Blair Tickner‘s 4-wicket haul shone through as he led the bowling attack and kept West Indies at bay. Blair Tickner had a point to prove and he did just that but at the fag end of the day he injured his shoulder at deep fine leg and went off on a stretcher. Michael Rae picked up 3 wickets on debut as New Zealand skittled West Indies out for 205 in 75 overs with plenty of starts by the West Indies but no one went big.
New Zealand openers Tom Latham and Devon Conway have gotten off to a steady start as they reached 24/0 in 9 overs surviving a few anxious moments but largely secured as they made it their day with West Indies all to do when play resumes on Day 2.
Blair Tickner’s double strike pegs West Indies back in morning session
Put into bat first, John Campbell and Brandon King came out to open for West Indies while Jacob Duffy had ball in hand for New Zealand. Duffy bowled a decent first over. Zak Foulkes took the new ball from the other end. King hit the first boundary of the match as he drove the ball between cover and mid-off for a boundary. Duffy managed to induce the outside edge of King as the ball went away to the deep third man fence.
Campbell got his first boundary away by nailing the cover drive off Foulkes. Campbell once again pulled the ball to deep backward square leg for a boundary. Duffy bowled a decent over. Foulkes continued as Campbell pulled it over midwicket for a boundary. Campbell survived a run out scare as he made his ground in time. Duffy bowled another decent over. Foulkes delivered the first maiden of the match. King hammered Duffy down the ground past mid-off for a boundary. Duffy overstepped as well. Foulkes bowled another decent over.
Campbell got a lifeline as Latham could not quite take the catch at second slip off Duffy. Foulkes bowled another maiden. Duffy kept things tight as well. Michael Rae came into the attack on debut for the first time. King took the attack to him by hitting a boundary in front of square and then a maximum over deep square leg. The 50 came up and of the partnership between the two players. Blair Tickner came into the attack next. He bowled a decent over as West Indies raced to 61/0 in 15 overs when we paused for the Drinks Break in Morning session.
Rae continued after the break as King dabbed it between backward point and point for a boundary. Tickner drew first blood for New Zealand as he dismissed King for 33 off 55 balls with 5 fours and one six to his name as he was adjudged LBW which the batter reviewed but Umpire’s call meant King had to go although the review was retained. Kavem Hodge came out to bat next. Rae bowled a maiden. Tickner struck again removing Hodge for a duck as he was pinged in front. Shai Hope came out to bat next.
Rae bowled another maiden. Tickner continued as Hope punched it past extra covers for a boundary. Campbell took the attack to Rae by hitting him for consecutive boundaries through covers and then slicing it away between point and gully as well. Campbell hit another boundary via the outside edge that went through gully. Jacob Duffy came back into the attack. Hope pulled him away by smashing it in front of square for a boundary. Tickner bowled another good over. Duffy kept things tight as well.
Tickner bowled another decent over. Duffy bowled the last over before Lunch. He overstepped but kept things tight. West Indies were 92/2 in 27 overs with Campbell on 44* off 84 balls and Hope on 8* off 17 balls when we all paused for the Lunch Break.
New Zealand chip away at wickets to keep West Indies under check
John Campbell and Shai Hope resumed proceedings after Lunch for West Indies while Zak Foulkes had ball in hand for New Zealand. Foulkes overstepped but bowled a decent over. Michael Rae had ball from the other end and he got his debut Test wicket as he dismissed Campbell for 44 off 87 balls with 6 fours to his name as the edge carried to Daryl Mitchell at first slip who made no mistake. Captain Roston Chase came out to bat next.
Foulkes continued from the other end as Hope guided the short ball down the leg to swivel and help it on its way for a boundary. Rae continued as the 100 came up for West Indies in 30.3 overs. Hope was hit on the helmet of a short ball and went through mandatory concussion checks. Foulkes bowled another good over. Hope opened the face of the bat and guided it through point and gully for a boundary. Hope again got hit on the grill as we had another concussion check. Foulkes bowled another good over.
Hope then drove Rae straight down the ground for a boundary past mid-on. Foulkes bowled another decent over. Rae continued as Hope carved it away through the covers for a boundary. Blair Tickner came back into the attack. He bowled a maiden. Jacob Duffy came back as well. He too kept things under check. Tickner bowled another miserly over as West Indies reached 131/3 in 40 overs when we paused for Drinks Break in afternoon session.
Duffy continued after the break and bowled a decent over. Tickner bowled another probing over. Hope leaned into the shot through mid-on for a boundary. Tickner bowled another decent over. Glenn Phillips came into the attack as we had first signs of spin in the innings. The 50-run stand came up between Chase and Hope. Tickner continued as Hope drove him down the ground for a boundary past mid-off. The 150 came up for the West Indies in 45.2 overs.
Tickner hit back and got rid of Hope for 48 off 80 balls with 8 fours to his name as the short ball did the track as he tried to fend it off and got a top edge towards Kane Williamson at third slip who took it easily. Justin Greaves came out to bat next. Phillips continued and bowled a decent over. Jacob Duffy came back into the attack. He bowled a decent over as well. Phillips held one end up and kept things tight. Duffy bowled a maiden.
Phillips continued as Chase got down on one knee and swept it hard to deep backward square leg for a boundary. Duffy bowled another miserly over. Phillips continued as Chase swept him hard through deep square leg nailing it for a boundary. Michael Rae came to bowl the last over before Tea. Greaves got the short and wide ball which he stood tall and slapped it between cover and point for a boundary. West Indies reached 175/4 in 54 overs with Greaves on 10* off 37 balls and Chase on 29* off 60 balls when players went off for the Tea Break.
West Indies lose 6/30 to be bowled out for 205; New Zealand openers get off to a steady start at Stumps
Captain Roston Chase and Justin Greaves came out to resume proceedings for West Indies. Glenn Phillips had ball in hand for New Zealand to start things off. Phillips started with a maiden. Blair Tickner had the ball from the other end. He struck straightaway removing Chase for 29 off 69 balls with 2 fours to his name as Chase tried to defend and get an inside edge back onto the middle stump. Tevin Imlach came out to bat next. Michael Rae came back into the attack. Imlach helped it on its way through deep fine leg for a boundary.
Tickner continued and bowled a decent over. Rae got himself another wicket as he dismissed Greaves for 13 off 52 balls with a boundary to his name as he managed to get an outside edge down to keeper Mitchell Hay who made no mistake. Kemar Roach came out to bat next. Tickner bowled another decent over. Rae then dismissed Roach catching him plumb in front. The umpire shook his head, but great usage of DRS meant that Roach had to go and the decision was overturned to OUT. Roach went for a silver duck. Anderson Phillip came out to bat next.
Tickner continued as New Zealand burnt a review against Phillip. Rae bowled another good over. Tickner bowled another good over. Rae continued as Imlach was dropped at deep fine leg by Tickner who did well to get there but put it down. Foulkes came back into the attack and bowled a decent over. Rae continued as Imlach got a streaky boundary away via the top edge that went over the keeper to deep fine leg fence.
Then the moment of despair came for Blair Tickner and New Zealand as he dived at deep fine leg to stop the ball and injured his shoulder and could not get up. He seemed to have dislocated the shoulder and had to be taken off the field on a stretcher as his teammates watched in despair as New Zealand lost another pacer. Play soon resumed as early Drinks was taken at this incident. Foulkes bowled another tight over.
Glenn Phillips came back into the attack and dismissed Imlach for 16 off 31 balls with 2 fours to his name as he bowled a peach to knock the off-stump over. Jayden Seales came out to bat next. Foulkes delivered a maiden. The 200 came up for West Indies in 70.1 overs. Foulkes bowled another probing over. Duffy bowled a maiden. Michael Rae came back into the attack. There was a run out in the innings as Phillip and Seales had a mix-up with both batters almost at the same end as Kristian Clarke hit the bulls eye to run the non-striker out. Ojay Shields came out to bat next.
Jacob Duffy got the last wicket to fall as he dismissed Shields for a duck by delivering a fuller length outside off-stump which the batter drove away from the body to get the outside edge to Kane Williamson at third slip. Seales was unbeaten on 0 off 13 balls as West Indies were bowled out for 205 in 75 overs losing 6/30 after Tea. 17 extras given by New Zealand.
Blair Tickner was the pick of the bowlers for New Zealand with figures of 4/32 in 16 overs but was stretchered off with shoulder injury. Michael Rae on debut picked up 3/67 in 18 overs. Glenn Phillips picked up 1/19 in 7 overs. Jacov Duffy picked up 1/33 in 16 overs. Zak Foulkes finished with 0/41 in 15 overs.
It was time for the New Zealand batting to start with Tom Latham and Devon Conway opening the batting for New Zealand while Kemar Roach had ball in hand for West Indies. Roach started with a maiden. Jayden Seales took the new ball from the other end. Conway got things underway by flicking it past the keeper for a boundary. Roach bowled another decent over. Seales continued as Conway cut it hard past point for a boundary.
Roach continued as Conway drove it hard through the covers for a boundary. Seales bowled another maiden. Roach followed it up with another maiden. Jayden Seales continued and bowled another good over. Ojay Shields came into the attack to bowl the final over of the day. Latham survived a scare by trying to flick and got it off the shoulder of the bat and it landed between gully and point. Conway survived a run out scare at the striker’s end. New Zealand were 24/0 in 9 overs with Conway on 16* off 26 balls with 3 boundaries to his name, while Latham is on 7* off 28 balls. One extra given by the West Indies so far.
Three bowlers used by the West Indies and have bowled decently without any success so far. A hard toil awaits them on Day 2.
What Lies Ahead on Day 2
New Zealand on top at the end of the first day despite losing Blair Tickner due to injury in his shoulder. But barring that, it has been a perfect day for them as they dominated the third session to end the day on top. They would like to pile on the runs and get a big lead. West Indies will toil hard and look for wickets when play resumes tomorrow. They bowled decently today but now have to take wickets.
An interesting and important second day awaits us all.
NZ VS WI: New Zealand Chip Away At Wickets In Absorbing 2nd Session.