By Sean Devers
IN sweltering heat yesterday at Providence, 13 wickets fell on a track which favours spin as the second day of the second practice match ended with Tevin Imlach’s X1 167-4 in their second innings after bowling out Gudakesh Motie’s X1, 41 minutes before Tea.

Resuming on 46-2, Motie’s X1 were out for 216 in 54.4 overs in reply to Imalch’s X1 226.

Overnight batters Chanderpaul, who hit five fours from 59 balls and 109 minutes in 36 and teenager Mavindra Dindyal, whose 43 lasted 80 minutes, 65 balls and included eight boundaries in their 60-run third wicket stand.

Anthony Bramble, who scored 37 from 50 balls with six fours shared in 47-run fifth wicket partnership with Sachin Singh who 25 with three fours but nobody else reached 20.

Experienced left-arm spinner Veerasammy Permaul had 5-8 and was supported by Demitri Cameron (2-32) and Shamar Joseph (2-49)
At close yesterday, Imlach’s X1 were leading by 177 with six wickets in hand going into the third today with Kevlon Anderson (18) at the crease.

Imlach led from the front with 65 from 73 balls, 95 minutes with 10 fours and shared in 117 second wicket stand with Chanderpaul Hemraj who 60 from 80 balls in 121 minutes.
Nial Smith, Ashmead Nedd and Gudakesh Motie has a wicket each.

Earlier, Dindyal swivelled and pulled Clinton Pestano for four while Chanderpaul left balls he did not have to play at from the impressive Shamar Joseph and when the pacer decided to bowl at the stumps the Test batter tucked it past mid-on for four.

While there was just a handful of fans, it was the best weather for cricket for the year with acres of blue skies dotted with cotton wool-like clouds drifting over Providence with bright sun shining down on the players.

When Kevin Sinclair replaced Joseph, the stylish right-handed Dindyal greeted him with a gorgeous boundary before playing a majestic square drive of Cameron, which raced across the fast outfield.

The 50 partnership came up in 12.4 overs before Cameron, sporting a new hairstyle, trapped Chanderpaul LBW at 96-3 to end the 60-run third wicket stand.

Savory with a massive 170 in the first match, swept Sinclair for a couple of boundaries when he bowled round the wicket to left-hander and angle took the ball down the side.

But after facing 12 balls for his 13, he miscued a pull off Cameron at 116-4 and was taken at mid-on by Keon Joseph who missed the first match.

When well set for a fifty, Dindyal pushed forward at one that turned from Veerasammy Permaul and ‘nicked’ a catch to the Keeper at 126-5.

Bramble got going with a crunching off-drive when Cameron pitched up while former youth batter Singh, who has put on some weight, stroked Shamar Joseph for back-to-back boundaries and by Lunch the score 147-5 with Bramble on 15 and Singh on 11.

After Lunch, Singh deposited Anthony Adams over long-on for six while Bramble hammered Clinton Pestano brutally to the cover boundary while Singh stroked Adams for another four as the partnership gathered momentum.

However, Pestano broke the 47-run stand when Singh played back and was struck in front at 173-6.

Renaldo Ali-Mohammed joined Bramble who clobbered Cameron past mid-on for four but Permaul was brought back and struck twice in the same over when Bramble was caught at short leg for 37 and Motie, who edged between the slip and the keeper for four, hit Permaul to mid-off to gift him a wicket three runs later to leave his team on 197-8.

Ali-Mohammed hit Sinclair for a six and got another boundary to fine leg off the inside edge before he was removed by Permaul for 18 at 216-9.

Permaul picked up his fifth wicket when Richie Looknauth fell for duck to end the innings.

When Imalch’s X1 began their second innings with a slim lead of 10, they quickly lost Matthew Nandu, caught behind off Smith for a duck at 1-1.

Imlach joined Chanderpaul Hemraj and took the score to 13-1 at tea.

After the break, Hemraj hit Sylus Tyndal for four before pulling Isiah Thorne to the mid-wicket boundary.

Imlach punched Thorne for four past cover before, with exquisite timing, then on-drove the 17-year-old Berbician for four.

Imlach reached his 50 from 61 balls with seven fours and celebrated with three elegant boundaries in the next over from Nedd.

Hemraj launched into Ali-Mohammed and smashed him for a one-bounce four to long-on which nearly took off the head of Imlach at the non-striker’s end.

But Nedd cleverly ‘hung the carrot’ and Imlach drove straight to cover to end his entertaining knock at 117-2.

A flowing cover drive followed up by a delightful square drive off Motie brought up Hemraj’s fifty from 70 balls with 12 fours before he threw his wicket away when he hit Motie to long-on at 135-3.

Johnson joined Anderson who got going with a boundary before Johnson (11) was bowled by Motie off the last ball of the day to set up an interesting third day, today.