Windies post challenging total in warm-up tie

Shivnarine Chanderpaul completed his 68th first class hundred as West Indies posted a challenging total before sending half the Uttar Pradesh Cricket Association (UPCA) side back on Day 2 of their three-day warm-up game at the Jadavpur University Ground here Friday.

With Chanderpaul top scoring with 112 (153b, 15x4, 2x6), the West Indies first innings finished at 466. In reply, UPCA were 206/5 with top scorer Parvinder Singh (78 batting, 101b, 11x4, 2x6) and Amir Khaan (0) at the crease when play was called off due to bad light. For the visitors, tweaker V. Permaul (2/61) was the most successful bowler.

UP openers T. Srivastava and M. Dagar started off briskly playing some fluent drives as the hosts went past 40 in the eighth over. However, S. Cotrell removed Srivastava (23) when he dragged a full length ball on to his stumps. M. Kaif (16) could not stretch his laborious stay at the wicket as he was snapped at forward short leg of Permaul.

The visitors made further in-roads removing Dagar (42, 74b, 8x4) and A. Alam (0) in quick succession to leave the hosts reeling at 102/4 at tea.

Post-tea, UP batsmen showed some resilience as the duo of Singh and S. Gupta negotiated the Windies attack and stitched a 105-run partnership to take the score beyond 200. Gupta (39) was the last wicket to fall, caught behind off Darren Sammy.

Resuming at 333/4 overnight, old war horse Chanderpaul got to his hundred in the morning while partner N. Deonarine (94, 129b, 10x4, 2x6) missed out on a deserving three figure mark.

The fifth wicket partnership stretched to 197 when Chanderpaul was adjudged leg before to pacer Imtiaz Ahmed in the day's seventh over. Imtiaz got another success in his next over, finding Deonarine's pads in front of the wicket. Later, he picked up visiting skipper Darren Sammy (10) to finish with 5/117.

Imtiaz was well supported by R.P. Singh, who returned figures of 3/86. However, rest of the bowlers including skipper P. Chawla (0/134) looked listless as the batsmen piled on the misery on a placid track.

Despite starting the day well, UPCA's hopes of pegging West Indies within 400 was dashed by the tail end duo of Permaul (46 not out, 38b, 8x4, 1x6) and T. Best (35, 28b, 3x4, 3x6) who hit some lusty blows much to the joy of a motley crowd.

The day's proceedings started an hour late due to a soggy outfield.