Johnson and Permaul guides team to victory in practice encounter : … Jacobs and Christian hit half-centuries

NATIONAL middle-order batsman Leon Johnson and skipper Veerasammy Permaul churned out sterling performances, which led Permaul’s XI to an exciting 10-run victory over a Christopher Barnwell XI in a specially organised practice encounter at the Everest Cricket Club ground yesterday. Johnson struck four fours and two sixes in his patient 71 which along with Zaheer Mohammed’s robust 48 and Trevon Griffith’s pugnacious 44, guided Permaul’s XI to 243 before they were bowled out in 47.2 overs.
Steven Jacobs snared 3 for 45 for Barnwell’s XI, who in reply were bowled out for 233 from 43.3 overs, with discarded national wicketkeeper/batsman Derwin Christian topscoring with 66 (4×6, 3×4), Jacobs chipping in with 60 (4×4, 2×6) and Robin Bacchus a belligerent 46 at the top of the order.
Asked to bat first on a sluggish track in overcast conditions, Permaul’s XI lost the wicket of Anthony Bramble, who top-edged a short delivery from Andre Stoll, straight to Bacchus at third man, before Griffith and Ramnaresh Sarwan added 46 for the second wicket.
Sarwan was smartly stumped by Christian off Barnwell for 10 and he was quickly followed by Narsingh Deonarine (3) and Griffith, as Permaul’s XI slipped to 71 for 4, which later became 134 for 6, following the demise of Assad Fudadin (11) and Permaul (7).
Johnson and Mohammed took the fight to Barnwell’s XI, adding 93 for the seventh wicket, with Johnson posting his half-century from 68 balls, counting four fours and a six over wide long on off Devendra Bishoo.
The demise of Johnson, who was lbw to national Under-19 selectee Steven Sankar after facing 107 deliveries and hitting four fours and two sixes in his 71, was followed by that of Mohammed for a quick-fire 48 that took him 40 deliveries to accumulate and was decorated with four fours and one six.
Sankar ended with 2 for 8 in support to Jacobs, while Stoll, Barnwell and Bishoo took a wicket each for Barnwell’s XI, who, in reply, saw Bacchus and Shemroy Barrington (15, 2×4) post 33 for the first wicket, before Barrington was caught at the wicket by Bramble off Keon Joseph who ended with 4 for 59.
Bacchus added 42 for the second wicket with Gajanand Singh, which saw the former hit Joseph for a hat-trick of fours in the over after Barrington’s demise, before Singh top-edged Permaul to Joseph at midwicket and he was followed by Barnwell, who was adjudged lbw first delivery to Permaul.
At 73 for 3, Steven Jacobs joined Bacchus and saw the opener go in similar fashion to Singh, with Permaul being the bowler and Joseph the fielder, while Rajiv Ivan (1) did not last long, offering Sarwan a simple catch at point as he looked to place Permaul through that region.
Out strode a burly Christian and after a couple of deliveries in which he got his eyes in, opened his shoulders with two sixes off a hapless Narsingh Deonarine, who had failed with the bat when Permaul’s XI batted.
Jacobs also cashed in, hitting Permaul for a maximum back over his head while Christian pulled Johnson twice over midwicket for sixes off successive delivery, but their dismissals – Jacobs bowled by Permaul and Christian caught at long off by Fudadin off Joseph –  signalled a swift end to Barnwell’s XI who folded to the pace spin combination of Permaul and Joseph.
The Guyana team, who will engage the visiting Pakistani’s lineup in a limited overs contest at the Georgetown Cricket Club ground tomorrow, will have a practice session at the Demerara Cricket Club ground this morning, while the Pakistanis, who arrived in Guyana on Monday night, will be at the Guyana National Stadium, the venue for their two One- Day Internationals against the West Indies on Sunday and next Tuesday, from 09:00hrs.

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