New Zealand bowled out for 221 as Taylor & Benn share 7 wkts

Jun 17, 2014 Sports

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By Sean Devers in Trinidad

In association with Digicel, Stag Beer,
Cascadia Hotel & John Fernandes Ltd
In 2006 Trinidad & Tobago became the second team from the English speaking Caribbean to play in a Football World Cup in Germany and the 2014 World Cup in Brazil has attracted huge interest in Trinidad.

This was also the first time that a Test match has been fixed for all week days here and a number of the work force took time off yesterday, but not to go to the Oval but instead to the several Sports Bars across the T&T which showed the football matches live.
Not even seeing Denesh Ramdin lead West Indies for the first time on home soil could attract the fans to the Oval yesterday but the few that turned up at a venue hosting its 59th Test, had moments to celebrate.
By the end of the opening day of the second of the three-Test series, West Indies were 6-1 in reply to New Zealand’s 221 all out, although the hosts were without injured off-spinner Shane Shillingford.
A Maroon native from the parish of St Elizabeth, Jerome Taylor brought his team back into the game with a lively six-over spell after Tea in which he took 3-19 on his way to figures of 4-34. Left-arm spinner Suleiman Benn supported with 3-73 while pacer Shannon Gabriel took 2-43 in his first spell at this level on home soil.
New Zealand’s total was built around 82 from Rookie opener Tom Latham, 42 from Kane Williamson and a patient unbeaten 45 from Ross Taylor.
When West Indies began their reply, Gayle (1) had his off stump plucked out by Trent Boult but Kraigg Brathwaite (5) and night watchman Benn (0) survived to the end.
Guyanese Leon Johnson and Jason Holder will have to wait a little longer for their Test debuts while Jamaican Jermaine Blackwood was given his Test Cap.
On a day blessed with glorious sunshine in the middle of the rainy season here in Port-of-Spain, New Zealand won the toss and elected to bat at a ground on which they have never won a test since their inaugural Test here in 1972.  Hamesh Rutherford was taken at first slip for three as Taylor made the break-through at 16-1 on a track with grass but no real pace.
First match centurion Williamson joined Latham and the pair carried the Black Caps to 86-1 by Lunch with solid batting on the lush green and heavy outfield in a City which celebrated its centenary anniversary on Sunday.

Williamson was on 23, the left-handed Latham on 51 and their partnership already worth 70 runs as the three-prong pace attack of Taylor, Kemar Roach and Gabriel along with Benn toiled all session for a second wicket which never came. Latham followed up two fifties in Jamaica with his third consecutive half century in only his third Test match. His 50 took 111 minutes, 83 balls with seven fours.
After the interval the second wicket pair consolidated well to extend their carefully constructed partnership with the 23 year-old Williamson using his feet to Benn while Latham was beaten on a few occasions by Taylor playing in his first series in four and a half years.
Williamson elegantly stroked Roach to the cover boundary before Latham was dropped on 58 when he edged Benn to Ramdin at 106-1 just after being put down at slip off the same bowler.
Gabriel tested Williamson with two short balls but they were harmless bouncers which Williamson easily ducked under.
But when Gabriel pounded another one in short in next over Williamson, eight short of his 13th Test fifty, could not resist the temptation to hook, and his impetuous offering was taken on the long leg to leave the score on 120-2 and end the 104-run partnership. His 42 took 104 balls and was decorated with five fours.
Latham was again denied a maiden Test ton when he drove Roach to Benn at gully to hold a sharp catch with the score on 146-3. His well constructed 82 lasted 165 balls, 229 minutes and included 10 fours after he was dropped by Gayle at slip.
Taylor’s cut off Benn went right through Blackwood at point. Benn got the ball to bounce and it was a definite chance, as it fell just in front of Blackwood who did not really make an attempt to go for the catch.
Taylor then edged Roach between Skipper Ramdin and Gayle at first slip and Ramdin, who endured a terrible day behind the stumps, failed to make any attempt to take the catch.
Kurt Edwards, placed in a short, straight mid-on position for the uppish on-drive, dropped the catch when the bowler induced the lucky Taylor to hit the next ball to him as the batsman benefitted from consecutive chances off the last two balls before Tea.
Benn finally reaped success when he trapped McCullum (4) LBW but the Bajan must have felt  it was surely not his day when a review was called for and the review Umpire took ‘ages’ to give him out at 161-4.
Jimmy Neesham joined former Skipper Taylor and they carried the Kiwis to 192-5 before Neesham (19) edged Taylor to slip.  Ross Taylor continued to ride his luck, edging Taylor past where second slip would have been for four as Ramdin’s Captaincy continued to be defensive before Bradley Watling (0) fell to Taylor at 198-6.
Taylor who celebrates his 30th birthday on Sunday, struck again when Gayle held his third catch at slip to get rid of Ish Sodhi (0) one run later as the West Indies fought back after Tea.
Tim Southee (10) was LBW to Benn at 210-8 before Gabriel got rid of Mark Craig (4) as New Zealand slumped to 215-9 while Benn finished off the innings by removing Trent Boult for one.
Today is the second day and the match is scheduled to start at 10:00hrs.

Scoreboard   

New Zealand 1st innings

TWM Latham             c Benn b Roach                                                    82

HD Rutherford           c Gayle b Taylor                                                  3

KS Williamson            c sub (JO Holder) b Gabriel                           42

LRPL Taylor   not out                                                                               45

BB McCullum*           lbw b Benn                                                           4

JDS Neesham c Gayle b Taylor                                                           15

BJ Watling†    c †Ramdin b Taylor                                                       0

IS Sodhi          c Gayle b Taylor                                                               0

TG Southee     lbw b Benn                                                                      10

MD Craig        c Bravo b Gabriel                                                            4

TA Boult         lbw b Benn                                                                        1

Extras (b 4, lb 6, w 2, nb 3)                                                                 15

Total   (all out; 74.4 overs; 349 mins) (2.95 runs per over)   221  

 

Fall of wickets 1-16 (Rutherford, 8.1 ov), 2-120 (Williamson, 42.4 ov),

3-146 (Latham, 51.5 ov), 4-161 (McCullum, 54.2 ov),

5-192 (Neesham, 61.5 ov), 6-198 (Watling, 63.4 ov),

7-199 (Sodhi, 67.2 ov), 8-210 (Southee, 70.1 ov),

9-215 (Craig, 71.3 ov), 10-221 (Boult, 74.4 ov)

 

Bowling          O         M        R         W        Econ  

JE Taylor         17        5          34        4          2.00     (1nb, 1w)

KAJ Roach     17        1          61        1          3.58

ST Gabriel       12        2          43        2          3.58     (2nb, 1w)

SJ Benn           28.4     6          73        3          2.54

 

West Indies 1st innings        

CH Gayle  b Boult                                                    1

KC Brathwaite  not out                                            5

SJ Benn           not out                                                0

Extras                                                                         0

Total   (1 wicket; 7 overs) (0.85 runs per over)     6           

 

To bat KA Edwards, DM Bravo, S Chanderpaul, J Blackwood,

D Ramdin*†, KAJ Roach, JE Taylor, ST Gabriel

 

Fall of wickets 1-4 (Gayle, 2.6 ov)

 

Bowling          O         M        R         W        Econ

TA Boult         4          2          4          1          1.00

TG Southee     3          1          2          0          0.66

 

Match details

Toss – New Zealand, who chose to bat

Test debut – J Blackwood (West Indies)

Player of the match – tba

Umpires – IJ Gould (England) and RJ Tucker (Australia)

TV umpire – RK Illingworth (England)

Match referee – BC Broad (England)

Reserve umpire – PJ Nero

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