Debutant Jermaine Blackwood struck a fine fifty on Day 3 at the Queen's Club Oval to tighten West Indies' grip in the second Test match against New Zealand at Port of Spain on Wednesday.
The Black Caps took the wickets of Bravo and Brathwaite in the final session of the second day raising hopes of a comeback . Blackwood(67) however remained steadfast first in a 47 run partnership with Shivnarine Chanderpaul (47) and then a 76 run stand with skipper Denesh Ramdin (32) to stretch the lead beyond 200 runs.
"I thought right through that I'd play each ball on merit and when a ball is there to be hit, I hit it and I try to stay positive and try to get some singles," Brathwaite said. "It's always how I bat. It's not about coming in with a 100-lead or a 200-lead. It doesn't make a difference. I still have to go out there and get the job done. You put in your hard work, play each one on its merit and bat for as long as possible."
Leg-spinner Ish Sodhi was the pick of the bowlers for the visitors with four wickets, while left-arm pacer Trent Boult picked up three wickets. Tim Southee, James Neesham and Kane Williamson picked up one wicket each.
"The pitch is a bit on the slower side," he said. "There's something in it for the spinners. If the pace bowlers bowl in the right areas, they can get a good result off the pitch, but it's a bit slow."
The Black Caps trailing by 239 runs again lost an early wicket in form of skipper Brendon McCullum (3). McCullum, who promoted himself up the order, failed to make an impression and was trapped plumb in front by pacer Jerome Taylor.
Tom Latham (30 not out), who is enjoying a good run of form, and Kane Williamson (38 not out) are at the crease. These two have stitched an unbeaten 73 run partnership for the second wicket, as the Kiwis are battling to save the Test match.
"You'd want to bowl them out for a 100," Sodhi said. "But the West Indies batted well. They had a different approach to what they had in the last game. They played a little more aggressively and it worked out for them in the end."
"Tommy and Kane are at the crease right now looking pretty poised, so hopefully we can continue that," he added. "I think we just have to keep on sort of having our small targets."
"Partnerships are obviously going to be key, just like Kane and Tom. I think if we continue to do that we are going to be successful and if we are successful, we can think about winning on day five."
Where to Watch Live
The 2nd Test Day 4 is scheduled for a 10:00 am local (7:30 pm IST, 2:00 pm GMT) start with live coverage on Ten Cricket and Ten HD in India. The match can also be watched via live streaming online in India HERE. Catch the action live on TV on Sky Sports 2 in New Zealand, while viewers can also live stream the action HERE. Viewers in the US can watch the game on Willow TV while the action can also be live streamed HERE. Watch the match in Caribbean on Sports Max, while South Africa and Sub Saharan Africa viewers can view the match on SuperSport and live online HERE.
