By BRIJ PARASNATH in Trinidad & Tobago

Brilliant batting by opener Assad Fudadin and skipper Leon Johnson ensured that reigning WICB Professional Cricket League champions Guyana Jaguars stay on course to maintain its dominance and unbeaten streak for the 2015-16 season.Playing in his 66th First Class match, the 28-year-old Johnson set the example with an attractive 92 and was well supported by the experienced Fudadin who played the perfect sheet-anchor role to rally the Guyana Jaguars to first innings points over the T&T Red Force at the end of the second day’s play at the Queen’s Park Oval in Port of Spain.
Despite rain interruptions, both Johnson and Fudadin played responsibly knowing that they are two of the most experienced batsmen in the team apart from veteran Shivnarine Chanderpaul who remains undefeated on 22 at the close of play yesterday.
Both are fully conscious of getting big totals in the PCL to rebuild their cases and strengthen chances of playing for the West Indies team at the highest level.
In reply to the T&T Red Force first innings score of 210, the Jaguars now hold a slim lead of 23 runs with their first innings total of 233 for 3 after 89 overs.
The 30-year-old Fudadin has batted for total of 324 minutes is undefeated on 94 that included two sixes and five fours off 234 deliveries faced. The left-hander will be seeking to chalk up his fifth First Class century in his 81st match.
However, this is his 63rd FC match for Guyana and when he had scored his first ten runs; he took his overall regional first class tally to 3,000 runs.
However, while Fudadin remains undefeated and lives to fight another; there was some pain and disappointment when skipper Johnson missed his third first class century by eight runs. His former Guyanese teammate Narsingh Deonarine, who is the franchise player for the T&T Red Force; bowled him with a cleverly disguised top spinner.
His positive attitude forced the Red Force on the defensive but he hammered five sixes and seven fours off 132 deliveries received during his 138-minute of enterprising batting display.
It was Johnson’s highest First Class score and third fifty against Trinidad and Tobago in his eleventh match. His previous highest was 87 in eighteen innings.
It should be noted that Johnson highest First Class score is 144 for the West Indies ‘A’ team against Sri Lanka ‘A’ at the Warner Park, Basseterre in 2013; the same match in which Fudadin also showed his class with 145 as an opener alongside Kraigg Brathwaite who made 37 in an opening partnership of 87.
In that high-scoring match, Fudadin had featured in a 256-run second wicket partnership with Kirk Edwards (190) while Johnson and Edwards shared a third wicket stand worth 141 as the West Indies ‘A’ team amassed 636 for 8 declared in the drawn fixture in St Kitts.
Yesterday, Fudadin eschewed his naturally aggressive approach for a more studious and calculated display of patience and fortitude to graft on a pitch that did allow the freedom and liberty of fluent strokeplay.
He allowed Johnson to carry the fight to the Trinidadians who lacked the penetration and quality bowlers to create too many problems.
And although deprived of the coveted triple-figure, skipper Johnson would be very pleased to know that his team is in the ascendancy and poised to establish a significant lead to battle the homesters in their quest to maintain their unbeaten record and to register their fourth consecutive outright victory of the new season.
On resumption from their overnight total of nine with loss, Guyana Jaguars lost promising youthful opener Shimron Hetmyer LBW to Guyanese-born pacer Marlon Richards for seven with only a solitary run added to the team’s total.
But despite the immediate setback, Johnson stamped his class on the proceedings with classy attacking strokes and together with the patient Fudadin, compiled an encouraging 138-run second wicket partnership that laid the foundation for first innings points and a wonderful opportunity to dominate the third day’s play with seven wickets intact.
The highly-talented Vishaul Singh, who recorded back-to-back hundreds against Leewards Hurricanes and Barbados Pride; was unfortunately run out for 16 with the score at 183 for 3 (66.4 overs).
But there were no more hiccups as Chanderpaul got into stride and stroked the ball with authority and hit the second ball for his second boundary to level the scores on resumption after rain had stopped play after the tea interval.
At that stage, the Jaguars were 206 for 3 after 77.1 overs but Chanderpaul’s boundary eased the tension and he seemed determined to get big score alongside his name and rally his team to a sizeable first innings lead.
The only wicket-takers were Guyanese-born bowlers with Deonarine who finished with one wicket for 54 from 22 overs while Richards got one for 34 from 16 overs.