2017/18 CWI/Digicel 4-day Championship
Tagenarine Chanderpaul recorded his maiden First-Class century in Guyana Jaguars’ tame draw with Barbados Pride in the penultimate round of the 2017/18 Cricket West Indies/Digicel Four-day championship at the Kensington Oval on Sunday.
Chanderpaul whose previous best was 84 made a determined 101 not out after starting the final day on 66. He grafted the remaining 35 runs in fine style and struck consecutive boundaries off the bowling of Jonathon Cater to his reach his landmark. The compact left-hander spent 391 minutes at the crease, striking nine fours.
Tagenarine Chanderpaul
His innings helped Jaguars move from their overnight total of 154-4 to 263-4 declare, which left Pride an unlikely target of 362 with just over two sessions reaming in the day’s play.
Anthony Bramble who was unable to do the glove work in the second innings due to an injury scored an enterprising 74 from 78 deliveries, sharing a productive stand of 115 for the fourth wicket with Chanderpaul.
Bramble’s assault at the mecca of cricket in the Caribbean saw him smash four fours and five sixes as his team pressed for an early deceleration.
In response, Pride started positively reaching 44 without loss at lunch as Test batsman Kraigg Brathwaite and Shane Mosley played their strokes with authority. Experienced left-arm spinner Veerasammy Permaul leaked 13 runs before the interval in a counter-attack by the left-handed Mosley.
Anthony Bramble
After the interval, the duo continued to make it an unpleasant afternoon for the visitors but young Mosley’s innings came to end by Wanders club mate Raymon Reifer who bowled a ‘top seed’ to disturb the batsman’s stumps.
Brathwaite continued to show his powers of concentration reaching his 41st First-Class half century. With no Romario Shepherd who took 5-40 in the first innings due to injury, Keemo Paul took up the mantle of leading the attack on a pitch which was offering an appreciable amount of pace and bounce.
Paul produced an aggressive spell of short-pitch bowling from the Joel Garner end to the Test batsman who eventually was caught in two minds edging down the leg side for well played 54 inclusive of eight fours.
The seamer soon left the field and with both substitutes already on the field, head coach Esuan Crandon had to do some fielding duties in the 39th over much to the amusement to his players.
Permaul eventually found the right length and pace and got the wicket of captain Shamar Brooks sweeping, which stand-in keeper Vishaul Singh took a delightful catch.
The four-time champions began sensing a miraculous heist in the final session as Paul who returned to the field with the same hostility got Carter nicking a rising delivery on his off-stump.
However, Test batmen Roston Chase and Shane Dowrich had other plans and weathered the attacking bursts by the visitors and took Pride to safety on 208-4 at the close of play.
Jaguars will now return home where they play Trinidad and Tobago Red Force in the final round starting on Thursday at Providence while Pride host Jamaica Scorpions in a battle for second place.
