GCB 3-day practice game…
NATIONAL left-arm orthodox spinner Veerasammy Permaul shrugged off the fact that he had to bowl on a flat Police Sports Club (PSC) wicket, to take seven wickets for the National XI, as their practice match against the Rest XI petered out into a tame draw yesterday.

Permaul ended with 7-116 from 39 overs, as the Rest XI, who resumed the final day on 216-1, with Christopher Barnwell and Shemroy Barrington unbeaten on 105 and 29 respectively, were bowled out for 358 when play was called off at tea.

Barnwell added 11 to his overnight score, before he was bowled by Permaul when he attempted to slog sweep the former West Indies youth spinner, somewhere out of the ground. He faced a total of 199 balls, hitting 11 fours and three sixes.

Barrington who had added 65 for the second wicket with Barnwell, could not continue in his destructive mode as was the case the previous afternoon, adding three to his overnight score before he was bowled by Brandon Bess (1-84), who was plagued by a no-ball problem throughout the Rest XI innings, sending down a whopping 23 all by himself.

But the day belonged to Albion Sports Club’s Permaul, who wreaked havoc against the batsmen, after experiencing a lean period the previous day.

Former West Indies youth skippers Leon Johnson (04) and Steven Jacobs (05) fell to his guile, with the former offering Rajendra Chandrika a simple catch at silly point and the latter picking out Trevor Benn at mid off at lunch.

National Under-19 vice-captain Royston Alkins fought fire with fire, hitting Permaul over mid wicket for a maximum, followed by three fours between mid on and fine leg and another four over extra cover off Royston Crandon.

But in his attempt to take a cheeky single after pushing a delivery to mid wicket, he was run-out by none other than Permaul who was stationed in that area. He failed to beat the fielder’s throw after being sent back by his partner Gajanand Singh.

All told, Alkins faced 67 balls and struck four fours and one maximum in his innings, after which Permaul went through the team like a hot knife through butter, snapping up Anthony Bramble (7) who pushed forward to a straighter delivery and presented Chandrika with a simple catch at silly point.

Singh was caught by Dion Ferrier off Permaul and even though Trevon Garraway pulled Esaun Crandon through midwicket for four, followed by another boundary back over the bowler’s head in his brief innings of 24, the innings and the game came to an end when Benn (1-34) had Garraway adjudged lbw to one that pitched and straightened on him.

The players broke the encampment yesterday for the holiday season and will be back together again on January 4 where they will continue their preparation for Guyana’s first match in the West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) 2010 President’s Cup four-day competition against Trinidad and Tobago under lights in Antigua January 12-15.