TAUNTON, England, July 11, CMC – A five-wicket haul from Raymon Reifer has put the West Indies A in firm control after the second day of the second four-day “Test” against India.
Reifer ran through India’s lower order, snagging 5-50 – his fifth first-class five-wicket haul – to help dismiss them for a paltry 192 in reply to the Windies first innings total of 302.
With a healthy first innings lead of 110, the Windies closed on 96-1, an overall lead of 206.
Resuming on their overnight total of 301-9, the Windies added just one run to their total, with skipper Shamarh Brooks finishing unbeaten on 122.
Windies pacer Oshane Thomas then struck twice early, claiming the wickets of Ravikumar Samarth for 10 and Hanuma Vihari (4) to limit India to 40-2.
Reifer, a left-arm pacer, then got in on the action, accounting for the wickets of Abhimanyu Easwaran (23) and captain Karun Nair for 42, to leave them in even bigger trouble at 114-4. A fighting, unbeaten knock of 43 from Ankit Bawne tried to steady the innings for India, but Reifer sliced through the lower order to ensure there was no fightback.
He dismissed Shahbaz Nadeem for 11 and Mohammed Siraj and Rajneesh Gurbani who both scored ducks, for the addition of just three runs to leave India in tatters on 149-9.
Bawne, though, found a good partner in last man Vijay Shankar. The pair added 42 invaluable runs for the last wicket, with Shankar blasting a whirlwind 30 from just 17 balls, to frustrate the Windies bowlers for just over half an hour. Thomas, who finished with the respectable figures of 3-66 from his 12 overs, returned to ensure the damage done was not too significant, having Shankar caught behind by wicketkeeper Devon Thomas to bring an end to the innings.
In their second innings Windies openers John Campbell and Thomas once again gave them a good start, posting 51 runs in an opening stand.
Once Thomas lost his wicket for 25, caught behind off the bowling of Gurbani, Jermaine Blackwood came to the crease and ensured there would be no further drama.
Campbell is unbeaten on 43 and Blackwood is 23 not out.
