Garrick ... 174 not out against South Africa. By Tony Becca, Senior Sport Editor
MONTEGO BAY:
LEON Garrick ticked off his second century in a row at Jarrett Park yesterday and in the process handed Jamaica, the Busta International Shield champions, the honours over the touring South Africans in their drawn two-day match.
Returning to the scene of his 200 not out against the West Indies B in the regional Busta Cup tournament, the diminutive opening batsman stroked a delightful, unblemished, undefeated 174 as Jamaica, replying to the tourists' 199 for nine declared and resuming on 60 for two, batted throughout the day to reach 380 for six when play was called with eight overs still be bowled.
Marlon Samuels scored 84 and Nehemiah Perry 61 not out off 84 deliveries.
Twenty-eight overnight, Garrick stroked 23 boundaries and faced 279 deliveries while batting for 393 minutes.
In an exciting parade of all the strokes in the book, the 24-year-old Garrick, who is hunting a place on the West Indies team, dominated the South African attack with drives off the front-foot, on both sides of the wicket and mostly in the arc between long-off and long-on, with cuts square and late, with hooks, and with pulls, high and low, off pace and spin, to mid-wicket.
As one who loves to pull and to square-cut, his most satisfying strokes were probably a square-cut to point off Andre Nel, two pulls in one over off the tall, lanky pacer - one dropping inches short of the mid-wicket boundary, one running away all along the ground, and towards the end, two flashing square-cuts off medium-pacer Neil McKenzie.
To the fans, however, probably even to Michael Findlay, the chairman of the West Indies selection committee who watched the day's play, the best of the little man were a drive straight down the pitch off Nel, two drives, on either side of the stumps, off left-arm wrist spinner Paul Adams, and the creme de la creme, a commanding back foot shot to the extra-cover boundary minutes before lunch when pacer Jacques Kallis attacked him with a short pitched delivery.
As well as he batted, Garrick was not the only batsman who entertained the Easter Monday gathering while parading his skill and his repertoire of strokes. So too did the 20-year-old Marlon Samuels who shared a third-wicket partnership of 161 off 287 deliveries in 198 minutes with Garrick before he went back to pacer Lance Klusener and was leg before wicket for 84 at 174 for three by a delivery that kept low.
Twenty overnight, Marlon Samuels started with a handsome drive past long-on for three and stroked nine boundaries off 146 deliveries - each one out of the middle of the bat and with perfect timing.
One was a lovely pull off Adams when he went forward and then back; one was a scintillating square-drive off the back foot off Klusener; one was another square-drive, off the front foot off pacer Makhaya Ntini; and although it did not reach the boundary; one, early in the morning, was an audacious stroke when he chipped to Ntini and drove through the covers for three.
With Ricardo Powell edging Ntini low to Gary Kirsten at third slip and going away for 12 at 187 for four, with Robert Samuels hooking Ntini to Nel on the long-leg boundary and departing for zero at 189 for five, and with Gareth Breese, 15 at 219, falling to a flyer from Nel that flew off the shoulder of the bat to Kirsten at gully, Perry joined Garrick for an unbroken seventh-wicket stand of 161 in 98 minutes.
Perry did not start well, but after finding his touch, he too entertained the gathering with 10 power-packed boundary strokes.
SCOREBOARD
South Africa's 1st innings
199-9 declared
Jamaica's 1st innings
(overnight 60-2):
L.Garrick not out 174
M.Samuels lbw b Klusener 84
R.Powell c Kirsten b Ntini 12
R.Samuels c Nel b Ntini 0
G.Breese c Kirsten b Nel 15
N.Perry not out 66
Extras (b7, lb5, w1, nb6) 19
Total (6 wickets, 14 overs) 380
Fall of wickets: 1-9, 2-13, 3-174, 4-187, 5-189, 6-219.
Bowling: Donald 12-3-42-2, Nel 19-1-88-1 (w1, nb3), Adams 24-4-81-0, Ntini 14-2-42-2, Kallis 5-1-19-0, Klusener 10-1-23-1, Kirsten 8-0-42-0 (nb3), Mckenzie 4-0-31-0.
Result: Match drawn.
