Shai Hope shone under pressure and played a determined knock as his magical ton alongside Justin Greaves’ resilience has kept West Indies in the contest. Shai Hope looked determined despite problems with his eyes and scored a fighting ton to keep West Indies alive. After New Zealand scored 466/8 with Kemar Roach picking up 5 wickets the target was 531 for West Indies.
The visitors lost both their openers relatively cheaply before Hope took over and he too lost his partners before Greaves dug in to put on an unbroken 140-run stand for the 5th wicket. New Zealand have been handicapped as well with 2 bowlers out especially towards the end where Nathan Smith and Matt Henry battling injuries and that has left the Test match interestingly poised at the moment.
Kemar Roach’s 5-wicket haul keeps New Zealand under check; two openers negotiate the period before Lunch.Â
Michael Bracewell and Will Young came out to resume for New Zealand while Jayden Seales had ball in hand for West Indies. Seales started with a decent over. Ojay Shields had ball in hand from the other end. He bowled a maiden. Seales struck for West Indies removing Young for 23 off 21 balls with 3 fours to his name as he got squared up and poked to get the outside edge to the keeper. Zak Foulkes came out to bat next.
Shields continued as Foulkes steered the ball through gully and backward point for a boundary. Seales bowled a decent over. Shields continued as Foulkes rocked on the back foot and pulled it to deep square leg for a boundary. Bracewell got an outside edge off Shields as the ball went away between second slip and gully for a boundary. Bracewell then slashed away for a boundary through gully region. Shields bowled a maiden over.
Roston Chase came into the attack as Bracewell used his feet to drill it through covers for a boundary. Kemar Roach came into the attack for the first time on Day 4. He removed Bracewell for 24 off 44 balls with 3 fours to his name as it was a strangle down the leg side. Matt Henry came out to bat and got off the mark as well. Chase continued as 450 was raised for New Zealand. Henry took on Roach and went for the pull to get a top edge over fine leg for the maximum. Roach then came back and removed Henry for 8 off 6 balls with a maximum to his name thanks to good usage of DRS as the nick was found.
Jacob Duffy came out to bat next and got off the mark as well. Chase continued and bowled a quiet over. Roach continued as Duffy hit him for consecutive boundaries first through third man and then heaved it away through midwicket. Roach hit back and removed Duffy for 10 off 9 balls with 2 fours to his name as the drive from Duffy was taken back by the bowler. New Zealand were 466/8 in 109 overs and with Nathan Smith unable to bat alongside Tom Blundell, the innings was closed. Foulkes remained unbeaten on 11 off 33 balls with 2 fours to his name. 23 extras given by the fielding team.
Kemar Roach was the star with figures of 5/78 in 22 overs. Ojay Shields picked up 2/74 in 17 overs. Jayden Seales finished with 1/72 in 22 overs.
Chasing 531 for the win, John Campbell and Tagenarine Chanderpaul came out to open for West Indies while Matt Henry had ball in hand for New Zealand. Henry gave away 4 byes to the batting side as a bonus. Zak Foulkes took the new ball from the other end. He bowled a maiden. Henry bowled another tight over. Foulkes bowled another maiden. Henry bowled another probing over. Foulkes bowled a maiden again. Jacob Duffy came into the attack next. He too started with a maiden.
Foulkes bowled another maiden over. Campbell broke the shackles as he drove Duffy down the ground for a boundary to long-off. Campbell managed to get a streaky boundary away with the top edge flying over fine leg. Foulkes continued as Chanderpaul drove it to the left of short extra cover for a boundary. Chanderpaul was hit on the helmet and underwent mandatory concussion test. Duffy bowled a maiden with West Indies reaching 20/0 in 11 overs with Campbell on 11* off 33 balls and Chanderpaul on 5* off 33 balls as players went off the field for Lunch on Day 4.
Jacob Duffy strikes twice as New Zealand manage to take 4 West Indies wickets in afternoon session.Â
John Campbell and Tagenarine Chanderpaul resumed proceedings for West Indies while Zak Foulkes had ball in hand for New Zealand. Foulkes started with a maiden. Jacob Duffy took the ball from the other end. Campbell pulled him away to deep backward square leg for a boundary. Duffy hit back few balls later getting rid of Campbell for 15 off 38 balls with 3 fours to his name as the ball got the edge without feet movement to second slip. Alick Athanaze came out to bat next.
Foulkes bowled another maiden. Duffy got another as Chanderpaul fell for 6 off 45 balls with a boundary to his name as the edge was latched onto by the keeper Latham. Shai Hope came out to bat next. Foulkes continued as Athanaze managed to get a streaky boundary away past diving gully. Duffy continued as Hope crunched him through midwicket for a boundary.
Michael Bracewell came into the attack next and started with a maiden. Duffy continued as Hope nailed the cover drive for a boundary. Bracewell bowled another decent over. Matt Henry came back into the attack. Hope welcomed him back with a boundary past the bowler with a drive. Bracewell bowled another maiden. Henry continued as Hope flicked him away past midwicket and mid-on for a boundary. Bracewell then got a bonus wicket as he removed Athanaze for 5 off 22 balls with one four to his name. Roston Chase came out to bat next.
Chase hoicked it over midwicket off Bracewell for a boundary. Henry continued as Hope punched it off the back foot through covers for a boundary. Drinks was taken with West Indies at 64/3 in 25 overs. Bracewell continued after the break as Hope cut him hard through point for a boundary. Henry continued and bowled a maiden. Bracewell continued as Hope dispatched it away through covers for a boundary. Henry continued and dismissed Chase for 4 off 15 balls with one boundary to his name as he edged at it without any foot movement. Justin Greaves came out to bat next.
Bracewell continued and bowled a miserly over. Henry bowled a probing over. Bracewell was giving nothing away. Henry bowled another maiden. Hope used his feet well and hit a boundary through extra cover. Hope hit another boundary by pulling hard to deep square leg. Greaves then hit Henry through mid-off for a boundary. Greaves hit another boundary through point region. Bracewell continued as Hope reached his 7th test fifty off 72 balls.
Duffy came back into the attack and bowled a decent over. Bracewell continued as Hope took him on and launched it down the ground for the maximum. The 100 came up for West Indies in 38 overs. Duffy continued and bowled another good over. Rachin Ravindra came to bowl the final over before Tea and bowled a maiden. West Indies were 107/4 in 40 overs with Hope on 57* off 80 balls and Greaves on 16* off 40 balls.
Shai Hope ton & Justin Greaves fifty leads West Indies fightback in wicketless evening session.Â
Shai Hope and Justin Greaves resumed proceedings for West Indies while Michael Bracewell resumed proceedings for New Zealand. Bracewell started with a decent over. Jacob Duffy had ball in hand from the other end. He bowled a decent over as well. Rachin Ravindra came back into the attack and bowled a decent over. Duffy overstepped while Hope pulled it away through deep square leg and midwicket for a boundary. Ravindra kept things tight.
Duffy kept things under check as the two Windies batters milked the batting. Ravindra bowled another good over. Duffy bowled a decent probing over. Ravindra bowled a decent over. Duffy bowled another good over. Ravindra bowled a maiden. Duffy bowled a maiden as well. The milking of the bowling continued by the two batters. Hope then drilled Duffy for a boundary to deep backward square leg. Hope punished Duffy for back-to-back boundaries past Latham the keeper for a boundary and then pulled it to deep fine leg.
Ravindra bowled another quiet over. Bracewell came back into the attack as Hope punched it to deep backward point for a boundary. Ravindra continued as Hope brought up his 4th Test ton in 139 balls. Greaves punched it through mid-on for a boundary. The 100-run stand came up between the duo. Bracewell continued as Greaves opened the bat face to deep backward point for a boundary. West Indies reached 180/4 in 58 overs when we paused for the Drinks Break.
Zak Foulkes came back into the attack after the break. Foulkes bowled a quiet over. Bracewell bowled another quiet over. Foulkes kept it tight. Bracewell bowled another maiden over. Hope then tried to pull a short ball and got a top edge over the keeper and to the deep third man fence. Bracewell bowled another miserly over. Foulkes bowled another good over. Bracewell too kept things tight. Foulkes continued as Greaves pulled it hard to deep fine leg fence for a boundary as the 200 came up in 67 overs.
Bracewell continued as Hope survived a stumping check by getting his foot down on time. Bracewell bowled a maiden over. Duffy continued as Greaves pulled him to deep square leg for a boundary and got to his fifty in 123 balls. Bracewell continued and gave away 4 byes to the fielding team. Duffy bowled a maiden. Bracewell followed it up with another maiden. Duffy continued as New Zealand burnt a review for caught down the leg side against Hope.
Michael Bracewell bowled the last over of the day and bowled a maiden as West Indies ended Day 4 at 212/4 in 74 overs. Hope is batting on 116* off 183 balls with 15 fours and one six to his name while Justin Greaves is batting on 55* off 143 balls with 6 fours to his name. 11 extras given by New Zealand so far.
It’s been a hard toil for the New Zealand bowlers with Jacob Duffy picking up 2/65 in 19 overs. Matt Henry bowled 11 overs and picked up 1/29 but is off the field since. Michael Bracewell picked up 1/54 in 22 overs. Zak Foulkes bowled 13 overs and gave away 28 runs while Rachin Ravindra gave 28 runs in 9 overs. Nathan Smith is unable to bowl. West Indies need a further 319 runs off 90 overs with 6 wickets in hand.
What Lies Ahead on Day 5
West Indies have fought back well through Shai Hope and Justin Greaves to keep them afloat as the 140-run stand has taken the Test to the final day. New Zealand are handicapped with two bowlers short in Nathan Smith and Matt Henry and that will be crucial on Day 5. It is New Zealand who are still ahead in the game as a wicket could elicit a collapse. But it has been commendable to see the West Indies fight and fight hard.
An engrossing final day’s play awaits us all.
Also Read:Â NZ VS WI: Jacob Duffy Strikes Twice As New Zealand Make Inroads To Take 4 Wickets