Baugh, Ganga crack hundreds in drawn warm-up

BLOEMFONTEIN: Carlton Baugh, Jr, and Daren Ganga used the relaxed atmosphere of the fourth and final day of the drawn First-Class cricket tour match against Free State to hit contrasting hundreds for West Indies yesterday.

Baugh raced to an undefeated 158 at better than a run-a-ball and Ganga plodded away for 101 spanning four and a half hours in the West Indies second innings total of 289 for three declared. Free State reached 97 for two when stumps were drawn at Goodyear Park. The match was the West Indies’ final dress rehearsal before the opening Test of four against South Africa, starting at the new Wanderers Stadium in Johannesburg on Friday. Baugh, 21, identified as the keeper/bat to replace Ridley Jacobs when he calls it quits from international cricket, hit 18 fours and five sixes in a ruthless display of batting in just under three hours. Ganga offered him essential support with a typical workmanlike innings lasting 210 balls from which he struck 12 fours and one six. He and Baugh added 249, unbroken, for the fourth wicket before the declaration came.

The two carried West Indies to lunch at 210 for three with Baugh having completed his third First-Class hundred and Ganga in sight of his 11th. Vice-captain Ramnaresh Sarwan looking for a long, meaningful innings to reassure himself of his form had been and was the only victim for the visitors, being caught behind off Dillon du Preez for one. Once Ganga reached his hundred after the interval, the declaration came and West Indies restricted Free State to 52 for two at the tea break. Ravi Rampaul had Jonathan Beukes caught at slip in the second over of the home team’s second innings, and Mervyn Dillon gained an leg before wicket verdict over Rayno Arendse three overs later. After the break, Ryan McLaren took the fight to the West Indies bowlers with six fours in an unbeaten 53 and Gerhardus Liebenberg supported with 26 not out to share an unbroken third-wicket stand of 81 before the close.

Bloemfontein Scoreboard

FREE STATE VS WEST INDIES
West Indies 1st Innings 618
Free State 1st Innings
West Indies 2nd Innings
(Overnight 39 for two)
C. Gayle b Deacon 0
W. Hinds LBW b du Preez 27
D. Ganga not out 101
R. Sarwan c wkpr Schorn b du Preez 1
C. Baugh not out 158
EXTRAS (W1, NB1) 2
TOTAL (For 3 wkts dec) 289
Fall of wickets: 0, 36, 40.
BOWLING: Deacon 11-2-24-1; McLaren 9-2-39-0 (NBb1); du Preez 10-1-34-2; Venter 20-2-89-0; Tshabalala 13-0-69-0 (W1); Arendse 1-0-15-0; Liebenberg 5.2-0-19-0.

Free State 2nd Innings
R. Arendse LBW b Dillon 10
J. Beukes c Lara b Rampaul 0
G. Liebenberg not out 26
R. McLaren not out 53
EXTRAS (B4, LB2, W2) 8
TOTAL (For 2 wkts) 97
Fall of wickets: 11,-16.
BOWLING: Dillon 8-3-19-1; Rampaul 6-0-24-1 (w2); Ganga 9-2-21-0; Lara 1-0-5-0; Gayle 4-1-14-0; Sarwan 4-0-8-0.
RESULT: Free State drew with West Indies.