Moseley, Paul hold firm for Windies
DAY TWO-SECOND ‘TEST’
NELSON, New Zealand (CMC) — A defiant, unbeaten half-century from Shayne Moseley and his unbroken sixth-wicket stand with Keemo Paul rescued West Indies A from another batting meltdown, after Rachin Ravindra and Michael Bracewell completed hundreds to put New Zealand A in control of the second “Test” yesterday.
Moseley, the Barbados Pride left-handed opener, was not out on 56 and Paul, the Guyana Jaguars and Windies international all-rounder, was not out on 35, when the visitors reached 142 for five, replying to New Zealanders’ first innings total of 481 for seven declared, at the close on the second day of the four-day, first-class match at Saxton Oval.
Moseley and Paul batted through a little more than an hour to the close and they have so far added 59 — unbroken — for the sixth wicket, after West Indies A were rocking early on seven for three and later stumbled to 83 for five.
Windies A lost the international trio of opener Brandon King, left-hander Kyle Mayers and all-rounder Rovman Powell for ducks inside the first six overs of their reply before tea.
Moseley anchored shortterm fightbacks with internationals, team captain Nicholas Pooran and Fabian Allen before they departed for 26 and 21, respectively, in the first hour after the break.
This followed another hard grind in the field for the Caribbean side, after the Blackcaps reserves resumed from their overnight total of 264 for four and declared their innings around an hour after lunch.
West Indies A again found wickets slow to come on a hard, true pitch, and Ravindra finished on a career-best, undefeated 144, his second firstclass hundred, and Bracewell completed his ninth first-class hundred of 144 to spur New
Zealand A to their formidable total.
International off-spinner Rahkeem Cornwall was the most successful Windies A bowler, taking three for 91 from 37.5 overs.
The visitors then stumbled to 21 for three at tea, after the New Zealanders’ new-ball pair of out-of-favour internationals, Doug Bracewell, their captain, and Scott Kuggelejin ran through the top order.
King was bowled, deceived by a well-pitched outswinger to the fourth ball of the innings from Bracewell and left-hander Mayers edged the third ball of third over from the same bowler that was angled across him and was caught behind.
Three overs later, Powell, the West Indies A captain in the previous match, was bowled, when he dragged on an innocuous, short delivery from Kuggelejin into his stumps.
Pooran came to the crease and got his side moving with all but two runs in his