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CWI Digicel Regional 4-day C/Ships …Hurricanes face Jaguars today in Day/Night game at Providence
Only team to beat Guyana in 33 games
By Sean Devers
Guyana Jaguars will go head to head with the Leewards Hurricanes, the only team that beat them in their last 33 matches in the CWI Digicel Regional four-day Championships, when the two sides meet from 14:00hrs this evening under lights at Providence in the seventh round of the tournament.
Vishaul Singh has two tons and an unbeaten 97 in St Kitts.
The Jaguars will want to produce a far better batting performance than they had against last placed Windwards Hurricanes last week which resulted in the first Tie in a First-Class match in the West Indies as Providence hosts its first ‘Orange ball’ First-Class game under lights.
Hurricanes blew away the Jaguars twice last season, while Guyana held on for a draw when the teams last met in the third round in St Kitts. The Hurricanes return to a venue where the three-times defending Champions suffered their last defeat in the final match last season.
Jaguars have won four of their six games so far and should have easily won a fifth in the last round on home soil and have led throughout the tournament so far.
The most dominant team in West Indies Franchise First-Class cricket, the Jaguars are on 97.2 points, way ahead of second placed Jamaica Scorpions on 67.8 and T&T’s Red Force on 67.6.
Hurricanes start this game on 57 points, only ahead of Barbados Pride (56.8) and stragglers Volcanoes on 32.8 and with just three games remaining after Christmas, the Jaguars are well on their way for a fourth consecutive title and 11th overall.
The Leewards opposed Guyana for the first time in 1983 when this country won by 173 runs and have won four titles but none since 1998.
Another win here will put the Jaguars in an impregnable position heading into next year’s away games in Jamaica and Barbados and their final game at home from January 18 against the Red Force.
Jaguars are the only team in which four batsmen have scored centuries with Vishaul Singh being the most consistent with two centuries and a couple of fifties including his first innings unbeaten 97 in St Kitts where he shared in a record last wicket stand with Keon Joseph.
While only Devon Smith (612) has more runs than Singh’s 459 runs, Skipper Leon Johnson, Shiv Chanderpaul and 19-year-old Kemo Paul have also reached three-figures this season with Chanderpaul’s 20th Regional ton coming in a match saving innings in St Kitts with the Jaguars following-on.
Pacers Joseph, Paul, Sherfane Rutherford and Romario Shepherd have all been successful but left-arm spinner Veerasammy Permaul continues to befuddle Regional batsmen, who demonstrate a ‘block or hit’ mentality to spin, and has the most wickets (33) this season.
Fellow left-arm spinner Gudakesh Motie should also play today after missing the game in St Kitts where the Leewards, on the back of fifties from Montcin Hodge (91), KeacyCarty (82), Jamal Hamilton (56) and Terrene Ward (52) scored 412-9 declared in their only innings.
At 26, Wicketkeeper Anthony Bramble has the most dismissals but he will know that if he does not soon add a century or two to his eight fifties at level, time is running out for him to at least gain an ‘A’ team selection.
Tagenarine Chanderpaul and Chanderpaul Hemraj added 115 against Barbados but failed to post 50 stands in either of their two innings against the Windwards as the poor opening stands continue.
Skipper Rakeem Cornwall is expected to contribute with both bat and ball and hope for players like Hodge, Hamilton, Ward, Nkrumah Bonner, Devon Thomas and Chesney Hughes are among the runs on what should be a slow track here.
Gavin Tonge, Jeremiah Louis and Mervin Matthew, while Cornwall, arguable the most dangerous off-spinner in the Region and fellow off-break bowler Ward, could do the bulk of the spinning.
The Jaguars had their final practice session last Evening under lights at Providence and the game could be followed live on cricketwestindies.org.
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