NZ test openers fail against Windies
Test openers Jeet Raval and Tom Latham both failed with the bat as the West Indies delivered a strong statement five days out from the first test.
The duo would have been eager for some welcome time in the middle and a decent glimpse of the tourist’s unfamiliar attack. They couldn’t make the big score they would have craved though opening for New Zealand A at Lincoln’s Bert Sutcliffe Oval, near Christchurch, on Sunday.
New Zealand’s top order, who haven’t featured in a test since late March against South Africa in Hamilton, will be under pressure at Wellington’s Basin Reserve, starting on Friday. They’ll be heading in with limited recent red ball cricket behind them against a confident West Indies attack, who are hitting form.
The West Indies continued their dominance of New Zealand A on day two of their three-day tour match, rolling them for 237 to hold an overall lead of 267.
They’ll be respectful of the Black Caps in the first test, but won’t be overawed, following some solid test performances over the past six months, including an upset five-wicket win over England at Leeds in August.
If they can remove Kiwi batting linchpins Kane Williamson and Ross Taylor cheaply, they’ll back themselves to make inroads into a middle order of Henry Nicholls, Colin de Grandhomme and Mitchell Santner, who are still establishing themselves with the bat at test level.
Red ball specialist Raval lasted
14 deliveries for his one run, edging Kemar Roach to skipper Jason Holder at third slip. Latham made
24, sticking around for 76 minutes and 55 balls.
He would have been disappointed to get out softly after making a start, pulling a ball from Holder to Shimron Hetmyer at square leg.
Wicketkeeper Tom Blundell, poised for a test debut in Wellington in place of BJ Watling, who still isn’t keeping due to a pesky hip injury, hit a rapid 19 from 12 balls.
Blundell, batting at six, didn’t muck around, whacking four quick boundaries, before nicking out to the tall figure of Holder at second slip off left-armer Raymon Reifer.
The Wellington gloveman is all but guaranteed to become New Zealand test cricketer No. 273 at his Basin Reserve home ground with the wicketkeeper set to be confirmed on Monday. Blundell does have Northern Districts’ Tim Seifert nipping at his heels for the country’s second best wicketkeeper-batsman tag after he hit a career-best unbeaten 167 against Otago at Alexandra in the latest round of the Plunket Shield.
Canterbury all-rounder Todd Astle gave the selectors another reminder of his qualities, producing the New Zealand A highlight of the day with a fighting 68. Traditionally slow to get going on overseas tours, the West Indies have looked motivated and hungry for success over the past two days.
They used six pace bowlers on Sunday with Holder and Roach, who are certainties for the first test, among the most impressive. All eight bowlers used took at least a wicket with offspinner Roston Chase nabbing the last two.
Uncapped Reifer, from a notable West Indies cricket family that includes former test captain Floyd Reifer, his cousin, toiled hard, taking 2-27 from seven
overs. Legspinner Devendra Bishoo, who captured 13 wickets from two tests against Zimbabwe last month, got through 10 overs.