…to meet winner of 2nd semis between Cane Farm and Merryboys

By Brij Parasnath
TO be a batting star in one T20 match takes a special effort. To be the shining star in two consecutive T20 matches on the same day, takes extraordinary mental, physical and emotional strength and resolve. But to repeat and shine in three consecutive matches is certainly a phenomenal occurrence in modern-day cricket.

Well, Demerara Cricket Club’s Gajanand Singh has gone that step further and carved a unique niche accomplishment with three consecutive unbeaten fifties in three matches for the Georgetown-based club in their first outing of the UWI UNICOM T20 series.
With those heroics he carried a depleted DCC team, without the services of Guyana’s stalwarts Christopher Barnwell,Paul Wintz and youthful Sharfane Rutherford,to the semi-final encounter against the defending champion team, Club Crusoe, in the much anticipated match which was contested on Friday evening at the Sir Frank Worrell ground, St Augustine Campus.

Barnwell and Wintz are members of the Guyana national senior 50-overs squad preparing for the WICB Super50 tournament while Rutherford returned to Guyana to play in the Super50 practice matches at the Guyana National Stadium, Providence.
Many real cricket connoisseurs and followers were asking the question if such heroic batting feats have been recorded before at any level.
With the proliferation of so many T20 tournaments globally within the last decade, it is not easy to track that type of information,except for T20 Internationals and sanctioned T20 franchises. It is a rare occurrence and Gajanand Singh has found himself in a new league and created a new interest in T20 batsmanship.

Surprisingly, the left-handed Singh maintained his high level of consistency and elevated his amazing prolific batting form to yet another stratospheric level by chalking up his fourth consecutive match-winning fifty, a stunning undefeated 88 that propelled DCC to the grand finale, which is scheduled for tonight, at the same venue, from 18:00 hrs.
DCC will meet the winner of the second semi-final match between the star-studded Cane Farm United and Merryboys which was scheduled to be decided last night under floodlights.
Having been set a challenging victory target of 188 in 20 overs, DCC, led by the still unconquerable Singh,rose to the occasion and pulled off a sensational win with one full over to spare.

Overall, the 29-year-old Singh has now amassed 263 runs without being dismissed on any of the four occasions. His match-winning scores of 64no, 55no, 56no and 88no gives him an incomparable average of 263.00.
DCC are now on the cusp of an historic achievement, mainly due to the glorious batting heroism of Gajanand Singh and former Guyana and West Indies player Derwin Christian,who battled through to the end and remained undefeated on 42,when the seven-wicket victory was achieved and celebrated.

DCC raced to 193 for three wickets in 19 overs,with Singh once again being the batting mainstay and chief scorer. The elegant left-hander stroked two sixes and eleven fours off 46 balls while Christian smacked two sixes and four fours off 23 deliveries.
Together, they entertained and raised the hopes of Guyanese during their unbroken 95-run fourth wicket stand that destroyed the Tobagonians dreams of another T20 crown and the grand first prize of TT$35,000.

Singh had earlier shared three useful partnerships:35 runs with Andrew Lyght jnr (21 runs 4x4s off 21 balls) in a first wicket stand;31 with Kemol Savory (19 runs, 1×6 and 2x4s off 12 balls) in a second wicket stand,and 33 with Cohen Ismond (5 runs off 13 balls),in a 33-run third wicket partnership that moved the score to 97 for three in 11.1 overs.
Skipper Christian joined Singh and together they batted positively and defied everything that the Tobagonians had to offer and rallied to an impressive victory. The Guyanese outfit will definitely take that momentum into tonight’s final when they face their sternest test,against much higher quality opponents, who are better suited to this type of cricket.

The other two semi-finalists are Cane Farm United and Merryboys. Cane Farm United comprise West Indies and T&T stars Denesh Ramdin, Lendl Simmons, Evin Lewis, Ravi Rampaul, Rayad Emrit, Imran Khan, Jon Russ Jagessar and Roshon Primus,while Merryboys have Lincoln Roberts, Aniel Kanhai, Marlon Richards, Isaiah Rajah, Ricky Jaipaul and Rishaard Harris in their line-up.
During the Club Crusoe innings, Gajanand Singh also starred with the ball and picked up two wickets for 41 runs while pacer Kellon Carmichael claimed two for 32 from his four overs. Singh bowled the dangerous Christopher Vincent for 34 that included two sixes and five fours off nineteen deliveries and did likewise to Keon Celestine who made two runs.

Navin Stewart topscored for Club Crusoe with a belligerent 47 that was studded with six massive sixes and one four off twenty two balls,while the other contributors were Iraq Thomas 25 (2x6s and 2x4s off 15 balls) and Leron Lezama 39 (3x6s and 1×4 off 30 balls).
Christian (2-0-21-1) and Ashmead Nedd (4-0-21-1) also got a wicket each and much will depend on them along with Keemo Paul (4-0-38-0) and Ismond (2-0-27-0) to stem the flow of runs in the showdown for the top prize.