Sarwan guides Guyana to safety

The 24-year-old newly re-appointed West Indies vice-captain, and his senior (for both country and region) Shivnarine Chanderpaul shared a 104-run partnership in 128 minutes for the fourth wicket as Guyana recovered from 65 for three, 10 minutes after lunch, to close on 257 for four. At the close yesterday Travis Dowlin not out on 33. Sarwan and Dowlin have featured in an unbeaten fifth-wicket stand of 88 to date.

Put into bat by TT captain Daren Ganga, Sarwan and Chanderpaul withstood repeated stoppages of play, when the spectators constantly crossed the sightscreen on the southern end between deliveries, to prosper on a flat pitch against unpenetrative bowling.

Sarwan played well against tight bowling from Rayad Emrit and Dwayne Bravo at the start of his knock and slowly grew in confidence, against the left-arm spin of Dave Mohammed and leg-spinner Sanjiv Gooljar.

He brought up his 50 with a flick to deep midwicket off Gooljar (112 minutes, 95 balls, six fours) and, with the TT bowlers tiring, took full advantage to reach his century with a square cut to the cover boundary off the leg-spinner (225 minutes, 172 balls, 15 fours).

Chanderpaul was watchful and sedate at the crease even though, in his unorthordox manner, executed seven fours before he lifted his back-leg to a Gooljar googly and was beautifully stumped by wicket-keeper Denesh Ramdin for 44.

Richard Kelly’s opening spell was inconsistent as he combined a number of straight deliveries with loose balls down the leg-side. But, during the first half-hour of play, with the score on eight, he earned a leg-before verdict off Krishna Arjune (one) as the stocky opener played across the line to a full toss.

The following delivery, an off-stump yorker to Narsingh Deonarine induced an edge, which was stopped by Lendl Simmons at second slip. The ex-WI left-hander never looked at ease against the pace of Kelly, Emrit and Bravo, and he was put down again, on 10, by wicketkeeper Denesh Ramdin, diving one-handed to his left, off Emrit.

Deonarine’s unconvincing knock of 15 ended in amateurish fashion five minutes before the lunch interval when his attempted swipe off Mohammed was taken by Gooljar at midwicket (57/2). In contrast, opener Sewnarine Chattergoon, another slimly-built left-handed batsman, was hardly under pressure during his innings of 43. But his penchant for the off-side boundaries (seven in all) proved to be his undoing as he edged a Bravo delivery to Sherwin Ganga at first slip (65/3). Sarwan and Chanderpaul’s century-run partnership tilted the balance in Guyana’s favour before the skipper’s departure 20 minutes after tea.

Even though Dowlin was initially troubled by the tandem of Gooljar and Emrit, captain Daren Ganga strangely employed a defensive policy during the latter stages of the day. Sarwan and Dowling comfortably negotiated the spin pair of Gooljar and Sherwin Ganga until stumps were drawn.Play begins at 10 am.