Windies in ‘Battle at Benoni’

BENONI: Adam Sanford and Ravi Rampaul struck important blows in the final hour of the third day to put the West Indies on course for victory going into today’s final day of the four-day match against Easterns at Willowmoore Park. Defending a target of 285 after they were dismissed for 263 in their second innings yesterday, Sanford swooped low to have Dylan Jennings caught-and-bowled for a duck, while Rampaul bowled Zander de Bruyn for 15 to leave the home team at 28 for two when the pair of Andre Seymore (8) and Daryll Cullinan (0) quickly accepted the offer to go off in fading light with five overs left to be bowled. Rampaul, the leading wicket-taker in the first innings, should have also accounted for Seymore but Dave Mohammed missed a regulation catch at cover.

With Brian Lara sitting out this match, Ramnaresh Sarwan avoided an embarrassing collapse by the tourists with a battling top-score of 72.His almost three-hour occupation of the crease was vital after his side had slumped to 136 for five. The innings, which included eight fours and six, underlined the 23-year-old’s return to form as it followed scores of 114, 44 and 69 in his last three innings of the Test series against South Africa. The elegant Guyanese received invaluable support from Vasbert Drakes in a sixth-wicket partnership of exactly 100 that resuscitated the Caribbean side, following the dismissals in quick succession just after lunch of Daren Ganga and Ridley Jacobs. Ganga, who added just 31 runs in the morning session, took three boundaries in one over off left-arm spinner Jacob Malao to reach 50 in 174 minutes only for the opener to be run out on 51 when called through for a single to backward-point.  In contrast to some at the top of the order, Drakes played sensibly for more than an hour-and-a-half, surviving a caught-and-bowled chance off part-time spinner Geoffrey Toyana before he eventually fell 20 minutes after tea, lifting a drive to extra-cover to give Gareth Flusk his first wicket.

Scoreboard
EASTERNS vs WEST INDIES
West Indies 1st inns: 334
Easterns 1st inns: 313
West Indies 2nd inns:
(Overnight 27/0)
C Gayle c Z de Bruyn b A Morkel 28
D Ganga run out (P de Bruyn) 51
S Chanderpaul c Cullinan b Z de Bruyn 21
C Baugh c Seymore b Malao 31
R Jacobs b A Morkel 1
R Sarwan c Cullinan b M Morkel 72
V Drakes c Z de Bruyn b Flusk 37
D Mohammed c P de Bruyn b Flusk 1
A Sanford b M Morkel 6
R Rampaul b A Morkel 0
C Collymore not out 0
EXTRAS (B3, LB7, NB5) 15
Total 263
Fall of wickets: 44; 69; 113; 136; 136; 236; 238; 257; 262; 263.
BOWLING: J Morkel 15.2-3-48-3; Z de Bruyn 12-0-34-1 (NB1); Malao 16-3-54-1; M Morkel 6-0-25-2 (NB4); P de Bruyn 7-2-18-0, Flusk 9-5-18-2; O’Connor 9-2-20-0; Toyana 12-0-36-0.
Easterns 2nd inns:
A Seymore not out 8
D Jennings c & b Sanford 0
Z de Bruyn b Rampaul 15
D Cullinan not out 0
EXTRAS (B4, LB1) 5
Total for two wickets 28
Fall of wickets: 5; 28.
BOWLING: Sanford 4-1-16-1; Rampaul 4-1-7-1.