PORT OF SPAIN, Trinidad, CMC – Raheem Cornwall pressed his case with a half-century while fast bowler Chemar Holder impressed with a stunning five-wicket haul but West Indies A lay in shambles after 19 wickets fell on a turbulent second day of the second four-day “Test” here yesterday.
Resuming from their overnight 243 for five at Queen’s Park Oval, the hosts rallied to 318 all out in their first innings with Cornwall lashing a robust unbeaten 56 from 66 balls.
In reply, India A were undermined by Holder whose five for 54 sent the tourists tumbling to 190 all out. They were slumping at 20 for five at one stage before Shivam Dube, batting at number seven, top-scored with 79 and opener Priyank Panchal chipped in with 58, to rescue the innings.
Armed with a lead of 128, West Indies A were quickly blown away by seamer Sandeep Warrier who ripped through their second innings to leave them tottering on 12 for four at the close.
Captain and Test opener Brathwaite flirted with a wide ball from Warrier and edged behind for 10 with the score on 12 in the fourth over and three balls later in the same over with no addition to the score, Shamarh Brooks’s attempted flick ended up in the hands of Panchal at third slip.
Off the first ball of the next over, Montcin Hodge edged a drive at seamer Mohammed Siraj low to Panchal at gully without scoring before nightwatchman Jomel Warrican was taken at third slip in Warrier’s next over, also without scoring.
The day had started in a similar vein for West Indies A when they lost Raymon Reifer without adding to his overnight 27, lbw playing around a straight one from Siraj (3-63) with four runs added to the overnight total.
Wicketkeeper Shane Dowrich, unbeaten overnight on 24, made 36 before he was bowled playing back to a googly from Mayank Markande (3-79), and Romario Shepherd (2) added 32 for the eighth wicket with Cornwall before going caught at first slip by Mayank Agarwal off Warrier (2-77).
Cornwall, batting at number eight, ensured the tail wagged, slamming six fours and three sixes to push West Indies A’s total past the 300-run mark.
India then lost Agarwal without scoring to the fifth ball of the only over before lunch, caught behind off a superb delivery from Holder which bounced and seamed away.
In the second over following the resumption, Holder had Abhimanyu Esawaran caught at point off the first ball he faced with the score on 11 and the next two wickets then fell with no addition to the score.
Captain Hanuma Vihari was trapped lbw on the crease by Holder by one that nipped back while Anmolpreet Singh was caught low down at the second of two gullies by Warrican.
And West Indies A were truly on top when KS Bharat (7) edged left-arm seamer Raymon Reifer (2-42) to Jermaine Blackwood at second slip with the score on 20.
However, Dube and Panchal staged a recovery courtesy of a 124-run sixth wicket stand which lifted India A out of their mire.
While Dube counter-attacked striking 11 fours and a pair of sixes off 85 deliveries, Panchal was content with the anchor role, notching eight fours off 125 balls in 2-¾ hours at the crease.
Reifer eventually broke the stand when he had Panchal caught at first slip by Cornwall, and his dismissal triggered the final slide where five wickets fell for 46 runs.
Fast bowler Romario Shepherd supported with three for 29.
