LEICESTER, England, CMC – West Indies’ batting failed to ease concerns that it could be the weak link in their three-day tour match against Leicestershire yesterday, after bowling their opponents out cheaply.
Sulieman Benn and Andrew Richardson shared seven wickets, as Leicestershire, choosing to bat, were dismissed for 182 in their first innings just before tea on the opening day at Grace Road.
With the entire final session available to them before the close, West Indies – without Chris Gayle and Shivnarine Chanderpaul in the line-up – slumped to 80 for four at the close.
Dale Richards – on his first overseas tour with West Indies – was caught at point for 15 driving lazily at 18-year-old fast-medium bowler Alex Wyatt, who also Ramnaresh Sarwan caught at slip for four to leave West Indies 34 for two.
Opener Devon Smith laboured over 24 before he was lbw to off-spinner Jigar Naik, and in the final over, Narsingh Deonarine was also lbw to Harry Gurney, a 6-ft-2 left-arm fast bowler, for 15 in the final over of the day.
Earlier, Benn was the pick of the West Indies’ bowlers with four wickets for 31 runs from 15 overs, and Richardson – also on his first overseas trip – took three for 46 from 14.3 overs, as Leicestershire fielded a depleted side.
West Indies faced a home side which did not include former internationals Paul Nixon, Hylton Ackerman, and Claude Henderson, as well as New Zealand fast-medium bowler Iain O’Brien.
Lionel Baker made the early breakthrough, when he trapped opener Tom New lbw for four, but it was Benn that triggered the Leicestershire batting collapse.
He bowled Josh Cobb for 11 to leave Leicestershire on 78 for two at lunch before he triggered a batting collapse after the interval.
The lanky Benn removed opener Matthew Boyce for the top score of 45 before stand-in captain Boeta Dippenaar, the former South Africa batsman, and James Allenby were both caught at slip for four and 28 respectively.
In between Darren Sammy trapped James Taylor lbw for four, as Leicestershire slid to 129 for six.
But West Indies were stalled, when Wayne White and Carl Crowe added 37 for the seventh wicket to add some respectability to Leicestershire’s total.
Richardson then sent an early message to the tour selectors, when he snuffed out three of the last four Leicestershire wickets which fell for 16 runs.
