Three new players were named in the Barbados team, three selectors submitted their resignations, and three batsmen stroked half-centuries.
You could say that Barbados had a “three-mendous” day yesterday.
However, despite half-centuries from Kraigg Brathwaite, Omar Phillips and Jonathan Carter, the hosts squandered a promising start to share the honours with Guyana on the opening day of their fifth-round Regional Four-Day encounter at Kensington Oval.
After cruising at 92-0, Barbados finished the day on 227-5, with Carter unbeaten on 50 and Shane Dowrich on nine.
On a flat, hard surface, which offered the fast bowlers some swing and bounce, Guyana’s opening duo of Brandon Bess and Ronsford Beaton hardly troubled Brathwaite and Phillips, who looked comfortable on their way to a season’s best 92-run opening stand.
So ineffective was Guyana’s bowling attack that captain Shivnarine Chanderpaul used six bowlers in the morning session in a desperate attempt to break the partnership that was at one point motoring along at more than four runs an over.
Against the run of play, though, Phillips almost gifted his wicket away, when he lofted Christopher Barnwell just over the outstretched hands of a back-pedalling Ramnaresh Sarwan at mid-off, with the score on 45.
There were no other alarms, as the pair cruised to the lunch break, carrying the score to 82, with Brathwaite on 33 and Phillips on 47.
Shortly after resumption, Phillips brought up his half-century with a single through the covers.
He faced 110 balls and was at the crease for just over two hours.
The summoning of a seventh bowler by Chanderpaul, in Assad Fudadin, proved to be just what the doctor ordered for Guyana, as he bowled Phillips behind his legs as he looked to turn the delivery down to fine leg.
Spot of bother
Brathwaite arrived at his mark shortly afterwards, after facing 142 balls and occupying the crease for 13 minutes short of three hours.
He and Ryan Hinds added 38 before Hinds, after whipping Bess through midwicket for two consecutive boundaries, pulled a short delivery from Bess straight down the throat of Narasingh Deonarine at fine leg, to be out for 14.
Without another run added, Brathwaite misjudged a delivery from left-handed spinner Veerasammy Permaul and was out lbw for 62, to leave Barbados in a spot of bother.
Their dismissals led to the arrivals of Jonathan Carter and newly appointed skipper Shamarh Brooks.
And they went about their business in the coolest of manners. Carter especially, was a picture of confidence and class as he dispatched the bowlers to all parts of the ground.
No shot defined this more than a cracking backfoot shot off the bowling of Beaton that raced away to the boundary before any of the fielders could blink.
With Barbados seemingly cruising on 187-3, a lapse in concentration cost Brooks his wicket as he missed a straight ball from Permaul to be out lbw for 19.
Carter continued to play his strokes, driving Permaul through the covers for four more runs, before bringing up his 50.
He has so far batted for 149 minutes, faced 103 balls and stroked four boundaries.
Guyana struck one more time before the end of play, with Bess having Kenroy Williams caught behind for 14 in the penultimate over, to share the day’s spoils.
Earlier, former Parkinson student Miguel Cummins became the first member of that school since Winston Reid to represent the national side.
