The Independent Voice of West Indies Cricket
Carl Hooper's Guyana side batted out the remainder of day four
to secure a draw and lift the Busta Shield, the symbol of
cricketing supremacy in the Caribbean.
Guyana batted out the majority of the fourth and final day to
finish on 99 for three when the captains decided to call off the
match with Shiv Chanderpaul (30) and Mahendra Nagamootoo (7) the
not out batsmen.
Vice-captain Ridley Jacobs has been discarded from the West
Indies team for the first Test against the visiting Indians as the
selectors opted for the hot bat of Grenadian Junior Murray.
Also dumped from the team announced on Sunday was Darren Ganga, the
Trinidad & Tobago opener who has not done much in his 15 Tests
for the senior team. Stuart Williams, coming off a strong Busta Cup
tournament, where he led all batsmen with 974 runs (ave. 97.40),
was named to partner Chris Gayle in the opening slot.
Carl Hooper has very broad shoulders. On Saturday at Sabina
Park, the Guyana captain put the on his back and waltzed his way to
a majestic unbeaten 149 as Guyana took first innings points, and
possibly the Busta Shield championship.
With the score on 170 for five, with his team still 107 runs short
of the Jamaica first innings total, Hooper joined Ramnaresh Sarwan
and there was no looking back. He was at his flowing best, cutting,
pulling and driving his way to a memorable century.
A plodding half-century from opener Sewnarine Chattergoon pushed
Guyana to within 128 runs of first innings points in the Busta
Shield finals at Sabina Park but the all-round shoddy standard of
play left West Indies cricket fans shaking their heads in disgust.
At the close of an ugly second day's play, Guyana survived some
tense moments to reach 149 for four but Jamaica has only themselves
to blame for surrendering a slight advantage in a match where first
innings points could determine the outright Shield winner.
A biting post-lunch tandem of spin bowling from Carl Hooper and
Mahendra Nagamootoo put a spoke in the wheel of Jamaica's early
advance on the opening day of the Busta Shield finals at Sabina
Park.
Nagamootoo, the right-arm leg spinner led all bowlers with 43
wickets in this year's regional competition, grabbed four for 71 as
Jamaica struggled to 229 for six at the close. It was a
disappointing finish to a day's play that was earlier dominated by
openers Chris Gayle and Leon Garrick.