Christian’s all-round brilliance leads Pioneer to victory
Clement “Busta” Lawrence Premier League 2019…
Demerara Cricket Club (DCC) wicketkeeper-batsman Derwin Christian continued his fine form over the weekend, following up his 57 with a quick-fire 43 of 22 balls for Pioneer Cricket Club in the 2019 Clement “Busta” Lawrence Premier League.
Christian has thus far scored 100 runs at an average of 50 and bagged four wickets in his two matches for his club.
Derwin Christian contributed with both bat and ball
In the Pioneer match-up against Panthers Cricket Club, Pioneer won the toss and elected to bat at the West Side Park. Syed Javid and Mark Gomes opened the batting in the 35-over affair; however, Javid soon found himself back in the pavilion as he was run out. Wickets continued to fall at key intervals as the Panthers were able to restrict their opponents, maintaining a proper line and length.
The in-form Christian came to the crease and immediately took to the bowlers as he opened his shoulders, blasting 43 off 22 balls inclusive of two boundaries and three maximums. The only other batsman to contribute anything significant was Uman Moore, who chipped in with 36, which saw the Pioneers posting 211 in 29.1 overs. The only other two batsmen who made promising starts were Gomes, 32 and Mario Persaud, 29. Bowling for the Panthers were Ahmed Saad bagging 4-20, Imran Haider 2-33, Burhan Saeed 2-35 and Azhar Muhammad 1-26.
Needing a simple target of 212 in 35 overs at 6.1 runs per over, Panthers CC commenced their innings cautiously. The first breakthrough came when Christian bowled Fahad Riaz for 15 with his medium pace. No other partnership formed after the first wicket fell, as the batsmen struggled for runs. Despite a resistant 27 from Monsin Muhammad, who later became Christian’s second victim, not much could be done as the Panthers folded for 164 in 30.4 overs. Bowling for the Pioneers, Christian had figures of 2-19, Michael Noble 2-27, Kyle Kowlessar 2-27, and Renwick Batson 2-31.
