West Indies captain Kraigg Brathwaite insists he was not surprised by the determined, obdurate display of opening partner Tagenarine Chanderpaul, on his debut against Australia, on Wednesday.
Facing a mammoth 598 for 4 declared, the West Indies ended day 2 at 74 without loss after facing 25 overs. Chanderpaul, the 25-year-old son of legendary West Indian batsman Shivnarine Chanderpaul, made a solid 47 from 73 balls while Brathwaite himself made a more patient 18 from 79.
“I wasn’t surprised. I’ve known him for a while. I’ve played against him and he has always had fight always takes his time to bat and bats for long periods,” Brathwaite said at the end of the days play.
Marnus Labuschagne and Steve Smith made double centuries as Australia piled on the runs against West Indies at Perth Stadium, achieving a feat last witnessed over a decade ago.
Not since Ricky Ponting and Michael Clarke plundered double tons against India in January 2012 had any pair of batters made 200-plus scores in the same innings of a Test match.
This first Test saw Australia follow up their opening-day dominance with more commanding batting to reach 598-4 on Thursday, before West Indies rallied to reach 74-0 at stumps, with debutant Tagenarine Chanderpaul closing in on a half-century.
Labuschagne had been 154no overnight, and Smith was with him on 59, and they went on to post 204 and 200no respectively, sharing in a third-wicket stand of 251 runs. It was a second Test double century for Labuschagne, and a fourth for Smith.
ST JOHN’S, Antigua – The Cricket West Indies (CWI) Selection Panel today named a 14-member squad for the first and second matches in the CG United One Day International (ODI) series against England Women starting on 4 December at the Sir Vivian Richards Stadium in Antigua.
West Indies and England will contest three day/night CG United ODIs starting at 2pm local time/1pm Jamaica time. All three CG United ODIs in the series will be played at the Sir Vivian Richards Stadium (SVRS) in Antigua on 4, 6 and 9 December as part of the ICC Women's Championship.
Lead Selector Ann Browne-John said: “The return of Shemaine Campbelle and Kycia Knight to the ODI squad after missing the last series due to injury will bolster the team in the absence of the experienced Stafanie Taylor who is still recuperating from injury sustained during September’s series against New Zealand. The CG United ODI matches are vital as points earned will take us a step closer towards automatic qualification for the next ICC Women’s World Cup in 2025.”
Marnus Labuschagne struck an unbeaten 154 to help Australia reach 293-2 on day one of their first Test with West Indies on Wednesday.
West Indies struggled to find answers at Optus Stadium in Perth, taking only the wickets of openers David Warner (5) and Usman Khawaja (65).
Australia, who have lost just one of their past eight Test series, were in trouble early on as Warner's lean streak in the longest format continued when he chopped on from Jayden Seales' wide delivery.
The home side were 9-1 when Labuschagne arrived at the crease, but he and Khawaja set about advancing their side to 72-1 by lunch and then kicked on.
There were good warm-up games provided against the Prime Minister’s XI. They comprised two four-day games, with the second one given first-class status. The opposition consisted of Australian players who are trying to make the Australian Test team. These will always be players to give fierce opposition, as they are looking for recognition or to be considered good enough to play in a Test match or two.
At the end of the two games, WI didn’t do too badly. However, I suspect they didn’t furnish the type of dominance a coach would like to have seen against a substitute outfit. It only proved that our standard is low.
Tagenarine Chanderpaul is off to a flying start, filling his basket with a century and a half, in two separate innings. This will do his confidence a world of good if he’s self-assured enough not to allow the “big names” of the Aussie fast bowlers, skipper Pat Cummins and the penetrative left-arm pacer Mitchell Starc, to get the better of him. This pair has been lethal in Test cricket, and will be the biggest test that both opening batsmen will have to face – Chanderpaul, for the first time, and the experienced Brathwaite, who possesses the patience of Job. No matter what, these two are going to have their mettle tested to the limit, as are the other batsmen.
Cummins is a right-hand quickie, so it will be a right-hand/left-hand combination, which is always a factor of its own to deal with.
