A VINTAGE batting display from skipper Ramnaresh Sarwan, coupled by some explosive hitting from Travis Dowlin, Christopher Barnwell and Jonathan Foo, ensured Guyana avenged their first match loss to Trinidad and Tobago, as they walked away with a comfortable 49-run victory at the Guyana National Stadium, Providence, last Sunday night.
Sarwan blasted a 50-ball 69 which was decorated with five fours and three sixes, Dowlin 38 (33 balls, 4×4), Barnwell an unbeaten 32 (15 balls, 3×4; 2×6) and Foo 24 (10 balls, 3×4; 1×6) as Guyana reached an imposing 188-5 from their 20 overs.
In reply, tight bowling backed up by disciplined fielding ensured Guyana bowled out their opponents for 140 from 17.1 overs, despite Keon Cooper’s belligerent 40 which took him 19 balls to compile and was decorated with three fours and a similar number of sixes.
Once again, Daren Ganga called right and instead of repeating his first match choice of taking first strike, he invited the Guyanese who used the two matches as part of their preparations for the Airtel Champions League in South Africa next month, to take first strike.
Guyana did not get the start they wanted in comparison to the previous night, as they lost Derwin Christian (1) who was caught at the wicket by Lendl Simmons off Cooper (1-42) in the third over.
Sarwan joined Dowlin and together they tore into T&T’s bowling attack like a pack of wolves scenting prey, with Sarwan hitting his first delivery from Cooper wide of midwicket for four, while Dowlin struck the same bowler backward of square and through backward point for back-to-back boundaries.
With a raucous crowd on hand cheering every run as they did the previous night, the West Indies pair did not disappoint as they added 67 for the second wicket from 7.5 overs.
Richard Kelly replaced Cooper and was hooked away to long leg by Dowlin for four, while Sarwan got a thick inside edge to short backward square off Kelly, to raise his team’s 50 from 7 overs.
A Sarwan six struck over long on off the bowling of Sherwin Ganga who took 2-42 from his four overs, pushed Guyana to 72-1 before West Indies Under-19 player Yannick Cariah disturbed the stumps of Dowlin.
His dismissal did not deter the Guyanese skipper and he showed Cariah who was the senior player with an inside out six over extra cover that sent the almost packed to capacity venue into frenzy.
Imran Khan was pulled over midwicket for six by Sarqan who posted his 50 from with a four through extra cover in Khan’s next over, facing 42 balls and hitting three fours and three sixes.
He continued to tear into T&T’s bowling with two more fours, this time off Kelly and Sunil Narine, with the boundary off Kelly coming from his trademark cut shot through backward point that left the Twin Island Republic team dazed for a second or two.
In-between Sarwan’s cameo, Guyana lost Narsingh Deonarine (8) who was run-out by Sherwin Ganga, but Barnwell joined his skipper who was dropped by Adrian Barath on the cover boundary when on 66, with Guyana 128-3.
Barnwell opened his shoulders with a six and four off Kelly, but T&T had something to smile about, when Sherwin Ganga bowled Sarwan who was looking to pull a delivery through the onside off the first ball of the 18th over.
Certainly, Sarwan’s bating attitude set the stage for Barnwell and Foo to cash in heavily and they did in fine style, adding 47 from 2.5 overs to take their team to their eventual total.
Foo showed the crowd on hand the batting display that guided Guyana to the Caribbean T20 title last month, when he struck Sherwin Ganga for back-to-back fours through cover and extra cover respectively.
Barnwell joined the act with a four through midwicket off a short ball from Cooper who was also pulled through wide midwicket for four in the penultimate over by Foo.
Barnwell pulled the first delivery of final over bowled by Sherwin Ganga through midwicket for four, followed by a six over the same position, while Foo also struck the same bowler over extra cover for 6 before he was caught by Kelly at short third man off the final delivery of the innings.
When T&T began their reply, Justin Guillen (7) drove E. Crandon square of the wicket for 4 but was bowled next delivery.
Guyana removed Darren Bravo (0) who was run-out and Barath who was caught off the leading edge by Sarwan at cover off Paul Wintz’s final delivery of the third over, to leave the team whose win the previous night was their first in four matches between the two, on 14-3.
Daren Ganga who made a responsible 40 off 38 balls with three fours and one six, responded by pulling a short delivery from Wintz through backward square for four, followed by another four off Esaun Crandon.
Royston Crandon who took 2-38, had trouble gripping the ball and after bowling five wides in one over, was struck for a six over long on and a four in the same region by Simmons (21) who was later bowled by Barnwell to leave T&T on 62-4.
Royston Crandon got his act together and removed Sherwin Ganga (3) who was brilliantly caught by substitute Assad Fudadin at midwicket and it should have been 72-5, had Fudadin held on to a skier from Daren Ganga.
The inspirational skipper made the Guyanese pay for that blunder, with a six off Barnwell, followed by a four off Royston Crandon before a direct hit from Leon Johnson who was racing in from the midwicket boundary, sent him to the dug out.
T&T slipped to 101-8, following the quick demise of Khan (6) and Kelly (1), but some cameo hitting by Cooper who struck Jacobs for a six, followed by a four to long and six over long on off Deonarine, brought back some respectability to the team’ s total.
Cooper also struck Royston Crandon for six over long on, before he was caught at the wicket by Christian and the end came for T&T, when Cariah was found short of his ground.
Not only did Guyana avenge their defeat in the first match, but they showed the T&T team why they deserve to represent the Caribbean in this year’s Airtel Champions League, with disciplined bowling and fielding display that complemented their batsmen’s innings earlier.
Sarwan was later named man-of-the-match, while president of the Guyana Cricket Board Chetram Singh thanked both the T&T team and their cricket board for assisting Guyana with its preparations for the upcoming tournament next month.