West Indies Cricket

West Indies moved into a commanding position on the second day of the second Test against New Zealand in Trinidad.

Kraigg Brathwaite and Darren Bravo both scored centuries as the hosts moved to 310-5 and a lead of 89 runs.

Commencing on 6-1, nightwatchman Sulieman Benn was quickly removed for just four as he was bowled by Tim Southee. That brought Kirk Edwards to the crease to join opener Brathwaite in what were better conditions for batting.

After the early breakthrough, New Zealand’s bowlers were unable to pose any serious problems to their opponents, who looked to be positive.

Edwards in particular was very keen to be aggressive, and he brought up his fifty from just 55 balls in an attacking knock.

Mark Craig particularly suffered, as New Zealand’s hero from the last Test went for 43 in seven wicketless overs.

Brathwaite also looked to push forward, and after joining in the mauling of Craig’s bowling he came close to his half-century just before the interval.

Unfortunately for the hosts, Edwards would depart for 55 as he edged Ish Sodhi through to wicketkeeper BJ Watling before the break.

However, Brathwaite would remain unbeaten on 48 at the interval, alongside Bravo on 10 not out, with West Indies looking strong at 124-3 and trailing by just 97 runs.

After lunch, Brathwaite would bring up his half-century, but the game would be delayed because of rain for around an hour. Once play resumed, the West Indians continued on their way against a New Zealand bowling attack that looked short of ideas.

Bravo looked particularly comfortable with a strike rate well above 50.00, while Brathwaite went past his previous Test-best score of 68 with ease and looked set for a century.

Tea came with West Indies looking strong on 209-3, trailing by just 12 runs with Brathwaite well set on 85 not out and Bravo unbeaten on 58 in a partnership of exactly 100.

In the evening session, the West Indians continued to assert their dominance and surged into the lead as they maintained their solid scoring rate.

Having passed New Zealand’s initial total of 221 without further loss, Brathwaite and Bravo were looking to bat on and build a large total.

Then on 99, Brathwaite took a quick single past slip to bring up his first Test century—the first time a batsman had reached three figures in Trinidad for five years.

With the two spinners inconsistent and Jimmy Neesham’s medium pace failing to make any impact, Bravo also looked untroubled as he pushed toward his hundred. He would go past that milestone off Kane Williamson with a slightly lofty drive through the covers, bringing up his first century on home soil.

However, just nine runs later Williamson would have his man as Bravo swung hard at a tossed up delivery and top-edged a catch to Craig at long off.

The left-hander was very disappointed with his dismissal—especially as the new ball was available at the end of that over—but at 291-4, West Indies were well set.

That wicket brought Shivnarine Chanderpaul to the crease with his side ahead by 70, with New Zealand then choosing to take the new ball immediately with 17 overs left in the day.

The pair would take West Indies past 300, but then disaster struck in the closing overs as Brathwaite drove a swinging delivery to Trent Boult, who took a good return catch.

The opener was thus removed for 129 and will have been disappointed to fall in such a way with less than 10 overs remaining.

However, Kemar Roach—the hosts’ second nightwatchman—would help Chanderpaul see things out with West Indies 310-5 and ahead by 89 runs.

New Zealand made a bad start to the second Test against West Indies in Trinidad on Monday as they were bowled out for 221.

Leading 1-0 in the series, the Black Caps would have wanted a much better start, but they collapsed in the face of some superb bowling from their hosts.

The West Indians made three changes for this game, with Shane Shillingford, Kieran Powell and Marlon Samuels making way for Shannon Gabriel, Kraigg Brathwaite and debutant Jermaine Blackwood.

Meanwhile, the Kiwis made just one alteration to the side that won in Jamaica, with Hamish Rutherford replacing the desperately out-of-form Peter Fulton at the top of the order.

New Zealand won the toss and elected to bat first, and on a green surface at the Queen’s Park Oval, the hosts’ seamers looked to profit in helpful conditions.

It meant a testing opening hour for Rutherford and Tom Latham against Jerome Taylor and Kemar Roach, with just 15 runs scored in the first eight overs.

However, just as the away side thought they had coped with the threat, Rutherford was dismissed for just three as he prodded an easy catch to Chris Gayle off Taylor.

Latham continued to apply himself well, leaving the ball confidently while also punishing loose deliveries when they came.

Alongside him, Kane Williamson also looked in good touch, but he could have been removed for just 19 as he saw a cut shot off Sulieman Benn dropped by Gayle.

At the other end, Latham became increasingly fluent and would reach his third consecutive fifty from 83 balls just before the lunch break.

Williamson finished the session unbeaten on 23, with the Black Caps on top at 86-1.

After the interval, the New Zealand pair looked comfortable despite the slow run rate as they guided the visitors past 100 with no alarms, but then on 120 disaster struck.

Looking to hit a pull shot, Williamson got a top edge off Gabriel and could only find substitute Jason Holder, who took a good catch at fine leg to remove the right-hander for 42.

Ross Taylor came to the crease, while Latham looked to continue on and reach his first Test century, but the 22-year-old would fall short.

On 82, Roach forced a loose shot from the opener and Benn took a good catch at gully to leave the Black Caps 146-3.

Alongside Taylor, new man Brendon McCullum managed to shepherd his side to the tea interval at 159-3.

In the evening session, things got much worse for the tourists as they lost several wickets in a short space of time to leave themselves in trouble.

It started with McCullum, who departed lbw off the bowling of Benn for just four.

Jimmy Neesham joined Taylor at the crease, but after an encouraging partnership of 31, he was gone for 15 as he flashed at Jerome Taylor and saw Gayle take a great catch at slip.

Just two overs later, wicketkeeper BJ Watling was gone also to the rampant Taylor, who forced the Kiwi No. 7 to edge through to Denesh Ramdin for a duck.

That left New Zealand 198-6 with just the tail left to partner Taylor and try to get the tourists up to a respectable score in their first innings.

However, it would prove to be a tough task as Ish Sodhi was removed for a duck—caught by Gayle off Taylor—then Tim Southee departed for just 10 as Benn trapped him lbw.

Mark Craig also tried to support Taylor but perished to Gabriel, who had him caught well by Darren Bravo at second slip.

Finally, Trent Boult was caught lbw by Benn for just one, leaving Taylor stranded on 45 not out and New Zealand dismissed for just 221.

It was a terrible collapse for the away side, who now had to go out and make life as uncomfortable as possible for the West Indian openers at the end of the day.

The home side would lose an early wicket, as Boult ripped through Gayle’s defences with a superb delivery to remove him for just one.

However, Brathwaite and nightwatchman Benn hung on to leave the hosts 6-1 at the close.

New Zealand took a 1-0 lead over West Indies in their Test series after a 186-run win in Jamaica after bowling out their hosts for 216.

A final victory target of 403 proved to be far beyond the West Indians, who saw their batting fold again.

New Zealand started the day on 14-2 with a lead of 260 but immediately found themselves under pressure, as Jerome Taylor took two wickets in his first over.

Taylor first accounted for nightwatchman Ish Sodhi, who was LBW for four, then he dismissed Ross Taylor with his next delivery by the same method.

That brought captain Brendon McCullum to the crease to join Tom Latham, with the away side wobbling on 14-4 and forced to defend.

McCullum was uncharacteristically defensive, as he hit just one boundary, and at drinks New Zealand were 50-4 and having recovered somewhat.

However, in the second over after the break, McCullum perished as Shane Shillingford bowled him through the gate for 17 to leave the Black Caps on 55-5.

Jimmy Neesham was next, and he looked to continue his good form, hitting a six off Shillingford from just the 12th ball of his innings.

Latham continued to bat well also, as he brought up his fifty just before lunch to take his side to 96-5, ahead by 342 runs.

Neesham did not last long after the break, as he was caught at midwicket by substitute Kraigg Brathwaite off Shillingford for 20.

That brought BJ Watling to the crease to join Latham.

Unfortunately for the Black Caps, their opener would be the next man to go for 73, as Chris Gayle took a good low catch off the bowling of Kemar Roach.

Tim Southee entered and swung hard, but after he was caught by Darren Bravo off Sulieman Benn for three and Mark Craig hit his first ball in Tests for six, New Zealand declared on 156-8, setting the hosts 403 to win.

The West Indians immediately lost a wicket when Latham took a smart catch off Southee to remove Kieran Powell for zero.

In his next over, Southee was successful again, as he forced Gayle to nick through to Watling, who took it easily to reduce the home side to 11-2.

Having got ducks in the first innings, Kirk Edwards and Darren Bravo battled hard for a partnership of 19.

However, Edwards was removed for 14 as Neesham took a catch at leg slip off the impressive Craig.

Shivnarine Chanderpaul arrived at the crease with his side again in trouble, and he helped take the West Indians past 50 before seeing his partner fall.

With the score on 54, Bravo got a thick edge behind and saw Watling take a good high catch off Craig, with the left-hander gone for 12.

Just two balls later, Craig did it again, as Marlon Samuels perished for another duck as Latham took a superb catch at short leg.

That brought Denesh Ramdin to the crease, and with Chanderpaul the pair once again looked to rebuild.

However, the left-hander would be the next to go with the score only on 76, as Sodhi caught him LBW for 24.

The tail wagged significantly, as Roach and Ramdin put on 39 before Craig forced the former to glove a catch to Watling after scoring 19.

In the following over, Ramdin would depart for 34 when bowled by Sodhi, with West Indies 121-8 and facing defeat.

Jerome Taylor did not hang around, as he swiped 18 from 13 balls before also falling to Sodhi, a dismissal that brought last man Shillingford to the crease at 134-9.

What followed was extraordinary, as the off-spinner threw caution to the wind and slogged an unbeaten 53 from 29 balls.

Shillingford’s innings included three fours and five enormous sixes and dragged his side past 200.

However, it would not last, as Williamson forced Benn to take a wild swing on 25 and Watling took a sharp catch.

The home side were bowled out for 216, giving New Zealand the victory by 186 runs and a 1-0 lead in the series, with the next game in Trinidad starting on Monday.

New Zealand are in a dominant position at the end of the third day of the first Test against West Indies in Kingston, Jamaica.

The Kiwis bowled their hosts out for 262 thanks to four wickets each from Tim Southee and Mark Craig then finished the day on 14-2.

Behind by 489 runs at the start of the day, the hosts started cautiously as Chris Gayle and Kieran Powell looked to adapt to the slow pitch.

The home side passed 50 with very few alarms, but then with the score on 60, Craig grabbed his first Test wicket.

With a ball that straightened, the spinner struck Powell on the front pad and was out LBW for 28.

That brought Kirk Edwards to the crease, but he would last just two balls as Craig had him well caught by Ross Taylor to leave West Indies on 60-2.

It then became something of a collapse, as Darren Bravo was out in the very next over off the bowling of Ish Sodhi after lobbing a simple return catch to the bowler.

From the other end, Gayle looked relatively unperturbed as he hit several boundaries to bring up his fifty.

Gayle would go to lunch unbeaten on 59, with the experienced Shivnarine Chanderpaul 10 not out, as the West Indians finished the morning on 97-3.

With two senior batsmen together, the home side would have been hopeful of piling on the runs.

However, having added just five runs to his total, Gayle was removed for 64, as Southee tempted him into an edge and wicketkeeper BJ Watling took an easy catch.

Just two balls later, Southee was at it again as he caught new batsman Marlon Samuels on the crease and earned the LBW decision.

That left West Indies in dire straits as captain Denesh Ramdin joined Chanderpaul.

Both batsmen dug in well and accumulated runs regularly, and having been 104-5, they passed 150.

However, in the last over before tea, the home side’s captain looked to guide a ball from Southee into the leg side but managed only to balloon a catch to Watling.

Ramdin was dismissed for 39, leaving West Indies on 176-6 with Chanderpaul still at the crease on 43 not out.

Kemar Roach was the next to join Chanderpaul after tea, but he did not last long, as Craig induced a simple catch to leg slip, which Peter Fulton took easily.

Two overs later, Chanderpaul brought up his half-century—his 63rd in Test matches.

The next man in was Jerome Taylor, but he would make just seven before being removed by Trent Boult.

New Zealand captain Brendon McCullum took a superb catch at short cover, as he dived forward and grasped the ball just inches from the turf.

With the hosts now 194-8, Sulieman Benn was the next man in, and he smote three boundaries before being bowled by Craig for 17.

The last man, Shane Shillingford, came in and also looked to be aggressive, but was Southee’s fourth victim for 14, as he edged behind to Watling.

At the other end, Chanderpaul finished unbeaten on 84, but there will perhaps be questions about his protection of the tail.

West Indies finished with 262 all out, trailing by 246 runs, with McCullum electing to bat again.

At the start of the Kiwis’ second innings, Fulton’s nightmare continued as he chased a wide one from Taylor but edged it to Ramdin.

Kane Williamson would also be dismissed as he left a straight one from Roach, but New Zealand survived further breakthroughs to end on 14-2.

With a lead of 260 and eight wickets in hand, the visitors are in a dominant position and will look to press home their advantage tomorrow.

New Zealand dominated the second day of the first Test against West Indies as they racked up 508-7 and saw Jimmy Neesham score another century.

Neesham’s knock came at just the right time as the Kiwis recovered from losing some early wickets to post an imposing total.

The morning session began poorly for the visitors, as Kane Williamson was removed having added just eight runs to his overnight total to be dismissed for 113.

Sulieman Benn fooled the right-hander with a slider, which Williamson left alone as it cannoned into his off stump to leave New Zealand 259-3.

That brought Brendon McCullum to the crease, but another wicket would fall soon after as Ross Taylor chipped an easy catch to Kirk Edwards at mid-wicket off the bowling of Shane Shillingford to depart for 55.

Things got even worse in just the next over as McCullum was completely deceived by Benn as he edged it behind having made just seven.

West Indian hearts were in their mouths as the ball rebounded off Ramdin’s chest, but the ball looped upward and was held easily by Chris Gayle at slip.

New Zealand’s overnight total of 252-2 had become 279-5 in almost no time as their batting collapsed.

From there, it was left to BJ Watling and Neesham to battle through to lunch, which they did to finish on 299-5 in a session that belonged to the hosts.

After the break, things got much better for the visitors as Watling and Neesham piled on the runs.

The pair put on 129 runs in just 35 overs and passed their fifties with ease, with Neesham looking impressive as he maintained a strike rate of well over 50.00.

He finished the afternoon unbeaten on 85, while at the other end Watling produced another effective innings to finish on 56 not out.

The West Indians ended the session looking demoralised and keen to collect their thoughts in time for the evening period of play.

New Zealand went in at tea with the score at 414-5, with both Neesham and Watling well set.

In the evening session, the Black Caps continued to pour misery on their hosts and rack up the runs.

Neesham continued attacking and brought up the second Test century of his career off Jerome Taylor.

Meanwhile, Watling continued his march, with the pace of the pitch meaning that he scored very few runs down the ground.

The home side would finally get their breakthrough after a partnership of 201, with Benn once again the wicket-taker.

The left-armer forced Neesham to poke an edge to Ramdin, who clung on after juggling the ball to end the New Zealander’s knock at 107.

That left New Zealand 480-6 and brought Tim Southee to the middle, who immediately looked to be aggressive as the visitors pushed toward a declaration on Monday.

Watling also stepped up a gear but fell short of his century as he holed out to Kieran Powell at deep midwicket off Shillingford to end with 89.

Southee’s cameo of 21 from just seven balls helped New Zealand declare at 508-7 when Watling was dismissed and leave their hosts a tricky nine overs to face.

Gayle and Powell opened, and in just the fourth over had a mighty scare as Powell was dropped off the bowling of Southee by the luckless Peter Fulton.

However, the pair would survive to finish on 19-0 at the close of play, 489 runs behind with three days remaining.

It was an enormously successful day for New Zealand, who reached an imposing total against a demoralised bowling attack.

The hosts will have been heartened to see Benn and Shillingford take three wickets apiece, but they have plenty of work to do to save this game.

Chris Gayle stood at the striker's end. Facing up to Lasith Malinga, everything initially looked as it should. His unruly hair and headwear was flowing from the back of his maroon helmet. His tree-like bat glistened in the lights. His enormous figure cast an imposing shadow. And the trademark nonchalance was in its typical abundance.

But somehow, this wasn't the usual Gayle. Something was amiss. The usual strut appeared subdued, the characteristic hubris seemed absent. On a stage ready-made for his colossal abilities, the thumping West Indian batsman that the world of Twenty20 cricket had grown to fear felt like a distant memory.

Watching savagely attacking cricketers being subdued carries an unusual discomfort. Regardless of our allegiances, there's a certain craving within us all to see the game's true entertainers triumph. While outcomes are often decided by those with an unwavering excellence, it's the renegades and showmen that captivate our minds. 

Indeed, there was a sense of emasculation to Gayle's apparent submission to Malinga and his Sri Lankan teammates on Thursday. As he crawled his way to just three from 13 deliveries to stifle his team in the first World T20 semi-final, it was like watching a golfer develop the yips or seeing a prolific striker lose his nerve.

Perhaps more emblematic, this was cricket's version of witnessing Michael Jordan forget how to dunk.

Such reactions would be grossly unjustified had Gayle's performance against Sri Lanka been in contrast to other displays across the tournament. But it wasn't. From ball one against India almost two weeks ago, there's been a curious malaise to the left-hander's batting in Bangladesh.

Certainly, it must be acknowledged that the perception of Gayle's tournament has been exacerbated due to his latest anomalous innings embedding itself as our most recent memory. But it was nonetheless significant. 

This was the semi-final of a global ICC tournament—the only tournament set-up for the exuberant Caribbean men. Gayle, with his extravagant dancing and frightening hitting, represents the essence of his side and their affinity with the brash T20 game. Darren Sammy and Dwayne Bravo had carried their side to this point, but the symbol of cricket's shortest format was needed here.

But with his feet seemingly affixed to the crease, Malinga and Sachithra Senanayake reduced Gayle to nothing more than pokes and prods. The West Indies never stood a chance.

But understanding Gayle's uncharacteristic tournament is troublesome. 

There appears to have been a shift in how the 34-year-old perceives his role in the West Indian side. The blistering starts seem to have been shelved. Watchful stays at the crease instead taking their place.

It would be comforting to put it down to poor form, difficult pitches or superb opponents. Indeed, such factors have all exerted an influence to some extent. Yet, there feels more to it than that. The intent, the propensity to dominate, the habitual bludgeoning of opponents has been absent from Gayle's batting.

The left-hander's tournament strike rate of 107.51 sits 77 places from the best mark in the competition. Despite facing more deliveries in the tournament than any batsman from the eight major teams other than Virat Kohli, Gayle sits in a tie for 12th on the boundary-hitting charts. 

Chris Gayle's Performances at ICC World Twenty20

Rather than his customary assaults, Gayle has seemed content to play an anchoring role at the top of his team's line-up.

Against India, the left-hander reined in his usual stroke-play to trundle along moderately against the spin of Ravichandran Ashwin, Amit Mishra and Suresh Raina. In the subsequent match against the host nation, Gayle batted his way into the 19th over for just 48. 

Versus Pakistan, the West Indian confirmed his susceptibility to off-spin by falling to Mohammad Hafeez, while up against Sri Lanka, Gayle appeared almost reluctant to assert his characteristic aggression.

Only against Australia, when his team's chase contained zero margin for error, did we witness an archetypal Gayle innings.

It's perhaps superficial to view Gayle's post-match reaction on Twitter on Thursday as indicative of his mindset. Yet, his words seem to express a sense that the bruising West Indian felt he was playing to the plan, that only rain got in the way, that the team had plotted a similar heist to the one seen against Australia.

Yet, it's also possible that Gayle's transcending exploits in the Indian Premier League have muddied our perception of his T20 career on the international stage in recent years.

In fact, since Gayle's match-winning 75 in the semi-final of the 2012 World T20 against Australia, the imposing West Indian has averaged just 20.23 at a strike rate of only 102.73 across 13 matches. Not only are those numbers poor by Gayle's previous standards, they are also the lowest marks among his batting teammates across the 18-month stretch. 

Is it possible that we're witnessing the slow decline of one of cricket's great entertainers? Is it possible that we're expecting past glories from a spent force? That like the voices of Whitney Houston and Axl Rose, Gayle's explosions with the bat now only exist in our minds?

Sure, those questions could be viewed as hyperbole, particularly after Gayle's emphatic 2013 IPL campaign. But major global tournaments often signal the decline of ageing stars—and given that he made his international debut in 1999 (five years before, say, Kevin Pietersen), Gayle is certainly one of those.

That dreaded sense of finality hasn't yet closed in on Gayle's career, but after the 2014 World T20, it doesn't feel all that distant, either.