Deonarine (48) leads Guyana rally

FORMER West Indies youth captain Narsingh Deonarine (48 not out) and debutant Assad Fudadin (17 not out) rallied Guyana to 87 runs for three wickets, when play eventually began in their Carib Beer Series first round match at the National Cricket Centre, Balmain, Couva,  yesterday. After two full days were aborted, due to heavy rainfall, play finally got underway at 1.33 pm yesterday, and  Trinidad and Tobago skipper Daren Ganga won the toss and promptly asked Guyana to bat.

His decision brought rich rewards and Guyana were soon in the perilous position of wickets down for only 17 runs. But the two talented left-handers, Deonarine and Fudadin, displayed unflappable temperament and discipline to remained undefeated at by the end of the allotted 62 overs, when umpires Basil Morgan (Montserrat) and Camal Basdeo (TT)  offered the batsmen the opportunity of going off because of fading light. WI youth wicketkeeper Dinesh Ramdin, allrounder and pacer Kyron Lynch and Richard Kelly making their first class debut both made an instant impact and shared the wickets to fall.

Kelly struck when he forced Ryan Ramdass to spar at a delivery outside off stump and gave a catch to Amit Jaggernauth at the third slip. Guyana lost their second wicket when Krishna Arjune fell in similar fashion to Lynch. The Guyanese struggling on  15 for two wickets and Kelly soon added to their misery when he had Sewnarine Chattergoon magnificently caught,  one-handed, by the other debutant wicketkeeper Dinesh Ramdin, with the total on 17. But thereafter, the two young Guyanese defied spinners Amit Jaggernauth and Dave Mohammed and the rest of the bowling attack in sharing an unbroken 70-run fourth wicket partnership. Deonarine batted for three hours and faced 178 balls for his 48 which contained two sixes and one four while Fudadin has been at the crease for  173 minutes and 141 balls. Today, the final day, starts at 9.30 am.