Early struggle

HAMILTON, New Zealand – West Indies bowlers toiled without much success in an extended post-lunch session as New Zealand took the early initiative on the opening day of the first Test at Seddon Park here Thursday.

At tea, taken at 3:50 pm (10:50 pm Eastern Caribbean time), the Caribbean side had managed to prise out a single wicket as the hosts reached 99 for one after being sent in.

Persistent rain ruined the entire opening session forcing ground-staff to keep the playing area covered but the weather cleared in time for a 1 pm (8 pm Eastern Caribbean time) start.

West Indies then struck early when Gabriel trapped debutant Will Young lbw for five in the day’s fourth over but captain Kane Williamson and opener Tom Latham then took control for the Black Caps in a second wicket stand worth 85.

Latham was unbeaten on 45 from 112 deliveries with five fours and a six while Williamson grafted his way to 39 off 88 balls with eight fours, passing 6 500 runs in his 81st Test.

Together they combined to frustrate West Indies’ four-pronged pace attack with new ball bowlers Gabriel and Kemar Roach, along with captain Jason Holder and Alzarri Joseph, all failing to really trouble either batsman.

Prior to the start, players from both teams “took the knee” in a symbolic show of support for Black Lives Matter but despite being greeted with a grassy strip, the West Indies seamers then largely struggled to find their lengths.

Gabriel proved the most threatening, forcing an edge from Young between wicketkeeper Shane Dowrich and Darren Bravo at first slip in the fourth over.

Dowrich moved to his right but then pulled out while Bravo turned his back, leaving the right-handed Young to collect his only four of his brief innings to third man.

Off the very next delivery, however, Gabriel angled one into Young who missed a cross-batted shot, and was adjudged lbw for five.

That dismissal proved to be West Indies’ only success of the session as Williamson and Latham calmly went about blunting the visiting side’s attack.

New Zealand crawled to 23 for one after 11 overs in the first hour and had only gathered 62 without further loss off 24 overs at the second drinks break, but West Indies were fazed by the solidity of Williamson and Latham and found no way through.

With the pitches in the two warm-up matches in Queenstown both batsman-friendly and producing high-scoring encounters, Holder had earlier warned his bowlers that patience and discipline would be key to any success during the two-Tests series, which sees the second match carded for Wellington.

“Traditionally here in Hamilton it’s been pretty flat – it’s been a hard toil as well for bowlers in the recent past,” the all-rounder said hours earlier.

“That is something we will obviously have in the back of our minds and we know it’s going to be difficult sometimes trying to get 20 wickets in these conditions but again, cricket is played on the day and more or less if we stay disciplined and build pressure I think wickets will definitely come.”

He continued: “Our bowlers have really carried the mantle for this team over the last five to 10 years and it’s just more or less for us to continue in that trend. Our bowlers know what’s expected of them and they know their roles quite well now.

“A lot of them are very experienced – Kemar Roach, Shannon Gabriel, myself and even young Alzarri who has played a handful of Test matches has played enough cricket to understand the flow of Test cricket.

“So I’m not worried at all. What I’ve seen in the warm-up games particularly is discipline and I think we need a lot of discipline going into this series especially knowing that some of these surfaces are batting friendly.

“We’ve definitely got to be disciplined and stay patient and try to make the New Zealand batters work very hard for their runs.”

West Indies have not won a Test series on New Zealand soil in a quarter of a century.