West Indies seemed to have an outside chance of making a comeback into the match at the start of day 2 in the second and final Test match between hosts New Zealand and the touring Caribbean side. However, the proved to be another one of those agonising experiences that West Indian fans have become used to in the last two decades.
To begin with, Henry Nicholls continued his innings and made it past 150. When the eighth wicket fell, in the form of Tim Southee on the score of 359, Windies would have fancied their chances of restricting the Kiwis to less than 400. But a storm awaited them as Neil Wagner went berserk.
A 95-run partnership between Nicholls and Wagner, at well over run-a-ball, completely demoralised the tourists. By the time Nicholls, got out, West Indies were deflated. But this was only the start of the ordeal.
Eventually, New Zealand were all out for 460, with Wagner remaining unbeaten on 66 off just 42 balls. Nicholls finished up with a personal score of 174. Gabriel didn't add to his three wickets overnight while Alzarri Joseph ended with three as well. Chemar Holder and Roston Chase got two scalps each.
Then came the turn of the West Indies batters to disappoint. Kraigg Brathwaite, supposedly in great form after getting his highest first-class score in a practice game, was out for a duck. Darren Bravo disappointed again as he was out caught and bowled by Tim Southee for just 7.
Kyle Jamieson was introduced into the attack in the 15th over. And he immediately looked threatening. On the third ball of the over, he got John Campbell to edge the ball into the slip cordon where Latham took the catch. West Indies were 29/3.
On the very next ball, Roston Chase, the new batsman, got a very full delivery that swung in viciously to go through the batsman's defences and hit the stumps. 29/4 and Windies were looking as hopeless as they did in the first game.
Jermaine Blackwood, the centurion from the first Test, played in his usual way. Going after any delivery that was pitched too full, he started playing his shots. As is the case with him, there were some wild swings of the bat, some streaky shots, but soon he settled down and with measured aggression, started to take his team's score forward.
At the other end, Shamarh Brooks, the no. 4 batsman, took an altogether different approach. He went into his shell and hardly played an aggressive stroke. But with time, Blackwood became even more steady. Despite a sequence of four maidens, he didn't lose his head and continued to bat sensibly. He brought up his fifty with consecutive boundaries, the second one an upper cut over the slips.
Even the short ball barrage of Wagner, into his ribs didn't trouble the diminutive right-hander much.
Unfortunately, just when things seemed to have calmed down for the visiting team, Brooks decided to leave a delivery from Jamieson which was angled in sharply. It clipped the top of the stumps, ending the 68-run partnership. A little later, Southee bowled another outswinger that took the edge of Blackwood's bat and a good catch in the slip ended his innings of 69 off 92 balls. Windies were 111/6.
Two more wickets went down as first, captain Holder went for a pull shot and was, apparently, done in by the extra bounce generated by Jamieson, lobbing an easy catch to mid-on. Then, the tall Kiwi seamer completed his five-for by getting a snick off Joseph's bat, to be taken by wicketkeeper BJ Watling.
Using his height, good pace of over 140 kph, and ability to swing the ball, Jamieson has now racked up 18 wickets in his career, of which this is only the fourth match. With Southee, Boult, and Wagner already providing great firepower to this team, Jamieson's addition makes it even more deadly, at least at home.
Windies ended the day on 124/8, all set for another disappointing innings defeat. The only thing they can draw solace from is Blackwood's good form and the willingness of Brooks to spend time at the wicket. It is more than can be said about the other batsmen of the team.
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