… Chanderpaul supports with aggressive 44
OPENERS Shemroy Barrington (58) and Trevon Griffith (55) both struck half-centuries for the Guyana Cricket Board (GCB) President’s XI who drew their two-day warm-up match against the visiting Pakistanis at the Georgetown Cricket Club GCC ground yesterday. West Indies middle order batsman Shivnarine Chanderpaul who opted to play for the local lineup instead of the Regional team, who were having a two-day practice game at the Demerara Cricket Club ground, offered support in the lower order with an authoritative 44.
Scores in the match, Pakistan 330 for 7 declared, Guyana 252 for 6.
Resuming on 25 without loss with Griffith on 20 and Barrington 5 in reply to Pakistan’s 330 for 7 declared, Griffith was forced to evade a well-directed short delivery from Wahab Riaz in the second over of the day, before he responded by pulling the next delivery through midwicket for four.
Griffith received a life from Azhar Ali when on 25, with the fielder grassing a straightforward chance at gully off Umar Gul and at the other end, Barrington who was looking susceptible to deliveries pitched wide of his off stump, drove Riaz through mid off for his first boundary.
The President’s XI reached their first 50 from 14 overs and 70 minutes batting, with Griffith on 38 and Barrington 15 and after the first hour’s play, they progressed to 63 with Griffith on 44 and Barrington who was struck on the hip by Riaz, on 17.
Griffith reached a well-deserved half-century, his first for Guyana at the senior level from the 65th delivery he faced, hitting eight fours while batting for 104 minutes, while Guyana inched to 73 without loss in the process, with Barrington on 21.
A four off a thick outside edge from Griffith sped through the slips like a bullet from Tanvir Ahmed, but the batsman was caught at the wicket off an inside edge from the next delivery, while Barrington who was joined by Narsingh Deonarine when Griffith departed, struck Abdur Rehman over long on for six.
Barrington continued to open his shoulders with a pulled four over midwicket off Ahmed before the President’s XI posted their 100 off 25.3 overs and should have lost Barrington who was given a life by Mohammed Hafeez in the solitary slip position off Saeed Ajmal’s third delivery of the match, when on 35.
At the luncheon interval, the President’s XI had reached 112 for the loss of Griffith’s wicket, with Barrington on 39, hitting four fours and one six and Deonarine 15, adding 87 runs from 22.3 overs in the process.
When play resumed after lunch, Barrington struck Ajmal’s final ball of the first over back over his head for six while Deonarine turned the same bowler off his legs and through backward square leg for four that pushed the President’s XI to 127 for 1.
Pakistan struck when Barrington was lbw to Ajmal for his 58 made off 89 deliveries from 164 minutes of batting where he struck five fours and two sixes.
Chanderpaul replaced Barrington and displayed class and finesse when he cut Ajmal through the vacant point position to open his account before Deonarine hit Rehman back over the GCB office for six, prompting a ball change, before he was caught at slip by Misbah Ul-Haq in Ajmal’s following over.
Back-to-back fours from Chanderpaul who lost Leon Johnson (15), pushed the President’s XI to 194 for 4 and his personal score to 22 and at the tea break, Guyana were 200 for 4 with Chanderpaul on 24 and Richard Ramdeen 4.
A short delivery from Ahmed was dispatched with authority by Ramdeen through forward square leg for four after tea before a devastating yorker from Gul found its mark on the batsman’s right toe.
A straight drive from Chanderpaul off Gul went crashing into the long on fence before the bowler could have completed his follow through, prompting gasps from the fair-size appreciative crowd, as the President’s XI reached 235 for 4 which became 239 for 5 when Ramdeen was bowled by Rehman for an entertaining 25 (4×4).
A beautiful delivery from Zunaid Khan accounted for a dangerous-looking Chanderpaul who faced 112 deliveries and struck five fours while batting for 162 minutes, leaving Gajanand Singh and the lower order, led by Derwin Christian, to negotiate the pace/spin combination of the Pakistanis.
When a light shower sent the players off the field at 16:18hrs Guyana were 252 for 6 with both Christian and Singh unbeaten on 3, at which point both Ul-Haq and his Guyanese counterpart Assad Fudadin decided to call it a day, even though the rain had stopped.
Pakistan will face the West Indies in the first of two Test matches at the Guyana National Stadium, Providence, from Thursday.

PAKISTAN 1st innings 330/7 decl’d
Guyana 1st innings (o/night 25 without loss)
T. Griffith c wkp. Salman b Ahmed    55
S. Barrington lbw Ajmal    58
N. Deonarine c Ul-Haq b Ajmal    40
S. Chanderpaul b Khan    44
L. Johnson c wkp. Salman b Riaz    15
R. Ramdeen b Rehman    25
G. Singh not out    3
D. Christian not out    3
Extras: (nb-2, lb-3, b-4)    9
Total: (for 6 wickets off 73 overs)    252
Fall of wicket: 1-77, 2-140, 3-161, 4-194, 5-239, 6-249.
Bowling: Gul 11-4-33-0, Riaz 16-1-73-1, Ahmed 11-2-43-1 (nb-2), Rehman 18-2-50-1, Ajmal 15-5-41-2, Khan 2-0-5-1.