HAMILTON – Openers John Campbell and Kraigg Brathwaite emerged unscathed from a testing two hours at the hands of New Zealand’s seamers late Friday, to provide West Indies a solid platform heading into Saturday’s third day (Friday evening, T&T time), after Kane Williamson’s third career double hundred put the hosts in control of the opening Test at Seddon Park in New Zealand.
At the close on day two, West Indies were 49 without loss, with the left-handed Campbell unbeaten on 22 and Brathwaite on 20, neither providing a chance in 26 overs in the final session where the hosts attack pushed hard for crucial wickets.
Campbell has faced 68 balls and struck a four and a six – the latter a dismissive pull off Tim Southee early in his innings – while Brathwaite has hit a single four in his 89-ball stay.
Displaying the discipline which has often deserted them, they grafted their way to 21 off 13 overs at the first drinks break and remained resolute in the final hour especially when left-arm pacer Neil Wagner bowled aggressively.
They enter the pivotal third day still facing a tall order trailing by 470 runs and with injury worries over leading left-hander Darren Bravo and wicektkeeper/batsman Shane Dowrich, neither of whom took the field on Friday.
A West Indies spokesman said Bravo was struggling with a mild achilles tendon strain while Dowrich has an injury to his right hand. Shamarh Brooks took the gloves in his absence.
The resolve of the openers was all the more important against the backdrop of Williamson’s career-best 251 which propelled the Black Caps to 519 for seven, before they declared about half-hour after tea.
Resuming the day on 97 with the hosts on 243 for two, Williamson produced a masterclass spanning 412 balls in just under 10-½ hours and which included 34 fours and two sixes.
His only mistake came just before tea when he was caught at the wicket off a no-ball from seamer Kemar Roach (3-114).
He reached his 22nd Test hundred in the day’s third over with a boundary to cover off Roach and was unbeaten at lunch on 168 with New Zealand on 346 for four.
Williamson then brought up his double hundred in the first over after the first drinks break following the interval with a cover-driven four off Roach before passing 250 with an audacious pull over mid-wicket off pacer Alzarri Joseph, in the third over after tea taken at 477 for six.
He fell to the very next delivery attempting the same shot but finding the safe hands of Roston Chase on the mid-wicket ropes.
Williamson had lost overnight partner Ross Taylor in the day’s second over after the veteran right-hander added only seven to his 31 in extending their third wicket partnership to 83, edging a full length delivery from speedster Shannon Gabriel (3-89) behind.
Unfazed, Williamson batted through the best part of the next three sessions to inspire three other key stands.
Roach claimed Henry Nicholls for seven just before the first drinks break of the morning, edging to second slip where Jason Holder held the offering on the second attempt.
But Williamson put on 72 for the fifth wicket with wicketkeeper Tom Blundell (14), 56 for the sixth with Daryl Mitchell (9) before extending the Windies agony in a 94-run seventh wicket partnership with Kyle Jamieson who belted five fours and two sixes in a breezy unbeaten 51 off 64 balls.
Unbeaten on 236 at tea, Williams surpassed his previous career best of 242 – against Sri Lanka in Wellington six years ago – before passing 250 in the same over and perishing immediately after.
SCOREBOARD
NEW ZEALAND 1st Innings
T Latham b Roach 86
W Young lbw b Gabriel 5
*K Williamson c Chase b Joseph 251
R Taylor c wkp Brooks b Gabriel 38
H Nicholls c Holder b Roach 7
+T Blundell lbw b Gabriel 14
D Mitchell c Holder b Roach 9
K Jamieson not out 51
T Southee not out 11
Extras (b11, lb23, w1, nb12) 47
TOTAL (7 wkts decl., 145 overs) 519
Did not bat: N Wagner, T Boult.
Fall of wickets: 1-14 (Young), 2-168 (Latham), 3-251 (Taylor), 4-281 (Nicholls), 5-353 (Blundell), 6-409 (Mitchell), 7-503 (Williamson)
Bowling: Roach 30-7-114-3 (nb3), Gabriel 25-6-89-3 (nb8), Holder 31-12-60-9 (nb1), Joseph 31-8-99-1 (w1), Chase 25-0-109-0, Brathwaite 3-0-14-0.
WEST INDIES 1st Innings
K Brathwaite not out 20
J Campbell not out 22
Extras ((b4, lb1, w1, nb1) 7
TOTAL (without loss, 26 overs) 49
To bat: S Brooks, R Chase, J Blackwood, D Bravo, +S Dowrich, *J Holder, A Joseph, K Roach, S Gabriel.
Bowling: Southee 9-3-20-0, Boult 5-1-6-0 (w1), Jamieson 6-2-7-0, Wagner 6-1-11-0 (nb1).
Position: West Indies trail by 470 runs with all 10 wickets intact.
Toss: West Indies.
Umpires: Chris Gaffaney, Wayne Knights; TV – Chris Brown.
CMC