GEORGETOWN (Guyana), April 8: Australia survived a scare to force a draw in their opening tour match in West Indies on Monday.
The Guyana Board President’s XI almost stole an unlikely victory after being set a daunting target of 442 on the third and final day, finishing just 40 runs short on 402 for six.
Number three batsman Narsingh Deonarine (141 not out) and wicket-keeper Carlton Baugh (115 not out) both scored unbeaten centuries for the Guyana XI.
Deonarine hit 20 fours and a six while Baugh, who is in the West Indies squad for the first Test in Bourda, Guyana starting on Thursday, struck 17 fours and three sixes.
The pair shared an unbroken seventh-wicket stand of 222 in just 140 minutes after left-arm spinner Brad Hogg had grabbed five early wickets to reduce the home team to 180 for six.
Hogg finished with figures of five for 112. At one stage he had five for 50 as he took nine wickets in the match to emerge as the favourite to replace disgraced spinner Shane Warne in the first Test.
Australia were earlier dismissed for 196 in their second innings after resuming at 180 for eight. Martin Love top-scored with 59 in a reshuffled batting order.
Scoreboard
AUSTRALIA (1st Innings) 377-3 decl (S.R. Waugh 106 not out, M.L. Hayden 102, J.L. Langer 60, M.L. Love 56, D.S. Lehmann 44 not out).
GUYANA BOARD XI (1st Innings 132 (I.H. Jan 42 not out; G.B. Hogg 4-23).
AUSTRALIA (2nd Innings, overnight 180-8):
G.B. Hogg c Jan b Sanford 16
A.C. Gilchrist c Jan b Sanford 8
A.J. Bichel b Black 7
A.A. Noffke b Bravo 20
D.S. Lehmann c Joseph b Mohammed 42
M.L. Love b Sanford 59
J.L. Langer c Joseph b Banks 1
S.R. Waugh c and b Banks 2
J.N. Gillespie lbw b Mohammed 7
S.C.G. MacGill b Banks 23
M.L. Hayden not out 2
EXTRAS (B-4, LB-4, NB-1) 9
TOTAL (all out, 57.5 overs) 196
FALL OF WKTS: 1-14, 2-27, 3-33, 4-54, 5-126, 6-129, 7-139, 8-150, 9-190.
BOWLING: Sanford 9-1-28-3; Black 6-1-24-1; Banks 22.5-3-65-3; Bravo 6-1-26-1 (1nb); Mohammed 14-3-45-2.
GUYANA BOARD XI (2nd Innings):
I.H. Jan lbw b Hogg 44
D.S. Smith lbw b Hogg 37
N. Deonarine not out 141
D.J.J. Bravo b Hogg 14
S.C. Joseph c Langer b Hogg 2
A. Kanhai c Love b Hogg 0
O.A.C. Banks c Hayden b MacGill 6
C.S. Baugh not out 115
EXTRAS (B-22, LB-8, W-1, NB-7, PR- 5) 43
TOTAL (for six wkts, 84 overs) 402
FALL OF WKTS: 1-59, 2-120, 3-152, 4-162, 5-162, 6-180.