GCB Jaguars three-day Franchise… Fudadin announces return from Sri Lanka with attractive 92 

By Sean Devers, Oct 01, 2016, Sports, http://www.kaieteurnewsonline....three-day-franchise/

Test batsman Assad Fudadin announced his return from the one-day series in Sri Lanka with the West Indies ‘A’ team by stroking an attractive 92 to lead Upper Corentyne to 222 on day one of their sixth round GCB Jaguars three-day League game against East Bank at Everest Yesterday.

The 31-year-old left-hander who has played three Tests, batted 99 balls and 132 minutes as he reached the boundary five times and cleared it on six occasions to dominate a 93-run opening stand with Lloyd Lewis (17), while Clinton Pestano blazed three fours and four sixes in a 40-ball and 50 minute 49 to spearhead U/C’tyne to 222.

Off-spinner Steven Jacobs finished with 4-97 and got support from pacer Steven Harris (3-57) and left-arm spinner Budhan Baksh (2-19) for E/Bank who will resume today on their overnight 75-4 with Danny Narayan on 30. Off-spinner Eon Hooper has so far picked up 2-8 to take his wicket tally to 28, one behind Lower Corentyne’s Kasim Khan’s 29.

In scorching heat and on an extremely heavy outfield U/C’tyne opted to bat on a slow track and Fudadin and Lewis, who was the silent partner, provided their team with a solid foundation which was wasted by the other batsmen except Pestano as the Berbicians lost four wickets for 43 runs to be 140-4 by Lunch.

Jacobs, who was expensive but took wickets, removed Lewis to separate the openers after the usually sedate Fudadin got off the mark with a delightful boundary off Harris.

Jason Sinclair joined Fudadin, who greeted Jacobs with a couple of sixes in his first over and repeated the dose in his next over, but Sinclair (11) was soon trapped LBW to Baksh at 114-2.

Fudadin looked a batsman who just returned from West Indies duties and oozed confidence as he entertained a fair sized crowd with positive stroke play.

At 16 years and youngest player in the eight-team League, correct right-hander Kevlon Anderson reached the boundary four times and capitalized on some loose work from the East Bank spinners who bowled inconsistent lines.

Anderson drove and pulled competently while Fudadin’s innings continued to flourish. He reached his fifty from just 49 balls with four fours and a similar number of sixes before Jacobs struck when Fudadin, with five First-Class tons, pushed forward to one that bounced and was taken at silly mid-off to leave the score on 132-3. Baskh removed Vermootoo Senwason (1) a run later just before Lunch.

After the interval First-Class Keeper Anthony Bramble, batted in brightly coloured shoes, and Anderson were looking set to string together a useful partnership when Harris had the stubborn Anderson LBW at 168-5 before Jacobs got rid of Bramble (20) in the next over as two wickets tumbled in the space of a run.

When Hooper (1) lost his stumps to Harris at 178-7 Pestano was running out of partners. He put his foot on gas by hitting Jacobs for three sixes.

But the former West Indies under-19 Skipper had the last laugh when, like he did to Fudadin, removed Pestano when he was just short of a personal landmark. This was after Harris and Guyana U-19 pacer Sherfane Rutherford had picked up two quick wickets.

East Bank, who got 3.4 bowling points to U/Corentyne’s one batting point, began their reply inauspiciously losing Stephon Browne (10) on the stroke of Tea with 17 runs on the board.

After the break, Pestano got rid of the promising Mark Rhobe (8) at 29-2 before Deonarine Seegobin (7) and Rutherford (5) edged catches to the Keeper as two wickets fell at 35.

The 29-year-old Narayan, who scored 72 and captured 5-30 in the last round, has already reached the ropes thrice, while West Indies U-19 Wicket-Keeper batsman Tevin Imlach (8) is the other not out batsman.

The fifth wicket stand is already worth 40 runs and has reduced the deficit to 147 runs. Play is scheduled to commence at 09:30hrs today.

Meanwhile, at the Imam Bacchus ground on the Essequibo Coast, East Coast made 316 with Guyana under 19 batsman Bhaskar Yadram stroking 118. Kamesh Yadram made 61 and Ameer Khan scored 58.

Akenie Adams took 6/53, his third five-wicket haul for Essequibo, who reached 40-2 at the close of play.