Watched by a handful of die-hard fans on another steaming hot day on the East Bank of Demerara, off-spinner Steven Jacobs captured 6-45 to help rout Robin Bacchus’ X1 for 141 despite a stylish 45 from the Captain and 25 from Raj Nannan on the first day of the final four-day practice match yesterday at Providence.
By the close Leon Johnson’s X1 had reached 76-2 with Assad Fudadin unbeaten on 26, with his team still 65 runs in arrears.
Fudadin and West Indies under-19 left-hander Shemron Hetymer (43) put together 75 for the first wicket before Hetymer, who reached the boundary seven times in his 77-minute and 44-ball innings, threw his wicket away just before the close when he pulled a short ball from Raun Johnson to mid-off.
Night Watchman Gudakesh Motie was trapped LBW by Paul Wintz for a duck off the final ball of the day after sloppy catches in the slip cordon let off Hetymer twice and Fudadin once.
Bacchus’ X1 opted to bat first on a slow track with a tinge of green and a fast, parched outfield and the left-handed Bacchus dominated a 38-run first wicket stand with 19 year-old Tagenarine Chanderpaul, who laboured for 38 balls for his three runs.
Chris Barnwell ended Chanderpaul’s misery by having him LBW before Kandasammy Surujnarine (3) pushed forward to Jacobs and was taken at short leg at 43-2. Jacobs soon got rid of teenager Tevin Imlach (8) when was stumped just before Lunch at 55-3.
After the interval, Kevin Boodie, with a century under his belt in the first game at Bourda, wasted the opportunity to further impress the selectors when he was removed for one by the 27-year-old Jacobs, who has 32 wickets from 20 First-Class matches as Bacchus’s X1 slipped to 57-4.
Bacchus continued to ooze confidence the longer he occupied the crease and played several audacious shots but he soon lost Jevon Searles (6) after he had dumped Jacobs back over his head for six when he was taken at leg-slip as Jacobs extracted prodigious bounce from the track.
The 26-year-old Bacchus, with a single Regional 50-over game to his name, leaned back an slapped Raymon Reifer behind point for four after an imperious cover driven boundary off Jacobs got his innings going. But just when he was starting to flow Bacchus hit a catch off Jacobs to cover to leave the score on 77-6.
Jacobs removed Kemo Paul (5) before Nannan was beaten for pace with an immaculately directed yorker from Keon Joseph and was bowled to leave the score 107-8 before Motie (2-18) dismissed Dexter Solomon (19) and Steven Sankar (17) in quick succession.
(Taken from Kaieteur News)