Permaul’s X1 192 against Chanderpaul’s X1

By Sean Devers
WATCHED by the National Selectors on a rare sunny day in the middle of the rainy season, the opening day of the first four-day practice game to select Guyana’s team for the 2023 first-class tournament which commences in Antigua next month, was contested at Providence yesterday.

By the end of the day Veerasammy Permaul’s X1 were dismissed for 192 in 86 overs against Tagenarine Chanderpaul’s X1 in a match missing eight senior players, including West Indies players Hetmyer, Shepherd, Paul, Rutherford and Skipper Leon Johnson.

Their total was built around a well-constructed 78 from 147 balls, 190 minutes with five boundaries from West Indies U-19 Batter Matthew Nandu.

Nandu shared partnerships of 60 for the first wicket with Rampatab Ramnauth who made 27 from 58 balls, 84 minutes with five fours and 86 for the second wicket with Tevin Imlach whose 33 lasted 79 balls and 90 minutes and included three fours and a six.

Shamar Yearwood (36), Renaldo Ali-Mohammed (34) and Kevlon Anderson (26) all got starts.

Pacer Shamar Joseph, who took the four wickets, had 4-30 while fellow Berbican left-arm spinner Gudakesh Motie 3-38.

Chanderpaul’s X1 were 3-0 with the Skipper on two and Chanderpaul Hemraj on one heading in the second day today.

After a delay of 30 minutes due to damp spots on the pitch, Chanderpaul’s X1 invited Permaul’s X1 to bat on a track with tinge of green and lush green outfield.

Nandu and 17-year-old Berbician Rampatab Ramnauth started in a circumspect manner under fluffy white clouds which drifted above the Providence sward.

Both batters gained in confidence as their partnership progressed with Ramnauth being the more aggressive of the two.

Before virtually empty stands, the left-handed Ramnauth, elegantly stroked Motie through cover for four while fellow left-hander Canadian-born Nandu, looked solid as he played the supporting role.

After seeing off the new ball pair of Clinton Pestano and Demitri Cameron, who struggled for consistency, the pair look well set for big scores.

Ramnauth punched Motie for a boundary before edging Shamar Joseph for four while Nandu clipped Cameron to ropes as the 50 was posted in 15 overs.

Nandu, the son of former Guyana leggie Arjune Nandu, cut off-spinner Kevin Sinclair for four and punched him to the cover boundary when he bowled short.

Ramnauth was taken at mid-wicket as Motie broke the partnership at 60-1 as Imlach joined Nandu and by Lunch the score was 89-1 with Nandu on 35 and Imlach on 11.

After the Interval the 100 came up in 35 overs as Imlach deposited Sinclair for the first six of the match before pulling Sylus Tyndal for four.

Sinclair troubled the batters, especially the right-handed Imlach, on a surface which offered a bit of turn, as he and Motie, bowling in tandem, kept the batters in shackles on a still fast outfield despite the prolonged adverse weather.

The compact Nandu soon reached his 50 with his sixth boundary when he got on top of short ball from Sylus Tyndal and ‘opened’ the face of the bat as the ball galloped into the wide third-man boundary. His fitty was achieved from 124 balls.

Looking a bit uncomfortable against the spin, Imlach was stumped by Anthony Bramble to give Motie his second scalp at 146-2
Anderson joined Nandu and took the score to 163 before Nandu was run out and when Akshaya Persaud top-edged a sweep to backward square off Motie, Permaul’s X1 had slipped from 146-1 to 163-4

Anderson pulled Johnaton Rampersaud for couple of scorching boundaries before he fell to Anthony Adams for 26 decorated with five fours, but like a few others before him, he threw his wicket away when well set for a big score to leave his team on 190-5.

Garfield Benjamin and Yearwood took the score to 192-5 by Tea.

After the break, Benjamin (4) was run out at 201 but Yearwood spanked Cameron, bowing with a blond patch at the front of his hair, for four.

Ali-Mohammed lofted Motie for six before Yearwood, after playing some delightful drives, was bowled by Joseph, who also trapped Junior Sinclair (0) LBW at 248-8 as two wickets tumbled for four runs.

Mohammed kept going before edging Joseph to the Keeper who also accounted for Nail Smith (0) leaving Chanderpaul’s X1 to bat two overs.

Mohammed kept going before edging Joseph to the Keeper who also accounted for Nail Smith (0) leaving Chanderpaul’s X1 to bat two overs.

The Guyana Harpy Eagles will travel to Antigua for the first match against defending Champions Barbados from February 1 before going to Grenada where they will battle the Windwards from February 8-11.