Tuesday Dec 24, 2024
Tuesday Dec 24, 2024
Friday, 6 December 2013 00:00 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}
The pitch at the University Oval had lost its greenish tinge and with the sun out, the conditions seemed best for batting. West Indies, trailing by 542 at the start of the day, couldn’t have asked for more.
Wickets never far away
The New Zealand bowlers, however, showed yet again where West Indies had gone wrong in the first two days, bowling predominantly fuller lengths and using the bouncer sparingly. With Samuels and Bravo staying rooted to the crease against swinging deliveries, a wicket never seemed too far away.
Southee extracted an outside edge off Samuels’ bat in the second over of the day only to see it fall short of first slip. In the next over, Samuels had another reprieve after Nigel Llong had ruled him out lbw as he played outside the line to a Trent Boult delivery that came in. The replays showed the ball just missing off stump and the decision was overturned.
New Zealand’s search for a wicket ended in the fourth over of the day as Bravo drove at a full delivery from Southee and got a thick outside edge which was snaffled by Brendon McCullum at gully. Fifteen balls later, Southee took advantage of Samuels’ reluctance to come forward and had him caught at first slip off an outswinger delivered from a wider angle as the batsman was sucked in to a loose drive to be dismissed for 14.
Deonarine added 33 for the fifth wicket with Shivnarine Chanderpaul, pushing at fuller deliveries with hard hands. The technique earned him two boundaries, but an attempted wild drive - without moving his feet - off an angled delivery in Southee’s seventh over of his spell went straight to first slip where Ross Taylor completed the catch after a brief fumble.
Chanderpaul shines and splutters
Unfazed by the indiscretion shown by other batsmen, Chanderpaul batted confidently, driving at the full deliveries, pulling the short ones and using his feet to Ish Sodhi. A powerful pull off Neil Wagner took him past 11,000 runs in Test cricket and three fours in the next over bowled by Sodhi brought him his 62nd half-century in Tests.
Ramdin gave Chanderpaul useful support in a 68-run stand but in the third over after lunch, he couldn’t get out of the way off a short delivery from Boult and edged it to the keeper. Boult struck in the next over with the big wicket of Chanderpaul, whose indecision proved fatal as he shouldered arms to an incoming delivery and was adjudged lbw after an 87-ball 76.
West Indies could only add 30 more runs as Sodhi, expensive in his spell, picked up two of the last three wickets to fall. Darren Sammy, who was hampered by the hamstring niggle, and was turning down singles, inexplicably called Tino Best for a second, but the latter’s late response meant he was caught well short at non-striker’s end by a throw from long on.
It seemed West Indies’ second innings was headed the same way as the first when Kieran Powell drove at a length delivery outside off from Boult and edged it to second slip, but Kirk Edwards and Darren Bravo curtailed the urge to be flamboyant and showed improved application in the second innings.
Bravo defiant
That Boult and Southee needed an extended breather after their first spells worked in the batsmen’s favour as Neil Wagner and Sodhi failed to exert similar pressure after tea. While Wagner couldn’t extract the same movement as the two lead seamers, Sodhi dished out a regular dose of long-hops and full-tosses which allowed the two batsmen to settle into the innings.
By the time Southee came back for his second spell, Bravo had put on the cape of confidence and he moved to 40 with a hat-trick of boundaries through covers. In the next over, though, it seemed as if Bravo had fallen short after yet another start.
He took the eyes off a short delivery from Wagner and the ball ballooned to first slip after hitting his forearm. Umpire Llong adjudged it not out, and the replays suggested the ball could have only flicked the glove-straps. The third umpire, however, went with the on-field umpire’s call after New Zealand asked for a review. Bravo survived, he rubbed his forearm and wrist immediately after getting hit and that may have worked in his favour.
Bravo did get to his half-century - his ninth in Tests and first in 2013 - and along with Edwards helped West Indies resist New Zealand’s charge with a century stand. Edwards, who collected 28 of his 59 runs against Sodhi, was eventually trapped lbw playing back to a slider from the legspinner. Sodhi bowled a much-improved second spell with tighter lines, while slipping in a deceptive googly from time to time that had Samuels in trouble more than once.
With eight West Indies wickets remaining, New Zealand would hope to finish off the match on the fourth day.
