(CMC) – West Indies endured a shaky start to their second innings after they got a foretaste of what to expect in their three-Test series against hosts England when former Under-19 international William Luxton led strong batting from the First-Class Counties Select XI with an enterprising, unbeaten hundred in their tour match yesterday.
The Caribbean side were 57 for two in their second innings at the close on the second day of the three-day match at the Kent County Cricket Ground, with Mikyle Louis opening the batting, not out on 28, and left-hander Alick Athanaze not out on zero.
The visitors lost opener Zachary McCaskie caught at point off pacer John Turner for two in the third over, playing a square drive, and left-hander Kirk McKenzie entertained briefly with four boundaries in 17 in a second wicket stand of 37 with Louis before off-spinner Bertie Foreman got him caught at long-on mistiming a lofted drive.
This followed the bowlers on the Caribbean side having limited success against the opposition batting, and Luxton, batting at five, hit 112 not out to anchor the Select XI to 373 for four declared to gain a first innings lead of 34.
With the delayed arrival from Guyana of fast bowler Shamar Joseph, West Indies captain Kraigg Brathwaite used 10 bowlers, including left-arm spinner Gudakesh Motie, whose departure from Georgetown had also been delayed due to Hurricane Beryl, and development player Isai Thorne.
None of the bowlers used really distinguished themselves, but Thorne, world-rated all-rounder Jason Holder, vice-captain and main strike bowler Alzarri Joseph, and part-time left-arm spinner Kavem Hodge each collected a wicket.
The Caribbean side met resistance when Hamza Shaikh scored 84,
Tom Prest got 53, Harry Duke was not out on 46, Harry Singh made 34, and Ben McKinney added 22 – but Alzarri Joseph said there was value in spending such time in the field.
He said it was good to be back bowling with a red ball again after a surfeit of white ball matches over the past few months, including being part of the failed attempt of the visitors to try to win their third ICC Men’s Twenty20 World Cup last month on home soil in the Caribbean and the United States.
“It was pretty good getting a run out after not bowling a red ball for the past couple of months, so I think I got what I needed out of it – a few overs under my belt and spending some time out in the field,” he said in an interview with CWI Media.
“These games are always about getting yourself prepared mentally and physically for the matches ahead, so all in all, I think everyone got what they needed out of this game… Our last Test series [against Australia this past January] was pretty good, so we are looking forward to building on that.”
The West Indies may have harboured hopes of running through the Select XI batting after Hodge got Shaikh caught at deep mid-wicket from a miscued pull in the final hour before the hosts reached 233 for four at tea.
But the Caribbean side found Luxton, whose hundred came from 115 balls with a drive to long-on for a single off Motie, and wicketkeeper-batsman Harry Duke difficult to dislodge, and the pair shared 140 – unbroken – for the fifth wicket.
Holder and Thorne were successful before lunch when the Select XI reached 109 for two after they added 94 to their overnight total.
The lanky Holder made the breakthrough inside the first hour when he got left-hander opener Ben McKinney caught at gully after an opening stand of 56 with Singh, and Thorne, a former West Indies Under-19 pacer, followed up with the scalp of Singh lbw for 34 in the second hour.
After lunch, Alzarri Joseph and Hodge were successful, but the Select XI batsmen scored freely, and the home team reached 273 for four at tea.
West Indies came under pressure when Prest, whose 50 from 81 balls came when he swept off-spinner Kevin Sinclair for the last of his nine fours, came together with Shaikh and put on 79 for the third wicket either side of the lunch interval.
Joseph got Prest caught behind down the leg-side when the batsman took evasive action and fenced at a short, rising ball, but Shaikh continued to plunder the bowling of the Caribbean side and reached his 50 from 95 balls when he moved far inside the line and hooked a short, rising ball from fast bowler Jayden Seales to long leg for his 10th boundary.
Hodge ended the hopes of Shaikh reaching triple figures, but Luxton, a member of the England side that lost the 2022 ICC Men’s Under-19 World Cup final against India in the Caribbean, struck 15 fours and three sixes from 130 balls in a shade more than 2-1/2 hours to reach the milestone and carry the Select XI to a minor lead with Duke before the declaration came with about an hour remaining.
