Roach, Best rock Black Caps

Tino Best kisses his shirt in celebrating taking the wicket of New Zealand’s Brendon McCullum, who was caught behind for duck. (Picture courtesy Digicel.com/Brooks LaTouche Photography.)

Fri, August 03, 2012 - 12:03 AM

KINGSTON – Kemar Roach underlined his role of strike bowler for West Indies with another telling bowling performance, helping to demolish New Zealand’s fragile batting in the second Test at Sabina Park yesterday.

Roach snared four for 70 from 17.2 overs, as the New Zealanders, whose batting was propped up by 71 from Martin Guptill and 60 from Ross Taylor, were dismissed for 260 in their first innings.

Tino Best gave Roach fiery support, taking two for 40 from 16 overs and Narsingh Deonarine winkled out two for 43 from 12 overs with his part-time off-spin.

Chris Gayle, not out on one, and Kieran Powell, not out on 10, survived five lively overs from the Black Caps’ fast bowlers, carrying the Windies to 11 without loss at the close.

Roach, now a top-10 bowler in the World rankings and Best had New Zealand, who were sent in, wobbling on 11 for two in the first half-hour.

Roach made the breakthrough, when he had B.J. Watling caught at first slip for two, although a TV review seemed to suggest that he may have delivered a front-foot no-ball.

Best followed up in the next over, when a well-pitched delivery that moved away squared Brendon McCullum up and he was caught behind for a fourth-ball duck but Guptill and Taylor led a recovery for the visitors, taking them to 74 for two at lunch.

After lunch, Best helped West Indies overcome a century, third-wicket stand between Guptill and Taylor, as the New Zealanders reached 152 for three.

Extracting true bounce from the pitch, Best scalped Taylor, when the Black Caps’ captain chased a wide, short, rising delivery and was caught behind from a top-edge. He batted 131 minutes, faced 100 balls and struck 10 fours, putting on 103 with Guptill.

The home team failed to make further inroads into the batting, as Guptill and Kane Williamson defied them for the remainder of the session.

After tea, three wickets for nine runs in the space of 40 balls rocked New Zealand, leaving them 170 for six.

Deonarine removed Williamson for 22 while Roach had Dean Brownlie caught behind.

Best’s involvement continued, when Guptill was run out, failing to beat the fast bowler’s direct hit from extra cover at the striker’s end. He batted 254 minutes, faced 174 balls and hit six fours and two sixes.

But West Indies again ran into a stumbling block, when Doug Bracewell and Kruger van Wyk put on a valuable 32 for the seventh wicket.

Narine broke the stand when Bracewell was bowled for 14 essaying a slog/sweep, and van Wyk was also bowled for 16, when he offered no stroke to an off-break from Deonarine, sinking New Zealand to 202 for eight.

Roach wrapped up the innings, when Tim Southee’s cameo of 18 ended with a catch to second slip, and Neil Wagner’s late flurry for 23 with a catch to mid-on. (CMC)

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Posted by RANDY BRIDGEMAN 9 months, 3 weeks ago: Hey look, a Bajan pair getting 6 scalps between them in a Test. Far cry from the days of Wes & Charlie, nuh? Keep bringing it fellas. Working smart usually yields rich dividends.