On a day in which 22-year-old Kevon Boodie stroked a magnificently constructed 130 and Test left-hander Assad Fudadin threw away what would have been a superb century with a reckless shot 15 minutes before the close,Leon Johnson’s X1 were 126-3 in their second innings enjoying a lead of 197 going into the final day of their PCL practice match at Bourda today.

Boodie, the only batsman to score a senior Inter-County double century when he blasted 217 for Essequibo against the National U-19s at DCC last year, was simply brilliant yesterday as he made full use of a track which surprisingly got better for batting as the match progressed.

Boodie’s innings lasted 292 minutes, 197 balls and was decorated with 13 gloriously hit fours and three colossal sixes and led a spirited fight back by Shimron Hetymer’s X1, who reached 272 in the reply to Johnson’s X1 first innings’ 344.

Steven Jacobs (3-60) and left-arm spinner Veerasammy Permaul (3-81) toiled hard in steaming heat as Boodie and Jevon Searles (28) added 99 in their seventh wicket stand which began on Tuesday afternoon and was finally broken when Barbadian Searles was removed by Permaul eight minutes before Lunch.

Searles did most of the scoring in the first 90 minutes or so as Boodie curbed his natural aggression with responsible batting to the extent that the usually aggressive DCC batsman, who hit five fours in his overnight 41, registered just three boundaries in the first session which included a six after Searles fell at 205-7.

Boodie, who can also wicket-keep, took 26 minutes after Lunch to score his first boundary as he ‘put his head down’ and along with Raj Nannan, who faced 37 balls for his seven, frustrated the bowlers with sensible batting.

Boodie swept Jacobs for four to move into the nineties but all of a sudden he opened up with a ferocious slog sweep of Permaul and reached his hundred off the next ball with his second six. His 100 came from 182 balls, 261 minutes and also included nine fours.
Boodie then cut loose and was especially severe on his fellow Essequibian Ronsford Beaton, unleashing a beating on the pacer. He first pulled Beaton before hammering one back past him for four more.

The ‘on-fire’ Boodie pounced like a cat on upon a mouse and ‘murdered’ Beaton for the second four in the over before thumping the pacer for a flat six and a pugnacious drive down the ground in an over which cost 14 runs.

Nannan was caught behind off Permaul at 230-8, Gudakesh Motie was LBW to Beaton for a duck at 241-9 before Boodie and Steven Sankar (1 from 28 minutes) carried the score to 272 when Boodie was run out trying to keep the strike.

When Johnson’s X1 started their second innings with a lead of 90, Tagenarine Chanderpaul, who took 22 balls to score his first run and Fudadin, who clipped Johnson for four and top edged a hook off Searles over to third man for six and by Tea the score was 18-0.
After the break, Chanderpaul (2) patted the ball to square-leg off Paul Wintz before Johnson and Fudadin, who was dropped by Keeper Dexter Solomon on 24 off the lively Joseph, united in a delightful exhibition of sublime stroke play.

The next ball after Fudadin was dropped was stuck imperiously to the cover boundary and when Motie was introduced, Fudadin lofted him effortlessly over mid-on for four.

The 30-year-old Fudadin, who last played a Test match in August 2012, caressed Robin Bacchus for four and hammered Nannan for another audacious boundary before Johnson (27) who played fluently and struck three fours, gave his wicket away by lofting Sankar to Beaton on the deep mid-wicket boundary.

Fudadin changed gear and swept Sankar for four before dumping him for a six and smashing him for another boundary in his first over which cost 24. Fudadin, after hitting Sankar for four more lofted the leg-spinner injudiciously straight to Johnson at long-off looking for a six with both long-on and long-off right back on the boundary 15 minutes before the close.

Vishaul Singh pulled the ragged Sankar for four and along with Shiv Chanderpaul, who took no risks in his unbeaten 14, remained to the end of day three. The final day is scheduled to commence at 09:00hrs today.