`Tsunami’  Woakes’ hat-trick decapitates Guyana 
AS JAPAN and other Asian countries were undergoing serious harm from a tsunami, a human tsunami by the name of Christopher Woakes from England Lions became the second bowler to take a hat-trick in a first class match at the Guyana National Stadium, Providence, yesterday, ending with 5-18 to rout Guyana for a paltry 78 in their fifth round West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) regional four-day match.
Having lost the first day to rain, a historic feat at the venue which is deemed the fastest drying cricket venue in the Caribbean, the English Lions, who began the match on 30 points, 17 ahead of Guyana, won the toss and invited their hosts to have first strike. Woakes struck immediately when he trapped Assad Fudadin lbw in the second over. At tea they were 46 for 3, before they were bowled out for 78 in 15.4 overs after tea. to which England Lions replied with 42-0 at the close.
Leon Johnson, who top-scored with 24, joined Rajendra Chandrika (7) and after surviving a testing time from both Woakes and Jade Dernbach, he punched a short ball from Dernbach through point for four, while Chandrika turned Dernbach to fine leg for four, as Guyana moved to 23-1.
The England Lions struck again, when Chandrika offered James Harris, who plies his trade for Glamorgan, an easy return catch which the bowler accepted, to leave Guyana on 24-2 in the ninth over, with Johnson on 12. After seeing Johnson hit boundaries off Harris, the bowler removed the batsman, caught at gully by Andrew Gale.
Johnson scored his runs off 68 balls with three fours while batting for 87 minutes, adding 22 for the third wicket with Deonarine who was on 8. Gajanand Singh who made 9 replaced Johnson and Guyana were 46-3 after 22 overs heading to the tea break.
After tea, Guyana reached their 50 from 23.5 overs, with Deonarine on 9 and Gajanand Singh 3, following which, Gajanand Singh steered Harris through the three-man slip cordon to the vacant third man position for 4, before Deonarine was lbw to Jade Dernbach for 11 to leave Guyana on 58-4 in the 28th over of their first innings.
Gajanand Singh followed in the next over caught at the wicket by Craig Kieswetter off Harris and at 58-5 in overcast conditions, Guyana should have been 58-6 had Kieswetter held the edge off Vishal Singh’s bat before he has scored, as the batsman looked to steer Dernbach through the slip cordon.
In-form wicketkeeper/batsman Derwin Christian who has been getting starts this season before gifting his wicket away with impetuous shots, drove Dernbach on both sides of the wicket for four, to push Guyana’s score to 69, before Vishal Singh (2), Veerasammy Permaul (0) and Zaheer Mohammed (0) were dismissed off successive deliveries by Woakes.
Guyana, whose batting has been dismal throughout the season so far, slipped further into the abyss, when they lost Bess who was caught at the wicket off the final delivery of Woakes’ over, that landed him four wickets while he did not concede a run. Guyana were now in a precarious position on 69 for 9, with debutant Ronsford Beaton joining Christian.
Christian fought fire with fire, when he struck Dernbach through extra cover and over midwicket for back-to-back boundaries, to push Guyana to 78-9 before Christian was caught at the wicket off Dernbach’s fourth delivery of the 38th over, leaving Beaton unbeaten on nought, as Guyana lost seven wickets for 32 runs after tea.
Kieswetter (21) and Lyth (17) got things going for the Englishmen against a strange field setting by Fudadin, who had three slips and two gullies, but no one at cover or even extra cover, which encouraged Kieswetter to drive Beaton through that vacant area on the up twice for four in his first over.
A six over extra cover by Kieswetter off Beaton, followed by Lyth’s on-drive for four off the same bowler pushed England Lions to 32 after four overs in overcast conditions, forcing Fudadin to turn to his left-arm orthodox spinner in Permaul, before umpires Clyde Duncan and Luther Kelly pulled stumps at 17:37 h with England Lions 36 runs away from first innings points against their hosts.