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BRIDGETOWN, Barbados (CMC):
Kraigg Brathwaite struck a cautionary tone yesterday despite West Indies’ excellent performance on day three of the second Test, warning the home side was not yet out of the woods.
The 29-year-old carved out his 10th Test hundred – an unbeaten 109 – while his vice-captain Jermaine Blackwood hit 102 – his third Test century – as West Indies kept England in the field the entire day to finish on 288 for four in reply to the visitors’ 507 for nine declared.
However, West Indies still trail England by 219 runs, a fact Brathwaite said needed to remain in the forefront of the home side’s mind.
“We’re still behind by over 200 runs, so tomorrow is crucial again and the more time we can bat tomorrow, I think the better of us setting up day five,” Brathwaite said in a post-match interview.
“Tomorrow, the first session is very important because they are 200 ahead, so we are still a way off of their total and we’ve got to work extremely hard tomorrow.”
He added: “It’s still a decent pitch, to be honest. One or two are keeping a little low but I still think it’s a decent batting pitch.”
Brathwaite was at the centre of West Indies’ enterprise, combining in a 183-run fourth-wicket stand with Blackwood to dominate England for the better part of two sessions at Kensington Oval.
Starting the day on 28, Brathwaite batted resolutely, reaching 44 at lunch and 79 at tea, before completing triple figures nearly an hour after tea.
He combined with Blackwood three-quarters of an hour before lunch when Nkrumah Bonner perished for nine, in a partnership that has put West Indies on the brink of avoiding the follow-on.
“We had a lot of chats. Obviously, England tried a lot of stuff, the ball was moving at some periods [and] we just discussed how we would play it,” Brathwaite explained.
“I think the straighter bat was key for us and we just did that throughout, playing the ball as late as possible and that helped us throughout the day.”
He continued: “I think the harder ball tends to keep a little low but as the ball gets a little softer, you have more time off the pitch.
“Obviously, the spinner (Jack Leach) was getting some spin with the harder ball but the softer ball wasn’t spinning as fast, so you had some time to adjust.”
Brathwaite said he was thrilled for Blackwood, who was short of runs in the Antigua first Test, and came under criticism for his rash shot which led to his downfall in the second innings, with West Indies trying to save the game on the final day.
“He was amazing. Obviously in the first Test, he didn’t get the runs but he came down today and he buckled down and he worked extremely hard in the two days we had, and I’m very happy for him,” said the 29-year-old.
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