Latest update April 17th, 2024 12:59 AM
Jun 19, 2014 Sports
By Sean Devers in Trinidad
In association with Digicel, Stag Beer,
John Fernandes Ltd and Cascadia Hotel
On the back of a sixth Test ton from Darren Bravo, a maiden century by Kraigg Braithwaite
and an attacking half-century from debutant Jermaine Blackwood, West Indies ended the third day of their second Test against New Zealand here at the Queens Park Oval yesterday holding the upper hand in the contest.
The West Indies, who last reached a 500-plus total in 2012 when they made 527-4 declared against Bangladesh, fell 40 short, reaching 460 all out to give them a lead of 239. Blackwood (63), Shiv Chanderpaul (47) and Dinesh Ramdin (32) did the bulk of the scoring yesterday while leg-spinner Ish Sodhi took 4-96 and pacer Trent Boult 3-75.
New Zealand reached 73-1 by the close yesterday, still 166 runs away from avoiding an innings defeat with nine wickets in hand.
When the Kiwis began their second innings Tim Latham and Brendon McCullum saw them to Tea at 4-0 and soon after the break McCullum (3) was LBW to Taylor at 9-1 to give the Jamaican pacer his fifth scalp in the match.
Williamson (38) joined forces with Latham (30) and the pair batted cautiously and responsibly to add 64 runs in an unfinished partnership from 36 overs.
Earlier, play resumed in brilliant sunshine with West Indies on 310-5 in reply to New Zealand’s 221. Night watchman Kemar Roach and the 39-year-old Chanderpaul took the lead past 100 before Roach (6) was dismissed by Boult at 333-6 after surviving for 46 minutes yesterday.
Blackwood got off the mark with an edged boundary which dropped just short of second slip off Boult, who beat the outside edge a couple of times. But the 22 year-old, with three First-Class tons to his name, responded with an effortless six back over the head of Boult.
Watched by the largest crowd of the match, the usually subdued Chanderpaul mixed caution with aggression and hammered Mark Craig for a boundary before depositing the off-spinner for a huge six over long off in the same over to post the 350.
On a track which got better for batting as the match progressed, Chanderpaul, the most capped West Indies Test player, danced into Sodhi and caressed him through extra cover for four.
The Jamaican Blackwood rocked back to Craig and smashed him to the cover boundary like a bullet. But in the next over Chanderpaul, who went back into his shell with lunch approaching, opted to play no shot to a big spinning leg-break from Sodhi and was given out on the review after the on field Umpire had given him not out.
Chanderpaul departed just when he seemed set for another long innings and his demise came with him three short of his 64th Test fifty. The innings took 93 balls, 155 minutes and included five fours and a six.
By Lunch West Indies were 396-7 with Blackwood, who played a lot of shots, unbeaten on 31 and his Captain Ramdin not out on five.
After the interval Ramdin, who scored an unbeaten ton the last time West Indies reached 500 in a Test, greeted Boult with three stunning off-side boundaries as the hosts showed intentions to push the score on.
The diminutive Blackwood, who had a reprieve when on 35 after the review overturned an LBW decision off Kane Williamson, crashed a scorching four to extend the lead to 200.
Blackwood reached his first fifty at this level from 92 balls with five fours and two sixes and his achievement was acknowledged by a small but raucous crowd which included a stand full of school children.
Blackwood and Ramdin continued to bat purposely and brought up the 450. The debutant celebrated with a six off Sodhi who got the last laugh when Blackwood was taken at slip for 63 from 146 minutes and 110 balls with six fours and two sixes to leave the score on 456-8.
Ramdin (32) was next to go off Jimmy Neesham at 460-9 before Taylor (4) fell to Sodhi without addition to the score.
Today is the penultimate day and home team is in a commanding position to notch their first win in seven Tests since beating Zimbabwe in March 2013 in Dominica when they registered the last of their six consecutive Test wins.
Only a vastly improved second innings batting performance and maybe a thunder storm or two can save the Black Caps from defeat.
However, New Zealand, yet to win a Test in Trinidad, will be mindful that this is not the West Indies’ team of the 1980s and that anything is possible over the next two days.
Scoreboard
New Zealand 1st innings 221
West Indies 1st innings
CH Gayle b Boult 1
KC Brathwaite c & b Boult 129
SJ Benn b Southee 4
KA Edwards c †Watling b Sodhi 55
DM Bravo c Craig b Williamson 109
S Chanderpaul lbw b Sodhi 47
KAJ Roach c Neesham b Boult 6
J Blackwood c Taylor b Sodhi 63
D Ramdin*† c Taylor b Neesham 32
JE Taylor c Craig b Sodhi 4
ST Gabriel not out 0
Extras (lb 6, w 3, nb 1) 10
Total (all out; 137.1 overs; 592 mins) 460
Fall of wickets 1-4 (Gayle, 2.6 ov), 2-16 (Benn, 11.3 ov),
3-109 (Edwards, 30.3 ov), 4-291 (Bravo, 79.2 ov),
5-310 (Brathwaite, 88.2 ov), 6-333 (Roach, 100.1 ov),
7-380 (Chanderpaul, 114.1 ov), 8-456 (Blackwood, 135.3 ov),
9-460 (Ramdin, 136.5 ov), 10-460 (Taylor, 137.1 ov)
Bowling O M R W Econ
TA Boult 30 6 75 3 2.50 (2w)
TG Southee 30 9 69 1 2.30 (1nb)
MD Craig 29 4 111 0 3.82
JDS Neesham 15 1 68 1 4.53 (1w)
IS Sodhi 19.1 2 96 4 5.00
KS Williamson 14 2 35 1 2.50
New Zealand 2nd innings
TWM Latham not out 30
BB McCullum* lbw b Taylor 3
KS Williamson not out 38
Extras (lb 1, nb 1) 2
Total (1 wicket; 41 overs) 73
To batHD Rutherford, LRPL Taylor, JDS Neesham,
BJ Watling†, TG Southee, IS Sodhi, MD Craig, TA Boult
Fall of wickets 1-9 (McCullum, 6.4 ov)
Bowling O M R W Econ
JE Taylor 10 4 15 1 1.50
KAJ Roach 6 3 9 0 1.50
ST Gabriel 5 1 12 0 2.40 (1nb)
SJ Benn 13 5 17 0 1.30
CH Gayle 7 2 19 0 2.71
Match details
Toss – New Zealand, who chose to bat
Test debut – J Blackwood (West Indies)
Player of the match – tba
Umpires – IJ Gould (England) and RJ Tucker (Australia)
TV umpire – RK Illingworth (England)
Match referee – BC Broad (England)
Reserve umpire – PJ Nero
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