Samuels steadies West Indies
St George’s, April 22: Marlon Samuels averted a complete West Indies batting collapse with a classy, unbeaten 94 to lift the home side to 188/5 at stumps on a rain-affected first day of the second Test against England at the National Cricket Stadium in Grenada.
Rain interrupted play just five minutes into the resumption after lunch with the West Indies at 214 for 5 on the second day. Marlon Samuels was on 98 and skipper Denesh Ramdin on 26. Intermittent showers limited play to just 40 minutes in the morning session.
Earlier, playing the 100th Test innings of a career spanning more than 14 years, Samuels dominated a protracted final session on Tuesday to the extent that his unbroken 59-run sixthwicket partnership with Denesh Ramdin has seen the captain contributing just six runs.
Samuels, who came to the crease before lunch with the West Indies unsteady after two early setbacks, never looked troubled throughout his time in the middle and maintained his excellent record against the English with an innings that was watchful for the most part before he launched into a series of extravagant strokes on Ramdin’s arrival at the wicket.
He averages 69.00 in six previous Tests against England. Most of his 13 boundaries of 186 deliveries came during that period, which followed the dismissal of Jermaine Blackwood for 26 that reduced the hosts to 129/5 after tea.
Initially ruled “not out” by standing umpire Steve Davis to a concerted leg before appeal by Chris Jordan, the first Test centurion headed back to the pavilion when England’s challenge of the decision showed, via television replays, that the delivery would have hit leg-stump.
That reversal of the onfield verdict broke a 55run fifth-wicket stand between the two Jamaicans and earned Jordan his second wicket. The seamer had earlier removed local hero Devon Smith. Stuart Broad and Ben Stokes joined in the list of wicket-takers, capitalising on poor shots by Darren Bravo and Shivnarine Chanderpaul. — AFP Scores (Day 2): West Indies 214/5 ( Marlon Samuels batting 98, D. Bravo 35; Jordan 2/40, Ben Stokes 1/33) vs England