By Sean Devers
The National Cricket team, preparing for the 2014 Regional Super50 tournament in Trinidad and Tobago, went two-up in their six-match series against the Rest Team by inflicting a 150-run mauling against them in their second practice match at Bourda yesterday in a match reduced to 42 overs per side due to a late start.
Shivnarine Chanderpaul
Shivnarine Chanderpaul
After winning the first encounter at Everest on Friday, the National team exploded from a subdued start to reach 230-7 when their allotted 42 overs expired on a track with good pace and carry and a slightly slow outfield.
The Rest Team were then bundled out for an embarrassing 80 in 25 overs as only Rajiv Ivan (47*) and opener Robin Bacchus (10), the only debutant in the Guyana side, reached double figures, much to the disappointment of a fair size crowd in the Kenny Wishart stand.
Test left-hander Assad Fudadin stroked a carefully constructed 70 from 111 balls, while Shiv Chanderpaul who accelerated towards end to a 42-ball 41 and Skipper Christopher Barnwell who smashed a typically pugnacious 42 from just 16 balls led the scoring for the Nationals.
The lively Keon Joseph (3-36 from 8 overs) and left arm pacer Andre Stoll who produced prodigious seam movement, had 2-27 from his eight overs.
The work of the pair of fitness trainers from the Army seems to be paying off with Stoll in particular looking a lot fitter and stronger during his impressive spell yesterday in mostly bright sunshine.
Paul Wintz finished with 3-14, while West Indies ‘A’ Fast bowler Ronsford Beaton who bowled some pace, off-spinner Royston Crandon and Test leg-spinner Devendra Bishoo supported with a couple of wickets each to dismantle the Rest Team’s batting on a good track.
Trevon Griffith (12) got going with a magnificently timed back foot punch to the cover boundary but he soon fiddled at a ball from Stoll which he could have left alone.
Stoll then produced a perfect ‘in-ducker’ which had former Skipper Ramnaresh Sarwan LBW for a duck. But Fudadin who