NORTH SOUND, Antigua, CMC – A sudden, familiar batting collapse saw West Indies A squander a strong position and leave India A with a straightforward path to victory on today’s final day of the opening four-day “Test”.
Cruising at 130 for two in their second innings after having erased the first innings deficit of 84, the hosts stunningly lost their last eight wickets for 50 runs to be all out for 180 on yesterday’s penultimate day at the Vivian Richard Cricket Stadium.
Captain Shamarh Brooks top-scored with 53, Montcin Hodge struck 36 while Roston Chase chipped in with 32 and Jermaine Blackwood, 25, but left-arm spinner Shahbaz Nadeem undermined the innings with five for 47 while seamer Siraj Mohammed supported with three for 38.
Set 96 for victory, India reached the close on 29 for one, requiring only a further 67 runs to take a 1-0 lead in the three-match series.
Abhimanyu Easwaran was unbeaten on 23 but he lost opening partner Priyank Panchal for five to the day’s final ball, slapping a short one from off-spinner Rahkeem Cornwall to captain Shamarh Brooks at point.
West Indies A had earlier taken the last two India A wickets for 13 runs to wrap up the innings for 312, with wicketkeeper Wriddhiman Saha adding five to his overnight 61 before he was last out.
Fast bowler Miguel Cummins picked up one of the two wickets to fall to finish with four for 40.
Montcin Hodge then struck a patient 36 from 91 balls with five fours as he posted 44 for the first wicket with left-hander Jeremy Solozano (11) before both fell to Nadeem in the space of 21 balls, as the Windies A slipped to 51 for two.
Solozano steered Nadeem to captain Hanuma Vihari at first slip and Hodge played down the wrong line and also edged to Vihari in the same position.
However, Brooks and Chase then came together in a 79-run, third wicket stand which wiped out the deficit and put the hosts in control of the encounter.
Brooks faced 124 balls in just over 2-½ hours and struck five fours while Chase counted two fours and a six in a 92-ball knock.
Chase flirted with a side ball from seamer Shivam Dube and edged behind before tea but Brooks put on 29 for the fourth wicket with Blackwood to take Windies A to the break on 150 for three.
When Brooks fell in the fifth over following the resumption, reaching for a drive and edging Nadeem behind, his dismissal sparked a collapse which saw seven wickets go down for 21 runs.
