Barbados, led by a career-best 81 by opener Rashidi Boucher, were able to declare their second innings at 235 for seven, half an hour after tea yesterday, setting Guyana a challenging victory target of 378 runs, but the flurry of wickets they were hoping for in the final session did not come.
Guyana, who had to replace their captain Veerasammy Permaul midway into the day’s play with Zaheer Mohammed because of pending West Indies duties, made a strong start to their bid for a come-from-behind victory.
The Guyanese ended the penultimate day of their second-round Regional Four-day cricket match on 94 for one off 23 overs, requiring a further 284 runs on today’s final day on a pitch which has remained good for batting.
Pacer Chris Jordan made an early breakthrough, when he trapped teenager Tagenarine Chanderpaul leg before wicket for nine in the third over.
But acting captain Leon Johnson (39 not out with four fours and two sixes), and Rajendra Chandrika (40 not out with six fours) capitalized on several short-pitched balls from Barbados’ new ball pair of Jordan and Miguel Cummins during an unbroken 77-run second-wicket partnership.
One short ball from Jordan was disdainfully pulled for six over mid-wicket by the left-handed Johnson, who also went after off-spinner Ashley Nurse, on-driving and sweeping him for fours and then hammering him for a straight six.
Barbados had one chance to separate the pair but substitute fielder Kevin Stoute, diving full stretch to his right at point, dropped a difficult catch, offered by Johnson off Cummins.
Earlier, Barbados, starting the day with a 142-run first innings lead after resuming on nought without loss, made an encouraging start with Boucher and Kraigg Brathwaite putting on 55 for the first week.
However, off-spinner Steven Jacobs made a double strike when he had Brathwaite and Barbados captain Kirk Edwards caught by wicket-keeper Derwin Christian while left-arm spinner Permaul removed Kyle Hope for five.
Brathwaite made a fluent 27 off 35 balls while Edwards got a first-ball “duck” following his first innings century and Hope disappointed once again, chipping a simple catch to mid-on.
Boucher, who grew in confidence, hoisting Permaul for a straight six, added 51 for the fourth wicket with Jonathan Carter, who welcomed leg-spinner Devendra Bishoo into the attack with a six over mid-wicket.
But on the stroke of lunch, fast bowler Ronsford Beaton bowled Carter for 25 off the inside edge as the batsman tried to take his bat away, leaving Barbados on 117 for four.
On resumption, Boucher, who had brought up his 50 with a tickle to fine leg in the pre-lunch session, took a liking to Bishoo with sixes in consecutive overs. The first was swung over forward square and the second lifted straight onto the sight screen at the Malcolm Marshall end.
But just when he seemed set to go on and record his maiden first-class century, he played across a full-length delivery from pacer Kion Joseph and was trapped leg before wicket.
Boucher’s innings, which lasted 207 minutes, contained seven fours and three sixes off 161 balls.
After his departure, Roston Chase emerged from an uncertain start to execute two exquisite cover drives off Joseph, while wicket-keeper Shane Dowrich batted positively for 24 off 35 balls before he edged a cut off a faster ball from Bishoo and was caught at slip by Johnson.
Barbados went to tea at 210 for six and continued batting for another half-hour after the break before declaring when Chase (49 with three fours) wasted a golden opportunity to get a half-century, falling one short of the landmark, after batting for 144 minutes and facing 107 balls.
Mohammed, who had come onto the field for Permaul, was introduced and had success in his second over. Chase, instead of driving a flighted delivery along the ground for a single, opted to go over the top and skied for Beaton to sprint in from mid-off and take an excellent diving catch.
However, Barbados’ bowlers didn’t enjoy the same success they had in the first innings as Johnson attacked while Chandrika, after scoring freely against Cummins initially, settled down to bat solidly.
Permaul had to abandon playing for Guyana just before tea after he was called up to the West Indies team to prepare for the first two One-Day Internationals against Zimbabwe in Grenada on Friday and Sunday.
He left the ground just after tea and Mohammed, who wasn’t in the Guyana 13-man squad but was flown into Barbados the previous day, took his place.
