KINGSTON – Seamer Tim Southee grabbed 4-19 and debutant offspinner Mark Craig took 4-91 as New Zealand tightened their grip on the opening cricket Test by leading West Indies by 260 runs on the third day at Sabina Park yesterday.
The hosts were bowled out for 262 in reply to the Black Caps’ mammoth first-innings total of 508-7 declared.
The tourists lost two cheap wickets in their second innings but stretched their lead to 260, reaching 14-2 by stumps.
For the West Indies, veteran Shivnarine Chanderpaul was typically steely in an unbeaten 84 while fellow left-hander Chris Gayle, celebrating his 100th Test, hit 64.
Gayle and Kieran Powell gave the hosts a solid start after resuming on 19-0, stretching their opening stand to 60.
But Craig claimed two wickets in one over and leg-spinner Ish Sodhi added another as the West Indies lost three wickets for one run in 11 deliveries.
Craig earned an obvious lbw verdict against a tentative Powell while Kirk Edwards edged low to first slip.
Powell struck three fours in 28 while Edwards fell for a second-ball “duck”.
Darren Bravo also failed to score, chipping a return catch back to Sodhi in the next over as the hosts slipped to 61-3.
Gayle and Chanderpaul briefly lifted spirits with a fourth-wicket stand of 43 before Southee hit hard soon after lunch.
Gayle slammed 11 fours off 125 balls on his home track before he edged Southee through to wicketkeeper BJ Watling. Two balls later, the West Indies slipped to 104-5 when a Southee in-dipper trapped Marlon Samuels lbw for a “duck”.
Left-hander Chanderpaul and new captain Denesh Ramdin revived the innings with a stand of 72.
Southee returned to break the blossoming association on the stroke of tea when Ramdin deflected a slower ball to Watling down the leg side.
Ramdin struck six fours in compiling 39 off 77 deliveries.
Chanderpaul got some lively support from the tail but eventually ran out of partners 16 runs short of a 30th Test century. The left-hander, who has been in international cricket for 20 years, hit 13 fours off 137 balls.
New Zealand opted not to enforce the follow on and lost two quick wickets to the new ball in an hour’s batting before the close.
Peter Fulton’s miserable streak continued as he edged Jerome Taylor to Ramdin behind the stumps for a duck, while first-innings centurion Kane Williamson was bowled for two by Kemar Roach playing no stroke.
Left-hander Tom Latham remained unbeaten on eight while nightwatchman Ish Sodhi was four not out. (AP)
