Veteran left-hander Shivnarine Chanderpaul passed 26,000 First-Class runs and was once against standing between Guyana Jaguars and defeat, as Barbados Pride took a stranglehold of their eighth round contest on Saturday.
At age 42, the West Indies legend’s powers showed no signs of wane as he carved out exactly 50 in Jaguars first innings as they collapsed to 250 all out, in reply to Pride’s mammoth 480 for three declared, on the penultimate day at Kensington Oval.
Forced to follow on by 230 runs, Jaguars were slumping at 78 for three after losing two quick wickets, but Chanderpaul once again came to their rescue and was unbeaten on 30 at the close, with the visitors tentatively placed at 119 for three.
Sunday is a rest day to accommodate the Twenty20 International between West Indies and Pakistan at the venue but Jaguars — still 111 runs adrift of making Pride bat again — will require a Herculean effort on Monday’s final day to avoid defeat.
Attacking opener Shimron Hetmyer made 28 off 24 balls with six fours, in a 44-run opening stand with Rajindra Chandrika, before driving off-spinner Ashley Nurse to substitute Justin Greaves at cover, off the second ball after tea.
Chandrika, who spent nearly 1-1/4 hours over 23, put on 26 for the second wicket with captain Leon Johnson (16) but perished when he struck a return catch back to left-arm spinner Jomel Warrican. With eight runs added, Johnson was taken at the wicket off Nurse, who finished with two for 33.
Chanderpaul, however, combined with Vishaul Singh (14 not out) to stabilise the innings in an unbroken 41-run, fourth wicket stand.
Earlier, wicketkeeper Anthony Bramble top-scored with an attractive 77 and Raymon Reifer got 31, but Jaguars wasted a promising position of 239 for five as they lost their last five wickets for just 11 runs. Fast bowler Miguel Cummins as the chief destroyer with five for 41 while off-spinner Roston Chase picked up four for 46.
Resuming the day on 119 for four, Jaguars lost Reifer in the day’s seventh over after he had added just six to his overnight 25, leaving Chanderpaul and Bramble to rescue the innings in a 106-run sixth wicket stand.
Chanderpaul, unbeaten on 15 overnight, achieved 26,000 runs in his 357th First-Class match when he reached 19. He went on to face 197 balls in just over 4-1/2 hours at the crease and struck four fours and a six.
Bramble was positive from the outset, and his knock came from just 115 deliveries in 128 minutes and included 12 fours and a six. Once he was lbw to Cummins in the 10th over after lunch, Jaguars collapsed as Cummins ran through the lower order. (windiescricket)
