From a critical crisis to a resplendent rearguard to exhilarating excitement

Haydn Gill03-Feb-2002From a critical crisis to a resplendent rearguard to exhilarating excitement.Yesterday’s second day of the Busta Series match between Barbados and the Windward Islands produced unimaginable drama and unexpected thrills that ensured the biggest crowd at Kensington Oval this season gained value for money.Twenty-four minutes into the morning session, Courtney Browne hurried out of the Garfield Sobers Pavilion seemingly unprepared to respond to the danger that faced Barbados.ScintillatingBy the time he marched off the ground five hours later, he had splendidly transformed the match with a scintillating century that surely must be acknowledged as the finest batting display of his career.I’ve played a few good innings in my time and this would have to go down as one of the best, if not the best, he told SUNSPORT.When you are one of the more experienced batsmen, you have to hang in there and make runs. After we were behind, it was just a matter of batting.His 161 off 196 balls was his fourth and highest first-class hundred and was decorated with dashing drives, a hooked six and a few of his trademark slog-sweeps that no one else in the region can match.For most of the time he spent unleashing his series of breathtaking strokes, he found an important ally in Sulieman Benn.The pair featured in Barbados regional first-class cricket record partnership that sent the more than 3 000 spectators into a wild frenzy, especially after tea when 108 runs were reeled off in an enthralling hour.Browne, dropped immediately after passing his hundred, motored on to the extent that his last 61 runs came from 36 balls.He was especially severe on Windwards captain Rawl Lewis, who conceded 29 in an over in which he was banged for two sixes and three fours.Benn clobbered 78 that included several meaty off-side strokes and although Barbados still fell short of the Windwards’ total by 18 runs, the psychological advantage had remarkably shifted because of the eighth-wicket association of 184 between the two stinging ‘Bs’.The hosts were down in the dumps at 30 for four within the first half-hour and 118 for seven when Benn joined Browne 35 minutes after lunch.There was always hope, Browne said. I told myself that as long as I kept scoring it would have been all right. But I definitely wasn’t looking for 300.Windwards, who did nothing wrong in the first session when the impressive 21-year-old Dominican fast bowler Fernix Thomas spearheaded the effort, suddenly started to wilt under the pressure of the rampaging bats of Browne and Benn.Stunned silenceIt was a sharp contrast to the morning period when Kensington was stunned into silence following the cheap dismissals of captain Philo Wallace, and the youthful trio of Martin Nurse, Kurt Wilkinson and Dwayne Smith.Both openers were back in the pavilion before a run had been added to the overnight score of 21.Wallace gave a low catch to mid-off, while Nurse, the 16-year-old debutant, hardly moved his feet as he edged to the keeper.Spectators were still trickling into the Oval when Thomas produced a double-strike that left Barbados in dire straits.Wilkinson’s attempted drive was plucked out of their air by gully by the diving Lewis, but poor Smith could do nothing to adequately negotiate a vicious ground-eater to the very first ball he received.Almost two minutes had passed before Browne came out still fiddling with his equipment and seemingly in one state of disarray.I was definitely caught off-guard, he admitted. When `Smittie’ got out, I only had on my left pad. I had to hussle.I went out there with two different gloves, no box, no thigh pad. I just had to relax, stay focussed, and the experience took me through.There was even further drama to follow. The third ball he received, Browne launched into a big drive that flew like a rocket and directly into the chest of Rommel Currency who was no more than about ten yards from the bat at short cover.As Currency fell, Thomas desperately tried to catch the rebound from the fielder’s body.Browne, however, continued to play aggressively. He was soon into his stride with a cover-driven four and a hooked six off Thomas.By lunch, he had reached fifty, but Barbados lost the important wickets of Floyd Reifer and Ian Bradshaw either side of the interval.Reifer was caught by wicket-keeper Junior Murray, who was standing up to the left-arm fast-medium stuff of Kenroy Peters. Bradshaw fell to a low second slip catch by Devon Smith to give Thomas another of his five wickets.After Ryan Austin became another victim of Thomas, Benn and Browne went about the repair job.Benn came out and played a very good innings, Browne said about the contribution of the tall left-hander.There was no need for me to push anymore after he came out and was scoring like that. It was just a matter of hanging in.