Latest update November 21st, 2024 1:00 AM
We must beat Jamaica says Jaguars Captain
By Sean Devers in Antigua
In association with Care Cottages &
Noble House Seafoods
An injured Shiv Chanderpaul and Devendra Bishoo added 36 runs in a match saving 
ninth wicket partnership on Monday in Antigua against the Leewards Hurricanes to help Guyana Jaguars maintain its lead in the penultimate round of the PCL First-Class cricket tournament.
Set 240 to avoid an innings defeat the Jaguars were 186-8 when Chanderpaul hobbled to the crease to join Bishoo and 89 minutes later, when the match ended at 18:22hrs with the lights in full effect an injured ‘Tiger’ had battled hard for the wounded Jaguars to ensured they just managed the escape the destruction of the Hurricanes.
Earlier, Coach Esuan Crandon had said that Chanderpaul who suffered his injuring would only bat if the team absolutely needed him in the middle. And when the experienced 41-year-old, with his leg heavily strapped, was forced to make his way to bat in a fading light and rain threatening, his team badly needed his presence if they hoped to extend their unbeaten streak to 16 in PCL Cricket.
The rest is now his history as the defending Champions who have led the pack from start to finish moved to 130 points. But while the Jaguars were struggling to survive in Antigua, second placed Barbados Pride had proudly demolished T&T’s Red Force to reduce Guyana’s lead to just seven with a final round to play from Friday.
“With Barbados only seven points behind now, we obviously have to play to win the next game outright,” Jaguars Skipper Leon Johnson told Kaieteur Sports after the draw.
Johnson, looking to join Clive Lloyd and Roger Harper as the Guyanese Captains to win two First-Class titles and the first to win them in successive seasons, expressed his hope that the GCB would allow the use of the lights at Providence in the crucial Jamaica game.
The 28-year-old Johnson added 98 with Vishaul Singh with a level headed 79 to set up the draw and become the first batsman to reached 700 (714), while Singh, who made 32, is second in the aggregate with 690 runs.
Johnson was high in praise of Chanderpaul’s contribution towards the drama filled draw which saw West Indies U-19 pacer Alzarri Joseph bowling a ‘beamer’ at Bishoo at 18:15hrs. ‘Tiger’ responded by hitting the last three balls of the final over bowled by the fiery 19-year-old Joseph, for boundaries.
“We weren’t at our best in this game, bowling and batting wise. We missed some chances in the field which we paid for, we should have been better in both innings,” said Johnson, the leading batsman and Captain in the tournament.
Johnson said the constant interruptions due to rain when the partnership between himself and Singh was building affected his batting somewhat but added that this was no excuse for not carrying on.
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