Fifties from Tagenarine Chanderpaul and Royston Crandon and a four-wicket haul from left-arm spinner Gudakesh Motie spearheaded Singh’s X1 to an upset 49-run victory yesterday at Providence in the first practice match in preparation for the Regional Super50 which bowls off on January 24 in Barbados.
Chanderpaul (56), Crandon (52) and Vishaul Singh (40) led Singh’s X1 to 259 all out in 49.5 overs as left-arm spinner Veerasammy Permaul (3-47), off-spinner Steven Jacobs (2-31) and leg-spinner Devendra Bishoo (2-49) were the main wicket-takers for Leon Johnson’s X1, who were dismissed for 210 from 46.4 overs.
A responsible 46 from the Skipper, an aggressive 40 from Assad Fudadin and well constructed 44 from Chris Barnwell failed to save their team from defeat as Motie finished with 4-35 from 10 overs.
In sunny conditions on a slow track, Rajendra Chandrika, one of six players with Test experience in the Jaguars unit, made a 46-ball 32 decorated with four boundaries before he was trapped LBW to Jacobs.
Jacobs, in his first match since recovering from a back injury, struck in the 16th over to break the 72-run opening stand between Chandrika and Tagenarine Chanderpaul.
Chanderpaul Hemraj attempted to loft Jacobs over cover and was caught for 26 from 31 balls with a couple of fours.
Without addition to the score, Jonathon Foo, back in National colours for the first since 2011, was run out without facing a ball as two wickets tumbled in the same over to leave the score on 100-3.
Singh and Chanderpaul added 40 for the fourth wicket before Chanderpaul, who reached his 50 from 71 balls with three fours and a six, got himself bogged down and ran past a googlie from Bishoo and was stumped by Anthony Bramble, who enjoyed a good day with the gloves. Chanderpaul’s 56 lasted 83 balls and his demise left to score on 140-4.
Singh, who faced 51balls, danced into Bishoo and dumped him for six which was his only boundary before he was bowled by the Test spinner at 175-5 in the 38th over.
Crandon galloped to 50 from 42 balls with two fours and two sixes and along with Sherfane Rutherford took the score to 215 before Rutherford (15) was stumped off Permaul who also removed Crandon (52) and Clinton Pestano (0) in the space of two runs to leave to the score on 243-8.
Chris Barnwell got rid of Shepherd (12) while Motie (12) was run out with one ball to go in the innings.
Hetymer started in a hurry and smashed Shepherd for two fours and a six in the first over while Fudadin stroked Eon Hooper, who opened the bowling, for a boundary past cover.
Hetymer (15) retired hurt at 23 without loss and Johnson and Fudadin took charge with the usually subdued Fudadin playing with refreshing positivity, being especially severe on Hooper.
He hit the off-spinner magnificently to the cover boundary before lofting him over extra cover and back over his head for sixes.
Fudadin slapped Pestano for two glorious fours in the same over, while Johnson leaned into Keon Joseph and cover drove him for four.
But Hooper had the last laugh when he trapped Fudadin LBW for a run-a-ball 40 with four fours and two sixes with the score on 76-1 to break the partnership which was shared between Fudadin, Hetymer and Johnson.
Johnson batted beautifully as he and Shiv Chanderpaul joined forces before Chanderpaul (6) missed an off-break from Foo and was stumped at 94-2 to bring Barnwell to the crease.
Johnson soon played a loose drive off Shepherd and was taken at mid-off for a 72-ball 46 with four fours at 137-3 at which time Hetymer returned.
Barnwell, who started watchfully, clobbered Shepherd over mid-on for four and smashed him past cover but Hetymer (16), who likes the hard new ball, was bowled by Motie at 152-4.
Barnwell, who faced 54 balls and struck five fours and a six in his 44, was run out at 160-5 before a direct hit by Crandon ran out Bramble (19) at 195-6.
Motie then removed Raymon Reifer, Permaul (0) and Jacobs (5), while Bishoo (3) was run out as they lost their last five wickets for 15 runs.
Another practice game is set for today starting 09:00hrs.
(Taken from Kaieteur News)