West Indies captain Kraigg Brathwaite is warning his team not to get carried away by last week’s victory over Bangladesh in Chattogram but to try to improve for the second Test that begins in Dhaka tomorrow (tonight Caribbean time).
Trailing by a mammoth 171 runs on first innings, the West Indies rallied to a remarkable three-wicket victory thanks to a double century from debutant Kyle Mayers and sterling contributions with the bat from fellow debutant Nkrumah Bonner and Joshua Da Silva. Spinners Jomel Warrican and Rahkeem Cornwall also played their part with the ball.
Understandably, the players are still euphoric over the improbable victory but Brathwaite said it was now important to remember that everything starts anew for the second Test.
"The biggest thing is not to get carried away. We are happy with the win, but we know we start from zero,” he warned.
“It is one of the things that the coach has stressed on in the practice sessions. Guys are working hard. For me, to them is to stay disciplined and stick to your plans both as a bowling and a batting unit.”
"We as a team don't want to get too far ahead. We have five days of Test cricket to play. We are very happy to have won the first Test. We want to buckle down. Victory has meant a lot for us. The guys are very proud of winning the first Test, but we look forward to the next five days."
The victorious captain said the focus must now be on playing even better cricket once play begins in Dhaka.
"We can improve on our first innings score to help us set the game up better. We did well in the second innings. We have to be a little sharper in the field in periods when there's probably been a partnership. We can be a little tighter," he said.
West Indies middle-order batsman, Nkrumah Bonner, has recalled drawing inspiration from gritty India batsman Cheteshwar Pujara in wake of the team’s recent triumph over Bangladesh.
Pujara earned widespread commendation for a gutsy performance against Australia last month, where the India batman took hits to the head, elbows, hands, and ribs. In total, ten balls crashed into him throughout his 211-ball innings. His stubborn 56, however, was crucial to a historic win for an understrength India, in Australia.
Bonner may not have had to put up with as much physical punishment from the Bangladesh bowlers, but certainly showed plenty of determination in his gritty 86 from 245. The knock, alongside a cracking 212 from Kyle Mayers, was critical in anchoring an understrength West Indies to a surprise win, in Bangladesh. Bonner admits he has been taking close note of the India batsman and tries to emulate a few of his qualities.
“I like to see how he goes about his batting. I think he is very tough mentally and it’s something that I’ve taken from him,” Bonner told members of the media, via a Zoom press conference on Tuesday.
“There is nothing that really troubles him, so I idolize him a lot,” he added.
West Indies batsman, Nkrumah Bonner, admits that it was disappointing to miss out on what would have been a debut century against Bangladesh but is far more satisfied with a surprise victory for the team.
The 32-year-old Bonner stroked a solid 86 from 245 balls, as part of a match-defining partnership with Kyle Mayers, who managed an unbeaten double century to steer the West Indies to a historic victory.
Mayers and Bonner remained unbeatable for the first two sessions but after cutting loose for a 6 off Taijul Islam, Bonner was dismissed lbw the very next delivery, after missing a flatter length delivery from the spinner.
“Personal milestones are always good but obviously we know that we do everything for the team,” Bonner told members of the media via a Zoom press conference.
“Obviously it would be good to make a 100 on debut but it wasn’t mean to be and I’m really just happy that we won the game,” he added.
Though Bonner did not get to triple digits on debut he still managed to make it into the record books. The 216 runs partnership with Bonner was the second-highest partnership by Test debutants, behind Pakistan's Abdul Kadir and Khalid Ibadulla, who put on 249 back in 1964.
Shimron Hetmyer top-scored with 80 off 52 balls, while all-rounder Romario Shepherd made 58 not out from identical deliveries, as Guyana Jaguars recorded a comfortable win over Barbados Pride in the CG Insurance Super50 Cup on Monday night.
Shepherd also took a wicket and bowled with pace on a good surface at the Coolidge Cricket Ground. He won the CG Insurance Man-of-the-Match award. Guyana batted first and made 235. After a rain break, the target was revised to 232 off 47 overs. Barbados Pride reached 91-5 in the 30th over when the rain returned and brought an end to the match.
Off-spinner Kevin Sinclair, a member of the victorious West Indies Emerging Players team back in 2019, took 2-17 from 7.3 overs as Guyana Jaguars bowled well. His first wicket was opener Justin Greaves, caught at mid-wicket by Hetmyer and the second was Roston Chase, beaten and bowled.
“I’m really pleased with my performance. I have been working really hard on my batting and I was happy with the way I played and the contribution I made to help the team win,” Shepherd said.
“I’m in good shape and the ball is also coming out really well. This was a good victory for us … you always want to start with a win.”
West Indies coach Phil Simmons believes the team needs to improve in all areas going forward and especially if they are to win the second Test against Bangladesh set for the Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium in Dhaka on Wednesday.
The Jamaica Olympic Association and the Olympians Association of Jamaica have paid tribute to Olympian Les Laing, who died on the weekend.
Laing, who was born in Linstead, St Catherine on February 19, 1925, represented Jamaica at the 1948 and 1952 Olympics was a member of the famed 4x400m relay team that won gold in Helsinki. He is the third member of the iconic quartet to have died leaving behind George Rhoden as the only surviving member.
Arthur Wint died in 1992 while Herb McKenley passed in 2007.
“The Jamaica Olympic Association (JOA) mourns the loss of a member of our household but celebrates the life he lived inspiringly on the track which mirrored the personality of this son of Linstead,” the JOA said in a statement released on Sunday.
“Leslie Alphonso Laing's feats as an Olympian are well documented and we salute him with grateful hands. But more importantly, it is the spirit of the gentlemen which has inspirited generations of athletes and earned the abiding respect of a nation.
“In a world where recorded statistics of sporting achievements are understandably cited in praise of men, the JOA reflects deeply and respectfully on Laing's self-sacrificial service to his country and the soul of his ground-breaking feet.”
Meanwhile, the OAJ described Laing as a hero.
OAJ President Marvin Anderson said he one of the nation's Olympic pioneers.
“Arthur Wint, Laing, Herb McKenley and George Rhoden set a world record 3 minutes 03.9 seconds to defeat a top-class US team at the Games in London,” Anderson said. "His heroic relay run of 47 seconds flat was all the more remarkable because he was a specialist 200-metres man."
Laing, Anderson said, leaves behind a substantial legacy from his days on the track.
“While many Jamaican track stars emerged from the US college circuit, the Linstead-native rose to prominence in Britain as a member of the Polytechnic Harriers Club in London. Fittingly, he made his Olympic debut in that city in 1948, placing sixth in the 200 metres final with McKenley fourth.
“An injury to Wint in the 4x400 final prompted Laing and his teammates to vow to return and win four years later in Helsinki, Finland. Running faster in every round, Laing became the first Jamaican to reach an Olympic sprint final twice and improved his finish to fifth place. Despite his short stature, he delivered a stout-hearted second leg run to help Jamaica to fulfil the promise made in London.”
Laing retired after a 1954 season when he narrowly missed taking the sprint double at the CAC Games in Mexico City where he won the 200 and took silver in the 100m.
Laing was recognized by the respected US publication TRACK AND FIELD NEWS, which listed him in its annual world rankings three times - at number 9 in 1948, number 10 in 1949 and at number 9 once more in 1953.
"His accomplishments paved the way for Jamaica in the sprints," Anderson said.
“In fact, no other Jamaican would reach back-to-back Olympic 200m finals until Don Quarrie did it in 1976 and 1980. Mr Laing was a pioneer who showed us what was possible for us in the 200 and thanks to the start he provided, Jamaica has excelled in that event."
Laing was married to 1948 high jump finalist Carmen Phipps.
West Indies’ come-from-behind win over Bangladesh on Sunday was an emotional moment for many fans of the team across the globe. However, none would have been more emotional than Shirley Clarke, the father of double-centurion Kyle Mayers, whose remarkable innings took the West Indies to victory.
St Lucia’s Julien Alfred and Jamaica’s Damion Thomas produced record-breaking continued to build on their impressive collegiate legacies on Saturday delivering record-breaking performances at the Charlie Thomas Invitational at Bryan College-Station in Texas on Saturday.
Kevin Stoute and Sunil Ambris scored half-centuries as the Windward Islands Volcanoes scored a 31-run win over the Leeward Island Hurricanes despite a better than a run-a-ball century from Nitish Kumar on the opening day of the 2021 CG Insurance Super50 tournament.
Stoute scored 86 and Ambris 70 and their third-wicket partnership of 119 laid the foundation for the Windwards’ 284 all out off 49.2 overs.
They came together after Kimani Melius and Desron Maloney were already back in the pavilion midway the eighth over with 40 runs on the board.
When Ambris departed for 70 that included eight fours and a six, Stoute and Emmanuel Stewart put on 68 for the fourth wicket when Stoute got out in the 42nd over. Stewart was out five balls later but Roland Cato (11) and Rayon John (15) helped push the final score to 284.
Bowling for the Leewards Quinton Boatswain took 4 -45 from his 10 overs while Sheeno Berridge 3-65 and Hayden Walsh 3-79 provided support.
Chasing 285, the Leewards were dismissed for 253 in 49.3 overs despite Kumar’s 112 from 106 balls that included nine fours and two sixes.
He put on 43 for the third wicket with Ross Powell, who made 46 and 79 for the fifth wicket with Montcin Hodge who made 28 but there were never enough partnerships to take Leewards to the target as Preston McSween, Larry Edward, Ray Jordan and Kerron Cottoy each took two wickets to stymie the run chase.
On Monday, the Guyana Jaguars will face the Barbados Pride at the same venue.
Joella Lloyd won the 60m dash and was third over 200m at the Doc Hale Virginia Tech Elite meeting held at Rector Field House in Blacksburg, Virginia on the weekend.
Leslie Alphonso "Les" Laing, a member of Jamaica’s gold medal-winning mile relay team at the 1952 Olympics in Helsinki has died.
Cricket West Indies (CWI) has congratulated the West Indies team on the record-breaking victory against Bangladesh in the first Test match at the Zahur Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium in Chattogram.
Led by an amazing double century by Kyle Mayers on debut, West Indies made 395-7 to win by three wickets. He made 210 not out and shared a superb partnership of 216 with fellow debutant Nkrumah Bonner, who made 86.
The superb batting performance was the second-highest score in a successful run chase in West Indies Test history and the highest run chase in a Test match in Asia.
CWI President Ricky Skerritt lauded team and their performance, which brought great joy to West Indies supporters around the world.
“Congratulations to Captain Kraigg Brathwaite and our entire squad for an exceptional display of composure and desire,” Skerritt said in a statement.
“Led by debutant Kyle Mayers, it was a fighting team performance overall. The people of our region should walk a little taller today and the challenges of COVID-19 should temporarily be overshadowed by this astonishing West Indies Test victory. The hard work will continue.”
Mayers was named Man-of-the-Match for the knock that turned the match around for the West Indies.
Debutant Kyle Mayers made an unbeaten fourth-innings 210 to lead West Indies to the highest successful Test run chase in Asia.
Bangladesh declared in Chattogram to set the Windies a target of 395, which seemed improbable when Mayers arrived at the crease, batting at number five and joining the fray at 59-3.
But the new man, who made 40 in his first innings, joined Nkrumah Bonner to put on 216 for the next wicket and swing momentum back in the tourists' favour on Sunday.
Mayers later did the heavy lifting in another three-figure partnership with Joshua Da Silva, too, and was fittingly the man to scramble the match-winning single with 15 balls remaining in the first Test - and three wickets to spare.
His stunning display sealed the fifth-highest successful chase in the history of the format, a new benchmark in Asia and the best anywhere since 2008.
Mayers survived 310 balls in 415 minutes as he scored 20 fours and seven sixes.
"I have a few centuries in domestic cricket, but this is very special to me," the 28-year-old said.
"It's my highest score and the longest I've ever batted in first-class cricket. It's very special to me to get a double in my first Test match."
Mayers became just the sixth batsman to score a double century on his Test debut and the sixth to pass 200 in a fourth innings.
Only Mayers has combined the two and recorded a double hundred in the fourth innings of his bow in the longest format.
Mayers - with just five limited-overs internationals to his name, his highest score 40 - was driven by the team's need to break new ground on day five, although he tried not to be distracted by a scoreboard that increasingly read in the Windies' favour.
"Truly, I was not looking at the target," he said.
"I was just trying to stick to my game plan for as long as possible, try not to look at the scoreboard, try to bat as long as possible and know within myself that, if I bat the whole day, my team will come across the line.
"The hundred was on the cards for me personally, yes, but I knew the team needed me to score more than 100.
"Batting, I was always thinking of scoring 150 - I thought, at the beginning of the day, if I score 150, 160, my team will be in good stead to cross the line.
"But as I reached 160, I knew that I had to push more and it just encouraged me to go further."
Two-time Olympic gold medalist Veronica Campbell-Brown was pleased with her second-place finish in a Women’s 60m dash Saturday in what was her first race in more than two-and-a-half years.
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