010 Sports

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By Sean Devers in South Africa
In association with Digicel, Carib Beer, Leisure Inn, Igloo Ice-Cream, Forest Enterprise, Cops Security, the Caribbean Market (Maryland) & Universal DVD Club

The WICB’s claim that Ramnaresh Sarwan’s fitness is a reason for his shocking denial of a Central contract and the snub seemed to some to have affected the Guyana Captain’s performance in South Africa paled in comparison yesterday.
At the Wanderers ground in front of a small crowd, Sarwan looked as fit as anytime in his career apart from when he was in the Stanford Superstars team and produced a masterful exhibition of cultured stroke play in a losing effort as Guyana, chasing the 191-6 made by the South Australian Redbacks, put up a brave effort before going down by 15 runs as they finished on 176-7 in their final match of the Champions League T20 tournament.
Sarwan played an array of audacious shots in his entertaining 46-ball 70 before he was taken on the edge of the long-on boundary in the 18th over after hitting 8 fours and 2 sixes to prove that he is still among the world’s top batsmen and a very valuable asset to the struggling West Indies team which will tour Sri Lanka later this year.
Chasing 192 was always going to be an uphill task but the decision to persist with struggling opener Travis Dowlin was again counter-productive with Dowlin going LBW to Jake Haberfield for 2 from 6 balls at 9-1 in the 2nd over.
The decision to replace Sewnarine Chattergoon with debutant Richard Ramdeen bore fruit as the former West Indies under-19 opener hit a cameo 35 from 22 balls with 5 fours and a six and added 41 with his captain in 4.3 overs.
The much hyped up Jonathon Foo, for the third time in 4 innings, edged a short ball to the keeper and his dismissal for 5 in the 16th over with 62 needed for victory, was a crucial blow for Guyana and left too much on Sarwan.
Steven Jacobs again looked positive with a breezy 32 from 19 balls with 4 fours and a six and the non performance of Chattergoon and Dowlin at the top and Foo, Royston Crandon and Derwin Christian in the middle were key reasons why Guyana finished pointless.
The climatic conditions, bouncy pitches, nervousness and an ordinary bowling attack were also factors in their poor run but yesterday showed what could be achieved with positive batting, especially since big-hitters Chris Barnwell (1), Foo (5) and Christian (3) contributed just 9 runs among them after Jacobs departed at 107-3.
Paul Wintz, strangely not given a 2nd spell after taking 2-11 from his 3 opening overs with the new ball and leg-spinner Davindra Bishoo (2-29 from 4) bowled well in excellent batting conditions.
But Callum Ferguson (55) and Cameron Borgas (48) combined at 41-3 in the 6th over to lead a revival with savage hitting, especially against the much too fast off-spin of Jacobs (0-50 from 4) and the gentle medium pace of debutant Assad Fudadin, who eventually removed Borgas at 129-4 in the 16th over.
But by then the platform for a big score had already been set and Daniel Christian (23) and Tom Cooper (13*) weighted in with lusty hitting against an attack badly missing a strike bowler.
Guyana invited the Australians to bat in very windy conditions after leaving out the Crandon brothers, Narsingh Deonarine and Chattergoon.
Michael Klinger clipped Barnwell just over square-leg for the first boundary of the game in the opening over and followed it up with a cut for 4, next ball.
The first ball of the 2nd over from Paul Wintz was smashed to the cover boundary by Daniel Harris (5) who was bowled two balls later to leave the Redbacks on 15-1.
Wintz, back in the side after making his debut in Durban, bowled a tidy line with the new ball on a track with bounce.
A small crowd watched as Graham Manou stroked Barnwell elegantly to the cover boundary in the 3rd over and although Wintz produced an impressive 4th over, Barnwell was greeted with a savage off-driven 4 by Manou in the 5th before he removed Klinger (16) at 32-2. Manou struck Barnwell for consecutive fours and after 5 overs the Aussies were 40-2.
The 24-year-old Wintz, in only his 2nd game for his country at any level, shattered the stumps of Manou (15) at 41-3 before Ferguson and Borgas joined forces to repair the damage.
Bishoo struck twice in the penultimate over and Fudadin (3-0-31-1) was surprisingly asked to bowl the final over. Barnwell, whose first 3 overs cost 30, finished with 1-39.
Needing to score at over 9 to win, Guyana quickly lost Dowlin before Sarwan joined Ramdeen, who got going with a boundary in the first over and the pair revived the position on the lightening fast outfield.
Sarwan hooked Portland for four in the 3rd over before a mis-field at point gave Ramdeen his 2nd boundary.  Ramdeen pulled a short ball from Haberfield for 4 before flicking the next ball for another boundary. He then greeted left-arm spinner O’Brian with a pugnacious ‘inside out’ cover drive for 6 and clobbered him to the long-off boundary. After the first 6 ‘power play’ overs Guyana were 48-1.
Ramdeen (35 from 22 balls) sliced a catch to 3rd man in the 8th over as Christian struck at 51-2 and Jacobs edged a 4 off O’Brian to get his innings going.
Sarwan stroked Haberfield for 4 and dumped Cullen Bailey for 6 in the next over while Jacobs hammered the leg-spinner for 4 through extra cover and after 10 overs Guyana, not having to contend with the raw pace of Shun Tait who was rested, were 82-2.
Jacobs flicked Haberfield for 4 and Sarwan hit him into the grass embankment in the 11th over while Jacobs’ 6 off Harris brought up the 100 in the next and was celebrated with a scorching square driven boundary by the Malteenoes all-rounder.
Barnwell (1) fell to O’Brian at 108-4 before Sarwan deposited the leg-spinner into the stands as the South Americans continued their positive batting.  Sarwan was dropped on the extra cover boundary on 44 in the 15th over off O’Brian and got to his 50 from 37 balls before Foo, who got going with boundary, edged Christian to the keeper.
A four from the skipper over mid-wicket kept Guyana in the hunt but with 56 required from the last 24 balls, Sarwan was running out of support.
Sarwan hit a four and a six in the 17th over to reduce the target to 42 from 18 balls before Christian (3) hit Harris to deep cover at the start of the 18th over.
Sarwan square-drove for 4 but fell two balls later as Guyana slipped to 154-7. Cush, batting with a runner, kept hopes alive with a 6 off Harris in an eventful 18th over which cost 12 runs and produced 2 wickets.
With 30 needed for the last two overs, Gary Portland conceded just 7 runs from the 19th as Fudadin could not find the boundary, leaving Guyana to get 23 from the last over from Christian.
This proved too much as Cush finished unbeaten 12 and Fudadin on 9. Harris had 3-33 and Christian 2-20 for the Aussies who enter the semi-finals with four consecutive victories.
The Guyanese are expected to depart South Africa this evening for their trip back home, via London.
Scores: South Australia 191 for 6 (Ferguson 55, Borgas 48) beat Guyana 176 for 7 (Sarwan 70, Harris 3-33) by 15 runs.

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