(CMC) – Kavem Hodge helped the West Indies Test squad make a confident start to their Tour of England with a purposeful hundred against a First-Class Counties Select XI yesterday.
The 31-year-old Dominican slammed 112 and three others gathered half-centuries before the Caribbean side were dismissed for 339 in their first innings after they won the toss and decided to bat on a chilly first day of a three-day match at the Kent County Cricket Ground.
Alick Athanaze and fellow left-hander Kirk McKenzie – both on their first Test tour to England like Hodge – and lanky opener Mikyle Louis – on the first Test tour of his career – supported with contrasting half-centuries to get the visitors off to a strong start.
The FCC Select XI were 15 without loss at the close, with their captain Ben McKinney not out on 11 and fellow opener Harry Singh not out on two.
off-side enroute to his 112 against
the First-Class Counties Select XI
Earlier, Hodge practically guaranteed himself a spot in the side to play against England in the first Test, starting at Lord’s this coming Wednesday, when he led the West Indies batting with a three-hour innings that included 14 fours and two sixes from 128 balls.
“It was pretty good, but it was cold,” Hodge told reporters after play. “I enjoyed it because it’s my first time playing in England, and it’s always good coming out here, regardless of whether it’s your first time, and make a good impression and make the most of the opportunity, so it was good to spend some time in the middle.
“It’s just getting accustomed to the conditions because it’s much colder than the Caribbean and the ball swings a lot more, and when the ball hits you, it stings a lot. We were lucky enough to come a week before the first Test, so I think it’s just a matter of taking in the environment, enjoying each other’s company, and working hard to achieve our goals.”
Hodge added that it will be a thrill to play at Lord’s if given the chance.
“It’s always a dream to play that at Lord’s,” he said. “Something growing up as a kid that you sit and dream about, you watch a lot of cricket at Lord’s. It’s something I am looking forward to – getting the opportunity to sit and watch the game, playing there with the crowd, the prestige, the home of cricket – it’s something that every cricketer aspires to do.”
He reached his hundred from 119 balls when he charged down the pitch to off-spinner Farhan Ahmed, the younger brother of teenaged England leg-spinner Rehan Ahmed, and lofted a delivery over long-on for his second six.
Athanaze supported with 74, McKenzie made 73, and Louis equipped himself well with an even 50 in between the Caribbean side losing the opening pair of their captain Kraigg Brathwaite and fellow Barbadian Zachary McCaskie cheaply, and the bottom half of the batting crumbled.
Ahmed ended with four for 48 from 12 overs, and South Africa-born pacer John Turner finished with four for 60 from 12.1 overs.
The West Indies started the match without left-arm spinner Gudakesh Motie and fellow Guyanese Shamar Joseph because their flight out of Georgetown was cancelled because of Hurricane Beryl. Media reports indicated that Motie arrived yesterday, and fast bowler Joseph is scheduled to arrive tomorrow.
The visitors were reeling on 10 for two inside the first 15 minutes of play after McCaskie was caught behind off left-arm pacer John Hull for two, and Brathwaite was caught at third slip off Turner for four.
West Indies reached lunch on 116 for three after Louis shared a 106-run stand with McKenzie for the third wicket, but he was caught at first slip off Turner with the final delivery before the interval.
The 23-year-old Kittitian opener, the leading scorer in the West Indies Championship earlier this year, cracked six fours and two sixes from 63 balls in an hour and a half at the crease.
He had clipped off-spinner Bertie Foreman through mid-wicket for a single in the previous over to reach his 50 from 62 balls and bring up the 100 partnership.
McKenzie, not out on 51 at lunch, also reached his 50 before lunch when he cut his 58th ball through point off Foreman, but he fell in the seventh over after the interval when he was caught at mid-on off the same bowler. He hit 11 fours and two sixes from 85 balls in almost two hours of batting.
Hodge joined fellow Dominican Athanaze at the crease, and runs flowed freely for the West Indies, and they reached 271 for four at tea after the two compatriots bedded down to set the foundation for a 138-run, fifth wicket stand.
Both reached their half-century before the break when Athanaze pulled his 71st ball from pacer Eddie Jack through mid-wicket for his sixth four and Hodge played his 63rd ball from Sonny Baker to mid-on for a quick single.
Athanaze failed to add to his final score after the break, and Ahmed got him caught inside the fine-leg boundary from a top-edged sweep. He struck eight fours and two sixes from 105 balls in close to 2 1/2 hours of batting.
After his dismissal, Hodge got little support from the rest of the batting, and the West Indies lost their five wickets for 40 in the span of 51 balls, including Hodge, whose dismissal, caught at deep mid-wicket off Turner, brought the innings to a close.
