A debut half century from Mitchell Hay and an assured half century from Devon Conway ensured New Zealand stayed ahead in the game in an absorbing day of Test cricket. Both Mitchell Hay and Devon Conway showed their class and ensured that New Zealand take a decent lead against a good West Indies bowling attack and then got two wickets with the new ball.
West Indies after conceding a lead of 73 runs have lost two wickets one of them was a night watchman as they have been reduced to 32/2 in 10 overs still trailing by 41 runs with 8 wickets in hand. West Indies are not far behind but have to bat well to put pressure on New Zealand who won’t have the services of Blair Tickner out with dislocated shoulder and are down to 10 men.
Devon Conway’s half-century pushes New Zealand forward despite losing a couple of wickets.Â
Tom Latham and Devon Conway came out to resume proceedings for New Zealand while Kemar Roach had the ball for West Indies. Roach started with a maiden yet again. Jayden Seales had ball in hand from the other end. Conway rode the bounce and punched it between backward point and gully for a boundary. Latham then hit Roach for a boundary with a punch through cover point. Seales bowled a decent over.
Roach got the breakthrough for West Indies as he removed Latham for 11 off 42 balls with one four to his name as he cleaned him up with the ball sneaking through to clatter the stumps. Kane Williamson came out to bat next. He got off the mark with a boundary with a drive away from the body to get the outside edge through the gully region. Seales continued as Conway played it late and used his wrists to whip it to the left of deep backward square leg for a boundary. Conway was then put down by King at leg slip as a tough chance went down.
Roach continued and bowled another maiden. Seales followed up with another maiden. Roach continued as Conway got a triple before Williamson got forward and opened the bat face to drive it through covers for a boundary. Seales continued as Williamson took the attack to him by hitting him for consecutive boundaries first through deep fine leg and then the cover drive as well. Ojay Shields came back into the attack. He started with a maiden.
Anderson Phillip came into the attack next and was welcomed with a boundary as he rocked back and slapped it past cover point for a boundary. Shields bowled a decent over. Drinks came on the field with the score at 68/1 for New Zealand with Conway on 33* and Williamson on 22*. Phillip continued as Williamson got a reprieve as he drove it back past the bowler who put down a tough chance as the ball went away to the fence. Conway then flicked the bowler through backward square leg for a boundary.
Shields continued as Conway swung his bat across the line and drove it to deep cover point for a boundary. Phillip continued and bowled a decent over. Shields continued as the 50-run stand came up between the two players. Phillip continued as Conway pulled it away to deep midwicket for a boundary. Conway then got to his 13th Test fifty off 87 balls with a brace. Phillip bowled another decent over.
Justin Greaves came into the attack next. He started with a maiden. Williamson glanced it fine to the fine leg fence as the 100 came up for New Zealand in 30.1 overs. Phillip hit back and got rid of Williamson for 37 off 46 balls with 7 fours to his name as the bowler cleaned him up. Rachin Ravindra came out to bat next. Greaves continued as Conway managed to get a triple. Ravindra got an outside edge as he drove away from the body as the ball flew between slip and gully for a boundary. Justin Greaves bowled the last over before Lunch. He bowled a maiden. New Zealand were 112/2 in 34 overs with Conway on 55* off 104 balls and Ravindra on 5* off 12 balls as players went off for the Lunch Break.
West Indies chip away at wickets while Mitchell Hay’s maiden Test fifty brings New Zealand closer to the total
Devon Conway and Rachin Ravindra came out to resume for New Zealand while Kemar Roach had ball in hand for West Indies. Roach struck straightaway as he removed Ravindra for 5 off 13 with a boundary to his name as the fuller length ball he drove away from the body and got the outside edge to the keeper. Daryl Mitchell came out to bat next. Greaves struck next as he removed Conway for 60 off 108 balls with 8 fours to his name as it was a strangle down the leg side as the keeper took a full length diving catch.
Mitchell Hay on debut walked out to bat next. He got off the mark next. Roach bowled another good over. Greaves continued as Hay cut the ball hard through the covers for a boundary. Roach bowled a decent over. Jayden Seales came back into the attack. Hay beautifully drove through the covers for a boundary. Hay then took on Seales and clubbed it over deep fine leg for the maximum. Roach bowled another miserly over.
Justin Greaves came back into the attack. He bowled a maiden. Seales changed ends. Mitchell joined in the party by lofting the ball down the ground over long-off for the maximum. Greaves changed ends and bowled a decent over. Seales bowled another good over. Greaves bowled another maiden over. New Zealand were 155/4 in 46 overs with Hay on 22* and Mitchell on 13* when we paused for Drinks Break.
Seales continued after the break and bowled a decent over. Greaves bowled another good over. Seales continued as Hay took the attack to him by hitting him for consecutive boundaries first through midwicket and then an outside edge that went to vacant third slip for a boundary. Greaves continued as we had issues with the sight screen that delayed play a bit. The partnership entered 50 runs between the two players.
Anderson Phillip came back into the attack as Mitchell got a triple. Mitchell then thrashed through covers for a boundary. Greaves bowled a decent over. Phillip continued as Hay pulled it down the ground past mid-on for a boundary. Ojay Shields came back into the attack. He bowled a decent over. Phillip continued as Hay got a triple. Phillip struck and broke the stand as he removed Mitchell for 25 off 52 balls with one four and one six to his name. He edged it down the leg side to the keeper.
Glenn Phillips came out to bat next. Shields continued as Hay steered it away to deep backward point for a boundary. Hay then hit Shields for a boundary to pull it to deep backward square leg for a boundary as Hay reached his fifty off 74 balls a maiden Test fifty. Phillip continued as the 200 came up for New Zealand in 56.2 overs. Phillips survived a run out chance as he was lazy but survived. New Zealand were 200/5 in 57 overs with Hay on 52* off 75 balls alongside Phillips on 2* off 6 balls. The players walked off the field for the Tea Break.
West Indies hit back to keep New Zealand to 278/9 while losing 2 wickets in their second innings
Mitchell Hay and Glenn Phillips came back to resume proceedings for New Zealand while Kemar Roach had ball in hand for West Indies. Roach started with a maiden. Ojay Shields had ball in hand from the other end as Phillips hit him for a triple. Roach bowled a maiden. Shields continued as Hay helped it on its way by pulling it past deep leg fence for a boundary. Hay hit another boundary with a pull to deep backward square leg. Shields hit back as he got rid of Hay for 61 off 93 balls with 9 fours and one six to his name as he pulled it straight to deep fine leg.
Zak Foulkes came out to bat next. Roach continued as Phillips flicked it to midwicket for a triple. Roach gave away 4 byes to the batting side. Phillips was given OUT caught behind but he reviewed it successfully to get it overturned to NOT OUT. Phillips then helped it on its way with a swivel pull over deep fine leg for the maximum. Jayden Seales came back into the attack and bowled a decent over. Shields bowled another probing over. Seales bowled a maiden.
Captain Roston Chase came into the attack next. He struck straightaway as he removed Phillips for 18 off 27 balls with one six to his name as he attempted the slog sweep and miscued it to deep midwicket as Phillip took the catch. Jacob Duffy came out to bat next. Seales continued as Foulkes slashed it away by cutting it to deep backward point for a boundary. Chase continued as Duffy thrashed and smashed it over mid-off for a boundary.
Greaves came back into the attack as Foulkes showed deft touch to beat the diving gully fielder for a boundary. Foulkes again guided it to beat the diving gully fielder for a boundary. Phillip continued as Duffy smashed it to the left of mid-on for a boundary. Phillip came back and got rid of Duffy for 11 off 13 balls with 2 fours to his name as he went for the pull and got a top edge that flew to deep fine leg where Roach moves across to his right to dive forward and take the catch. Michael Rae on debut came out to bat next.
Rae got bonus runs with 4 overthrows plus a single he took. Shields came back into the attack. He bowled a decent over and New Zealand reached 255/8 in 72 overs with Foulkes on 18* off 34 balls while Rae was with him on 6* off 4 balls when Drinks came onto the field. Phillip continued after the break as Rae pulled it over midwicket for a boundary. Shields bowled another good over. Seales returned to the attack and knocked over Rae for 13 off 11 balls with one boundary to his name as New Zealand were forced to declare their innings at 278/9 in 74.4 overs with Blair Tickner unable to bat. Foulkes remained unbeaten on 23 off 43 balls with 3 fours to his name. 14 extras given by the fielding side.
It was a collective bowling effort by the West Indies. Anderson Phillip was the pick of the bowlers with figures of 3/70 in 13 overs. Kemar Roach finished with 2/43 in 16 overs. Jayden Seales finished with 1/72 in 17.4 overs. Ojay Shields finished with 1/50 in 14 overs. Justin Greaves finished with 1/28 in 12 overs. Roston Chase bowled 2 overs for 9 runs and picked up a wicket as New Zealand took a handy lead of 73 runs in the first innings.
West Indies came out to bat in their second innings with John Campbell and Brandon King opening for West Indies while Jacob Duffy had ball in hand for New Zealand. Duffy bowled a decent first over. Zak Foulkes took the ball from the other end. He started with a maiden. Duffy bowled another good over. Foulkes continued as Campbell broke the shackles by pulling it hard to square leg for a boundary. Campbell then drove it through the covers for a boundary. Campbell went again as he pulled it over square leg for a boundary.
Duffy bowled a decent over. Foulkes continued as King took the attack to him by hitting him for consecutive boundaries first through the slip cordon and then past midwicket region as well. Michael Rae came into the attack next. Rae struck in his first over removing Campbell for 14 off 27 balls with 3 fours to his name as he cleaned him up with the batter letting the ball go and the ball hit the off-stump. Night watchman Anderson Phillip came out to bat next.
Duffy continued and got rid of Phillip for a bronze duck with excellent review from the Kiwis as the umpire gave it NOT OUT but was overturned after excellent usage of DRS. Kavem Hodge came out to bat next. Rae continued as King punched it off the back foot through covers for a boundary. Jacob Duffy came to bowl the final over of the day. Hodge got a triple to get himself going. West Indies were 32/2 in 10 overs with King unbeaten on 15 off 25 balls while Hodge is unbeaten on 3 off 5 balls.
3 bowlers used by the West Indies with Jacob Duffy and Michael Rae picking up one wicket each while Foulkes’ 3 overs went for 20 runs. Duffy had figures of 1/8 in 5 overs. Michael Rae had figures of 1/4 in 2 overs. West Indies trail by 41 runs with 8 wickets in hand.
What Lies Ahead on Day 3
It was an absorbing second day’s play with both teams having their moments. In the end, it is New Zealand who are still ahead in the contest as they took a first innings lead and now have picked up 2 early wickets. New Zealand will aim to pick regular wickets to put West Indies under pressure. West Indies hope to get a partnership and platform and there is Shai Hope to come. Which team will gain the upper hand? The moving day will have all the answers for us.
Let’s see what the moving day i.e. Day 3 has in store for all of us.
Also Read:Â NZ VS WI: West Indies Chip Away At Wickets In 2nd Session.