Second Jaguars 3-day practice match Johnson’s unbeaten 56 leave his team in control on day-two

Nov 30, 2018 Sports

National Captain Leon Johnson stroked an unbeaten 56 and added 92 for the second wicket with Tagenarine Chanderpaul (41) as his team reached 104-1 in reply to Vishual Singh’s 153 all out when stumps were drawn on the second day of their rain affected final three-day practice match at Providence yesterday.

Ramaal Lewis

Johnson has so far hit nine fours in his innings while fellow left hander Chanderpaul reached the boundary three times and cleared it once. Romario Shepherd took the only wicket to fall in a lively spell for Singh’s X1 which began yesterday on 12 without loss.
Robin Bacchus, batting with an injured hand did not added to his first day 11 when he was removed by pacer Keon Joseph at 12-1 but only Rajendra Chandrika (29) of the top order batsmen reached 20 as Anthony Bramble (19) and Tevin Imlach (13) failed to build on good starts as Singh’s X1 slumped to 84-7 before a late order rally from Jamaican Ramaal Lewis hit six fours and two sixes in his 48 not out carried them past 150.
Chris Barnwell had three wickets while Berbician pacer Clinton Pestano and Essequibo’s left-arm spinner Anthony Adams picked up two wickets each for Johnson’s X1 who lost Trevon Griffith (9) when he played no shot to Shepherd and was bowled at 11-1
Johnson was dropped at slip first ball by Singh off Shepherd before he had scored and both he and Chanderpaul were kept in check by impressive seam bowling in sweltering heat on a track with some ‘carry’ to the keeper by the new ball pair of left-arm pacer Andre Stoll, who bowled in excellent areas and the lively Shepherd.

Leon Johnson looks back as he is dropped at slip first ball off Romario Shepherd before he and non-striker Tage Chanderpaul added 92 in an unbeaten 2nd wicket stand.

Recently back in cricket after a self imposed break from the game, Stoll in his fifth and final over bowled full and wide twice and Johnson broke the shackles with a couple of imperious cover-driven boundaries before Chanderpaul, who was finding it difficult to score freely, backed away and slapped left-arm spinner Veerasammy Permaul past point for four.
Johnson, gaining in confidence as his innings progressed, pulled Permaul for four and whipped him off his legs for another boundary in the over as the partnership began to flourish. Chanderpaul top-edged a quick short ball from Raun Johnson and Richie Looknauth failed to hold a very difficult catch at long-leg as the ball went for six before Johnson cut off-spinner Looknauth which raced across the lush green outfield to post his 50.
Today is the final day and four-time defending Champions Jaguars will travel to St Lucia for their first match against Windwards Volcanoes from December 6-9.