CANTERBURY, England, CMC – Rookie left-hander Shimron Hetmyer shone but opener Kraigg Brathwaite suffered his third straight failure as the three-day tour game against Kent finished in a draw here yesterday.
Before lightning and bad light ended play abruptly, West Indies were enjoying batting practice and had reached 132 for four at the Kent County Ground.
They were slumping at 50 for three before the 20-year-old Hetmyer stroked an enterprising unbeaten 43 while Shai Hope got 30 and opener Kieran Powell, 23, to lead the Caribbean side’s revival.
Brathwaite, however, fell without scoring to follow up his first innings eight and two in the second innings of the opening tour game against Essex at Chelmsford.
Opener Kieran Powell once again got a start with 23 but failed to carry on.
Seamer Charlie Hartley was among the wickets with two for 44 to follow up his first innings four-wicket haul.
Batting coach Toby Radford said afterwards the Windies batsmen had received a good workout during the contest.
“Kent bowled in good areas and kept coming at us,” the Englishman said.
“They swung it away to the right-handers and whenever we batted in this match there was cloud cover and a little bit of juice around.”
Trailing by 66 after Kent declared their first innings on 331 for nine in the final over of the previous day, West Indies were quickly in trouble following an 80-minute delayed start due to rain when they lost Brathwaite – caught at the wicket off Hartley in the second over with one run scored.
With the score on 24, seamer Matt Hunn claimed Kyle Hope also to a catch at the wicket for nine as West Indies slipped further.
Shai Hope then anchored two small partnerships to halt the slide, putting on 26 for the third wicket with Powell and a further 38 for the fourth with Hetmyer.
The left-handed Powell had faced 59 balls and struck two fours when he too was taken at the wicket this time off left-arm quick Adam Ball and Shai’s innings ended when he was caught at cover off Hartley.
Hetmyer and Jermaine Blackwood, who finished unbeaten on 18, then came together to add 44 and deny Kent any further success.
Hetmyer, who made his Test debut recently against Pakistan, faced just 39 balls and counted seven fours and a six.
West Indies will face Derbyshire in their third three-day tour game starting Friday in Derby. The game will be a day/night affair in preparation for the ‘pink ball’ first Test against England at Edgbaston beginning August 17.
SCOREBOARD
WEST INDIES 1st Innings 265
KENT 1st Innings 331-9 decl.
WEST INDIES 2nd Innings
*K Brathwaite c wkp Rouse b Hartley 0
K Powell c wkp Rouse b Ball 23
K Hope c wkp Rouse b Hunn 9
S Hope c Crawley b Hartley 30
S Hetmyer not out 43
J Blackwood not out 18
Extras (b4, lb5) 9
TOTAL (4 wkts, 36.4 overs) 132
Fall of wickets: 1-1, 2-24, 3-50, 4-88.
Bowling: Hunn 9-4-14-1, Hartley 11.4-2-44-2, Ball 8-3-27-1, Gidman 4-0-12-0, Riley 4-0-26-0.
Result: Match drawn.
Toss: West Indies.
Umpires: J Middlebrook, A Wharf.
