Baugh, Bravo hit fifties on another rain hit day

Jul 08, 2011 Sports

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Carlton Baugh (60) and Daren Bravo (50) scored half-centuries but failed to go on as West Indies struggled to 204 all out on another rain-hit day at Windsor Park in Dominica in the third and final Test against India yesterday.
India were 8-0 off four overs in reply when the second day’s play was called off at 16:40hrs after rain had stopped the action four overs after Tea at 15:31hrs.
In all, just over two hours were lost yesterday following the almost four hours on the opening day and with three days remaining and Ravi Rampaul, the most impressive West Indian bowler unwell, it is now very difficult for the West Indies to secure a series-leveling victory.
Baugh hit seven fours and a six in an attractive 79-ball 60 before he cut at a ball onto his stumps to provide Harbajan Singh his 400th Test wicket while Bravo, whose sixth fifty in eight Test’s was decorated with eight fours and lasted 134 balls, again failed to convert a great start into a three-figure score.
Only veteran Shivnarine Chanderpaul (23) of the other batsmen passed 20 in another sorry batting display and once the 57-run partnership between Bravo and Baugh was broken when Bravo edged pacer Inshant Sharma to the keeper at 158-6, the innings was soon wrapped up as West Indies failed to reach 300 in 9 consecutive Test innings.
Sharma continued to impress with lateral movement and disconcerting bounce to finish with 5-77, taking his wicket tally in the series to 21. Praveen Kumar (2-22) and Harbajan (2-26) were also among the wickets for the Indians hunting only their third series win on their 11th tour of the West Indies.
India has won two Tests in a series outside the subcontinent on only three occasions (New Zealand 1968, England 1986 & Zimbabwe 2005) but prospects of MS Dhoni becoming the first Indian Captain to win two Tests in the West Indies is unlikely since more rain is forecast for today.
After a delay of 50 minutes due to morning rain play began in sunny conditions and a fair size and colorful crowd watched as the left-handed pair of Chanderpaul and Bravo took West Indies from 75-3 to 84 on a slow track before Chanderpaul edged Munaf Patel to the keeper after adding six to his overnight 17.
With the 49-run fourth wicket partnership, which began on Wednesday morning broken, Marlon Samuels joined Bravo. The Jamaican, who has scored one of his two Test centuries against India got going with two sumptuous boundaries in one over from Patel but was bowled by Kumar in a nondescript manner as he hung his bat loosely and deflected a ball from just outside off stump onto his wicket.
Samules was gone for nine and the West Indies were wobbling on 99-5 on the best track for batting of the series. With senior batsmen Chris Gayle and Ramnaresh Sarwan discarded and the young guns, generously being given Test caps failing to fire, West Indies’s batting problems continued to loom large.
A glorious cover-driven boundary from Bravo off Sharma inspired hope but with only Baugh, a non-producing Sammy and the bowlers to depend on, Bravo’s work was crucial to a substantial total.
In his previous seven Test’s Bravo has reached 50 five times but has not yet converted good starts into a maiden century. Chanderpaul took 19 Tests for his first century and now has 22 tons to his name, a fact that could inspire hope among the fans of Bravo who batted wonderfully yesterday before again falling when set and with his third half-century in the Caribbean under his belt.
Harbajan began this match just two wickets away from becoming only the third Indian and 11th player overall to reach 400 Test wickets but in recent times the off-spinner has struggled for his usual ‘bite’ and control.
Baugh swept him for six when he was introduced and a cover-driven boundary by Baugh and an exquisite back-punch by Bravo off Suresh Raina’s innocuous off-spin had the noisy crowd jumping. By Lunch West Indies had progressed to 128-5 with Bravo on 41 and
Baugh, with 11 First-Class tons but just two Test fifties, unbeaten on nine.
After Lunch, Baugh and Bravo ‘took on’ the Indians with positive stroke-play with Baugh in particular being the aggressor. The pint size Jamaican Wicket Keeper steered Patel for consecutive boundaries and cut Sharma viciously behind point for four. Bravo steered Sharma for four and followed it up with an imperious extra-cover drive for four more to reach his sixth fifty.
But like he has done in his previous innings, Bravo failed to ‘carry on’ and was removed by Sharma two balls after an edged drive was taken on the half volley at slip by Raul Dravid. Baugh continued to counter-attack and whipped Sharma off his legs for is seventh four to reach his third fifty at this level while Skipper Daren Sammy drove Patel for a scorching four through cover to spark hope of a useful contribution from the Skipper.
The St Lucian Sammy, receiving more support here than anywhere else this season, hit a thumping back-cut for four and a pugnacious six over long-off and the drum beating and flag-waving crowd was on its feet.
But Sammy (20) soon pushed forward and was taken at short-leg while a run later Baugh was bowled, as Harbajan finally got the two wickets he needed to join Anil Kumble and Kapil Dev in the Indian 400 club as West Indies slipped to 200-8. Fidel Edwards was sent in before the ill Rampaul and when rain stopped play at 14:15hrs he was on three and Rampaul yet to score with the host on 204-8. After a 10-minute stoppage the action resumed in bright sunshine and Sharma had Edwards (3) bowled off the bottom edge pulling and Davendra Bishoo bowled for a duck as the West Indies were dismissed on the stroke of Tea. India reached 8-0 off four overs before rain stopped play for the final time at 15:31hrs and even though attempts were made to re-start the match at 16:38hrs, bad light and more rain had the final say.
Today’s play is scheduled to commence at 09:30hrs but another frustrating day is anticipated at the start of the Hurricane season here.

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