BRIDGETOWN, Barbados, CMC:
FORTUNES FLUCTUATED, as Guyana gained a 25-run first innings lead over Barbados on the second day of the fifth round Carib Beer Cup match at Kensington Oval yesterday.
Responding to a total of 224 all out, Guyana passed 100 with only one wicket down. But they then lost wickets steadily and slipped to 175 for seven, before being dismissed for 249 with the help of an eighth wicket partnership of 39 between the Nagamootoo brothers, Mahendra and Vishal
during which the former was dropped twice.
Opener Ryan Ramdass topscored with 57, while Jason Bennett took four for 70 off 23 overs to push his tally of wickets for the season to 21. Fellow pacer Ryan Nurse picked up three for 32.
Barbados were four without loss in their second innings, when fading light ended play at 5:30 p.m., with as many as 11 overs remaining. Play will start today at 9.30 a.m.
ON COURSE
Starting the day on 35 for no wicket, Guyana were put on course by Ramdass and Krishna Arjune, who both played fluently from early, as they were aided
by some short-pitched bowling from Antonio Thomas and Nurse.
The pair carried their partnership to 72 in 20.1 overs, and Arjune counted five boundaries in 28, after resuming on 13 before Bennett broke the stand in his second over of the day, after taking over from Nurse at the Joel Garner (northern) end. Trying to force through the off side, Arjune offered a straightforward catch to third slip in Sulieman Benn.
There was then a slow period as both Ramdass, who started the day on 14, and Narsingh Deonarine relied mainly on
singles against Bennett and left-arm spinner Benn, whose line lacked consistency.
Bennett was rested after a five-over spell in which he conceded just 10 runs. He was replaced by medium-pacer Dwayne Smith, who should have struck in the last ball of his first over, but he failed to hold on to a knee-high return, as Deonarine drove through the line on the on-side with the batsman on nine.
Ramdass moved to 44 with a sweetly timed square drive to the boundary off Benn to take the score to 93 for one.
By lunch, Guyana had moved to 98 for one with Ramdass on 40 and Deonarine 12. Nurse removed Ramdass by way of a low catch at midwicket by substitute Jason Parris. He was at the crease for 205 minutes, faced 141 deliveries and struck four boundaries.
It was the start of a collapse as the next five wickets fell for 56 runs.
Deonarine hit Thomas into the hands of point after scoring 25 in just under two hours and Assad Fudadin (two) was caught at second slip by Kurt Wilkinson off Ryan Nurse.
