West Indies v Zimbabwe
Day 2 of 1st Test
Venue: Queens Sports Club, Bulawayo
Toss: West Indies
Scorecard: http://bit.ly/zimvwiscorecard
Captain Kraigg Brathwaite and fellow opener Tagenarine Chanderpaul shone brightly with a monumental double century stand against Zimbabwe on the rain-hit second day on Sunday.
Only 38 overs were possible after play started 5-1/2 hours later than rescheduled because of wet conditions, but it was more than enough time for Brathwaite and Chanderpaul to reach milestones.
For Brathwaite, on 116 not out, it was his 12th Test hundred and second in three Tests. The last was against Australia at the Perth Stadium last November. For Chanderpaul, unbeaten on 101, it was his maiden hundred in only his third Test – and they carried the West Indies to 221 without loss in their first innings at the close.
Brathwaite needed 226 balls to reach the landmark when he late cut a delivery from left-arm spinner Wellington Maskadza past slip for two. So far he has counted seven boundaries in his innings that has occupied 246 balls. Chanderpaul brought up the mark from 286 balls when he pulled a short ball from pacer Victor Nyauchi through square leg for a single, and has struck 10 fours and one six from 291 balls. By reaching the landmark Chanderpaul joined his illustrious father Shivnarine Chanderpaul as the only father and son to make Test centuries in the 95-year history of West Indies Test cricket.
Speaking after the day’s play Chanderpual said he was delighted with his personal milestone and also the position of the team.
“This is the best feeling in the world, scoring a century in Test cricket. I was just trying out there to get a start again and bat as long and as deep as possible… The pitch is like some in the Caribbean, and I am feeling happy, excited, overjoyed, all the feelings that you could imagine,” he said.
Chanderpaul became the first West Indies opener other than Brathwaite to score a hundred since Chris Gayle struck 101 against the same opponents eight years ago at Windsor Park in Dominica. It was also the first time since Gayle scored 150 and fellow left-hander Kieron Powell made 134 against New Zealand nine years ago at the Sir Vivian Richards Stadium in Antigua that both West Indies openers have scored a century in the same Test innings and also the last time an opening pair for the Caribbean side had shared a double-hundred stand. Together, Brathwaite and Chanderpaul also set a West Indies record for the highest stand of any wicket against the Zimbabweans.
Play is set to start at 9:30am local time (3:30am East Caribbean/2:30am Jamaica) over the remaining three days in an attempt to make up for the time lost over the first two days. (WestIndies Cricket)
