EMBATTLED BARBADOS escaped defeat with a fourth successive draw yesterday against defensive-minded Guyana without the services of their World Cup-bound frontline leg-spinner Devendra Bishoo.
Set 292 for an unlikely victory in a minimum of 63 overs, Barbados crawled to 87 for four off 54 overs when the fourth-round WICB regional first-class cricket match at the Guyana National Stadium in Providence, was called off at the start of the mandatory 15 overs in the final hour.
Barbados were indebted to an unbroken fifth-wicket partnership between allrounder Kevin Stoute (24 not out) and Roston Chase (18 not out), who had to bat for survival in the entire post-tea session to deny Guyana what would have been their first victory on home soil against the Barbadians in 27 years.
Barbados slumped to 50 for four at tea.
They lost the out-of-form Dale Richards, Kyle Hope, captain Ryan Hinds and Kraigg Brathwaite cheaply, but Stoute, who hit a solitary four off 113 balls in 103 minutes of defiance and rookie teenager Chase (2×4, 90 balls, 88 minutes) batted sensibly to keep the Guyana bowlers at bay.
Richards departed for 13 when he flicked pacer Brandon Bess into the hands of Rajendra Chandrika at backward square leg, while Hope was bowled for six playing back to occasional medium pacer Assad Fudadin.
Hinds endured a double failure in the match when he was given out leg before wicket for three by local umpire Nigel Duguid, offering no stroke to a delivery from left-arm spinner Veerasammy Permaul which turned and bounced and hit him a shade high. A clearly upset Hinds lingered at the crease, an action which was likely to attract the attention of match referee Colin Stuart.
Fudadin then pulled a trick from his sleeve when he entrusted Leon Johnson, a part-time leg-spinner, with the last over before tea and he captured the prized wicket of Brathwaite, who edged a cut into wicketkeeper Derwin Christian’s gloves.
Earlier, when the day started, Guyana did not show much enterprise in the pre-lunch session despite starting the day with an overall lead of 218 runs.
Tailender Permaul beefed up the final total with a knock of 24 after overnight pair Royston Crandon and Vishaul Singh fell for 30 and 14 respectively.
Barbados started with the combination of Pedro Collins and Stoute. The former sent down ten consecutive overs to end with three for 41 from 18 overs, while Stoute delivered 11 overs on the trot before rain, which stopped play 25 minutes before lunch, also delayed the resumption after the interval by another 20 minutes, even though there was bright sunshine.
Stoute made the breakthrough when he bowled Crandon and Collins removed Singh, courtesy a catch by Chase at forward square leg. Chase also caught Christian inside the deep extra cover boundary for two when the batsman inexplicably tried to hit Collins over the top.
Six-footer Jason Holder struck in his first over after replacing a tiring Collins by sending Christopher Barnwell’s off-stump cartwheeling. Hinds finally relieved Stoute, who was smashed for a six over midwicket by last man Bess and took just four balls to end the innings when Permaul was brilliantly caught low in the covers by Stoute.