Latest update March 29th, 2024 12:59 AM
Jun 20, 2014 Sports
– New Zealand take game into final day
By Sean Devers in Trinidad in association with Digicel, Stag Beer,John Fernandes Ltd and Cascadia Hotel
West Indies were in sight of their first win in Trinidad since they beat Sri Lanka in four days, six years
ago when the penultimate day of the second Test ended yesterday at the Queens Park Oval with New Zealand on 257-8 in their second innings.
A frustrating unfinished 45-run ninth wicket stand between Bradley Watling (38) and Mark Craig (29) gave New Zealand a slim 18-run lead with two wickets in hand and ensured the contest goes into today’s final day after they joined forces at 15:41hrs yesterday.
Kane Williamson (52), Tim Latham (36) and Ross Taylor (36) all got starts before Watling and Craig made sure West Indies bat a second time despite a marathon spell from 6-feet, 7 inch left-arm spinner Suleiman Benn, who bowled 49 overs and took 2-62.
Jamaican Alf Valentine, who bowled 92 overs against England at Trent Bridge in 1950, is the only West Indies left-arm spinner to send down more overs than Benn in a Test innings. Pacers Kemar Roach (3-53) and Jerome Taylor (2-46) were also impressive on a flat track.
New Zealand resumed the penultimate day on 73-1 with Williamson on 38 and Latham on 30. The Kiwis scored their first run of the day 30 minutes later when Latham steered Taylor behind point for four.
Williamson chipped at Benn and miscued a big hit, one bounce to mid-on while Taylor, operating into the wind in sweltering heat, went past the edge on a few occasions on the placid track.
A small crowd on a national holiday here to celebrate ‘Labour day’ watched as Benn got one to ‘kick’ alarmingly out of the rough to take the glove of Latham and lob to gully as the partnership was broken 50 minutes into the day’s play with the score on 84-2.
Latham’s laborious 36 took 198 minutes, 138 balls and included five fours. The 85 run stand between Latham and Williamson was as exciting as watching paint dry. Not one to be tied down, Ross Taylor got going with a sweetly timed cover driven boundary off Taylor but after the first hour only 21 runs had been scored.
Roach replaced Taylor as the West Indian bowlers were made to toil long and hard for success even as Benn plugged away unchanged for the entire first session from the other end. The 23-year-old Williamson soon reached his 13th Test fifty before he was caught behind to leave New Zealand on 108-3 twenty minutes before lunch when Roach struck with a beauty which bounced and left Williamson.
The right-hander hung his bat at the ball and touched a catch to Ramdin, whose captaincy remained surprisingly defensive. Williamson’s 52 came from 215 minutes, 178 minutes with five fours. Five minutes before Lunch Benn held a stupendous right-handed caught and bowled offering, low down, to get rid of Jimmy Neesham (7) in the penultimate over of the opening session.
The towering Benn, who had at least three catches dropped off his bowling in the first innings, made sure he did all the work himself this time and Neesham was gone at 121-4. It was an excellent session for the West Indies, especially since the pitch offered little help to their bowlers. The level of discipline and hard work displayed in the session were refreshing features of play yesterday morning.
New Zealand only managed 56 runs in the first two hours yesterday and lost three wickets in the process and even at that stage the hosts must have been scenting victory. From a position of 129-4 at Lunch, Taylor, unbeaten on 28 and Watling, carried New Zealand to the 150 mark as Watling tickled Shannon Gabriel, who started the attack after Lunch, for four.
Gabriel produced good bounce in a lively spell and tested the batsmen with short balls on a track which made fast bowing in hot conditions hard work while Benn continued to bowl in tandem with the three pacers.
Taylor and Watling batted in watchman-like fashion before the Black Caps lost the usually attacking Taylor who tried his best to restrain himself but lack of patience got the better of him as he drove impetuously at one that left him from Gabriel and clearly edged it to the Keeper.
Taylor, who hit six fours in his 88-ball 36, was given out and incredulously asked for a review which only confirmed the Umpires’ verdict and left New Zealand on 153-5. The review was influenced by the non-striker even as Taylor was in the process of walking and it proved to be a wasted review.
Hamesh Rutherford (13) edged one from the impressive Taylor, who had reached his 250th First-Class wicket in the first innings, just short of Gayle at slip but then opted to play no shot to Taylor and was LBW at 176-6 as the West Indies tightened the screws on the opposition just before Tea.
Benn, who bowled 23 consecutive overs on either side of lunch, was struck on his fingers fielding at slip and was forced to leave the field for an over. But he was soon back in the attack and at Tea the visitors were on the ropes on 181-6, still 57 away from making Ramdin’s men bat again.
West Indies took the new ball after Tea and Roach struck by removing Sodhi (14) to a wild swipe which he edged to the Keeper as New Zealand sunk to 193-7. Tim Southee fought fire with fire and scored two fours and a huge six off Gabriel before an absolutely stunning catch by Kirk Edwards at cover, diving full length to his left off the pumped up Roach to end Southee’s entertaining innings of 15 at 212-8, leaving the tourists in danger of an innings defeat.
Craig joined Watling with their team needing another 26 to make West Indies bat again and Benn was brought back to finish the contest on day four, but the pair defied the bowlers to ensure the hosts spent all day in the field.
The final day today is another public holiday but this is the middle of the rainy season and scattered thunderstorms are forecast for Port-of-Spain.
Scores: N/Zealand (221 & 257-8), WI (460).
SCOREBOARD
New Zealand 2nd innings
TWM Latham c Brathwaite b Benn 36
BB McCullum* lbw b Taylor 3
KS Williamson c †Ramdin b Roach 52
LRPL Taylor c †Ramdin b Gabriel 36
JDS Neesham c & b Benn 7
BJ Watling† not out 38
HD Rutherford lbw b Taylor 13
IS Sodhi c †Ramdin b Roach 14
TG Southee c Edwards b Roach 15
MD Craig not out 29
Extras (b 9, lb 2, w 1, nb 2) 14
Total (8 wickets; 127 overs) 257 (2.02 runs per over)
To bat – TA Boult
Fall of wickets: 1-9 (McCullum, 6.4 ov), 2-84 (Latham, 49.3 ov), 3-108 (Williamson, 60.5 ov), 4-121 (Neesham, 65.6 ov), 5-153 (Taylor, 78.4 ov), 6-176 (Rutherford, 88.3 ov), 7-193 (Sodhi, 95.5 ov), 8-212 (Southee, 99.3 ov)
Bowling O M R W Econ
JE Taylor 25 8 46 2 1.84 (1nb)
KAJ Roach 21 6 53 3 2.52 (1w)
ST Gabriel 19 3 56 1 2.94 (1nb)
SJ Benn 49 19 62 2 1.26
CH Gayle 13 3 29 0 2.23
New Zealand 221 & 257/8 (127.0 ov); West Indies 460
THIS IDIOT TELLING GUYANA WE HAVE NO SAY IN THE 50% PROFIT SHARING AGREEMENT WE HAVE WITH EXXON.
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