West Indies

Curran recorded the most expensive figures by an England bowler in ODIs on Sunday as the Windies drew first blood in the three-match series, finishing with nought for 98 after 9.5 bruising overs.

He returned to the Sir Vivian Richards Stadium in Antigua on Wednesday and laid the groundwork for England’s six-wicket win, snaring top-order trio Keacy Carty, Brandon King and Shimron Hetmyer.

After a redemptive display as he regained his moniker of “making things happen”, Curran felt there was nothing to be gained from focusing on the negatives as he drew an emphatic line under the experience.

“Any time you bowl in certain scenarios, you know you’re going to have a tough day but I think if you dwell on those things too much, I feel like it would have probably affected me here,” he said.

“The big, big messaging from this group was ‘you’ve got to learn from those situations’ and I feel like I’m a very strong character in that regard. I don’t feel like that’s going to affect me at all.

“Hopefully I just bounce back stronger and learn from those days that are tough. There’s a little bit of relief, I guess, it was a tough day the other day but it was fantastic to get the win here.

“I feel like I haven’t played a huge amount over the last couple of months, like any player it’s a bit of rhythm and confidence and fingers crossed we can keep looking forwards.”

Curran was axed from the side after three anonymous displays at the World Cup, where he averaged 11.66 with the bat and took two wickets and leaked 140 runs in 17.2 overs.

Scrutiny increased on his long-term role in a new-look ODI set-up after being taken down by the Windies but Curran was named Jos Buttler’s vice-captain ahead of this series, emphasising the premium England place on the 25-year-old.

“Jos mentioned before the series if he’d like me to do it, that’s a great honour,” he said. “I do feel like more of a senior player in the side so that was a nice, proud moment.

“I definitely feel like I can play all three formats. People can have their opinions that I might not be able to but I feel like I’m a player who likes to back myself in all those tough moments.

“The message is that it’s a new side at the moment and it’s looking forward for the next couple of years.

“I think the energy around the group has been fantastic as well. It feels like a lot of energy and buzz around the group right now and I feel quite a big part of that, so I feel that’s a good thing.”

Curran’s three for 33 saw the Windies slip to 23 for four and while there were knocks of 68 from Shai Hope and 63 by Sherfane Rutherford, Liam Livingstone snuffed out any chance of a substantial total.

He dismissed Rutherford then Hope en route to figures of three for 39, with Gus Atkinson and Rehan Ahmed chipping in with a couple of wickets apiece as the Windies stumbled to 202 all out in 39.4 overs.

Will Jacks thumped four sixes in his sparkling 73 off 72 deliveries but his dismissal left England on 116 for four and the game on a knife-edge as the out-of-form Jos Buttler strode to the crease.

Without a fifty in his previous 13 ODIs and out for single figures in five of his last eight innings, the batter often touted as England’s greatest in the white-ball formats rediscovered his Midas touch.

He was twice beaten on the outside edge early on by leg-spinner Yannic Cariah but gradually found some fluency, thumping three sixes in his unbeaten 58 from 45 balls, sharing an unbroken 90 with Harry Brook.

It was left to Brook to hit the winning runs, finishing on 43 not out, as England won with 103 balls to spare to set up a series decider in Barbados on Saturday.

“We take a lot of happiness from our team-mates doing well, especially our captain, it’s really exciting,” Curran added. “Jos did what we know Jos can do.”

The Windies are now the side on the ropes ahead of this weekend but captain Hope said: “This is gone, we can’t control a thing that happened in this game or even the first game. We have to look ahead.”

In all honesty, few are likely to favour the team’s chances against a full-strength Bangladesh when the tour bowls off later this month.  The West Indies were left short-handed in the experience department after 12 of their first-string players opted out of the tour after listing health and safety concerns.

As a result of the regulars opting out, the selectors were forced to hastily assembly a squad that consisted of majority fringe players and a few others with limited experience.  Bangladesh outplayed the full-strength team during a 2018 tour, and have generally had the better of the results in recent encounters.

Still, Mohammed refuses to completely write off the team’s chances before a ball is bowled and was grateful to receive encouragement from the well-respected former West Indies captain, Lloyd, who reportedly penned letters to several players.

“It meant a lot coming from one of our greats.  Those are the things you want to hear because there has been a lot of negative talk going around,” Mohammed told members of the media on Thursday, via an online press conference from Bangladesh.

“When you hear from someone like Clive Lloyd it puts great belief within you. With the World Cup coming up it’s an opportunity for all of us to put our hands up and try and get into the original team, when the full squad is back and have a chance of going to the World Cup.  I think it inspired the guys a lot and hopefully, we can back his words up.”  

Test matches between these two rivals date back to 1928 when the West Indies made their first trip to England.  The Teams now compete for the Richards Botham Trophy, named in honour of West Indies legend Sir Vivian Richards and England great Lord Ian Botham.

Captain Kraigg Brathwaite will continue his leadership role, with fast bowler Alzarri Joseph again serving as Vice-Captain. The team is scheduled to arrive in England on 23 June for a training camp at Tonbridge School, ahead of a 4-day warm-up match at Beckingham commencing on the 4 July. 

CWI Lead Selector, the Most Honorable Dr. Desmond Haynes, expressed confidence in the squad's composition.

“The squad has been shaped with both experience and emerging talent, ensuring a strong balance as we face the challenge of playing in English conditions. Over the past year, our red-ball program has continued to develop. Following our victory in the last Test in Australia in January, it is evident that we are seeing the fruits of that investment. Each player selected has earned their place through consistent performances and hard work. We are confident that this blend of seasoned players and emerging faces will perform admirably against England.”

Young Fast Bowler Jayden Seales returns to the squad having missed the last Test Series against Australia due to injury and experienced all-rounder Jason Holder has earned a recall having made himself unavailable for the last tour. 

There is also a first international selection for 23-year-old opening batsman Mikyle Louis. 

Louis, a former West Indies U19 International, scored 682 runs in his debut First Class season for the Leeward Island Hurricanes at an average of 48.71. Should he debut for the West Indies in England, he will become the first Kittitian to wear the famous Maroon test cap.

The West Indies 15-member test squad is as follows:

1. Kraigg Brathwaite (Captain)
2. Alick Athanaze
3. Joshua Da Silva
4. Jason Holder
5. Kavem Hodge
6. Tevin Imlach
7. Alzarri Joseph (Vice-Captain)
8. Shamar Joseph
9. Mikyle Louis
10. Zachary McCaskie
11. Kirk McKenzie
12. Gudakesh Motie
13. Kemar Roach
14. Jayden Seales
15. Kevin Sinclair

These players will be supported by the following team management unit: 

• Head Coach - Andre Coley 
• Team Manager - Rawl Lewis 
• Assistant Coach - Jimmy Adams 
• Assistant Coach - Rayon Griffith
• Assistant Coach - Shaun Tait 
• Physiotherapist - Dr. Denis Byam
• Strength & Conditioning Coach - Ronald Rogers 
• Team Masseuse - Fitzbert Alleyne 
• Team Analyst - Avenesh Seetram  

West Indies' last test match was a resounding victory in Australia earlier this year. Since then, all selected players were involved in the West Indies Championship, which concluded in April and was won by the Guyana Harpy Eagles. 

19-year-old fast bowler, Isai Thorne will travel with the squad as a development player, following impressive performances in this debut First Class season taking 31 wickets at average 16.29 in his first eight matches.

The West Indies are the current holders of the Richards Botham Trophy following the 1-0 Home Test Series win in March 2022.

Louis, the 23-year-old, comes into the team on the back of a brilliant season for the Leeward Islands in the 2024 West Indies Championship where he scored 682 runs in 14 innings at an average of 49.

He is coming off a first innings half-century in their warm-up game against the County Select XI last week.

Retaining their places in the order are Kirk McKenzie at three, Alick Athanaze at four and Kavem Hodge at five.

McKenzie and Athanaze scored three half-centuries between them in the warm-up fixture last week while Hodge scored a brilliant hundred so all three are coming into the first Test in some good form.

Also making their return to the West Indies test team after missing the Australia series in December are former Captain Jason Holder and young pacer Jayden Seales.

Both Holder and Seales recently enjoyed successful County Championship stints for Worcestershire and Sussex, respectively.

Gudakesh Motie will be the lone spinner in the XI while Holder and Seales will be joined in the pace attack by Alzarri and Shamar Joseph.

Josh a Da Silva also retains his place behind the stumps.

The full XI is as follows: Kraigg Brathwaite (C), Mikyle Louis, Kirk McKenzie, Alick Athanaze, Kavem Hodge, Jason Holder, Joshua Da Silva, Gudakesh Motie, Jayden Seales, Alzarri Joseph, Shamar Joseph

Since the advent of lucrative global T20 leagues, the team has on many occasions struggled to have its top players available, as they opt to take part in the competitions over scheduled international fixtures.

At the moment, the problem is less of an issue for some of the sport’s bigger for team who hold a much tighter rein on when and where their players play.  India for instance does not allow their player to take part in any other T20 league except the IPL, as Sammy points out, the issue comes down to money.

“India is strong because they can tell their players that you don’t play anywhere else. You have to understand that they have the money to back it up,” Sammy said in an interview with the Press Trust of India (PTI).

“An India A list contracted player could probably make a million dollars a year (match fees plus TV rights money) compared to a Windies A-lister, who would earn USD 150,000,” he added.

Successive West Indies administrations have tackled the issue with various approaches that have yielded little success, the former captain does not see things changing anytime soon.

“Gone are those days when you played for love. Love doesn’t buy you groceries from a supermarket,” he added.

The player believed the region could possibly think of adopting a similar model to the one used by New Zealand.

The world number one-ranked Australia will host the Windies in two-matches.  The first of the games will be held at Optus Stadium in Perth, beginning on Wednesday 30^th.

The public’s interest in the series, however, remains lacklustre to date.  According to reports, just hundreds of tickets have been sold to members of the public, so var, well below the stadium’s capacity of the 60,000.  There now are concerns the series could set a record low vor Test mathes between the teams.

Australia batsman Australian batsman Marnus Labuschagne does not believe the low turnout is an overall lack of interest but believes there may be some fatigue in the fanbase.

 The country is fresh off a huge T20 World Cup on home soil and went straight into a three-game ODI series against England.

Lyon, who served as a groundsman at the venue before his career took off, had Jermaine Blackwood caught and bowled for three in the evening session as Australia reduced West Indies to 102-4 at stumps, a world away from Australia's 511-7 total. It gave Lyon a 57th wicket in 12 Tests in Adelaide, beating Warne's haul of 56 from 13 matches.

Michael Neser, playing just his second Test match and first since facing England in Adelaide last year, took 2-20 after drawing edges from West Indies captain Kraigg Brathwaite and Shamarh Brooks. Tagenarine Chanderpaul (47no) was the only West Indies batter to have passed 20 by the close.

Earlier, Marnus Labuschagne advanced from his overnight 120 not out to 163 before edging Devon Thomas through to wicketkeeper Joshua Da Silva.

Hometown favourite Travis Head had delighted the Adelaide crowd by reaching 114 on Thursday, and he looked set to convert that to a double century before being run out for 175 after a mix-up with Cameron Green over a second run. Head, crestfallen to miss out, could console himself with what goes down as the best score of his Test career.

In the second of two Tests, Australia look to be on track for a hefty win to match their previous victory in Perth, particularly with their bowlers already firmly on top.

Neser, a 32-year-old Queensland seamer, told Fox: "The boys set it up there with the bat. We took advantage of the night session."

He praised Lyon for going past Warne, saying: "He's been performing for many years now, so it's great to see him getting milestones. I'm sure he has many more years left in him."

Labuschagne and Head go sixth on all-time list

The partnership for Australia's fourth wicket was worth 297 runs before Labuschagne was the first to go, and only five Test pairings have put on more for any wicket at the Adelaide Oval. Labuschagne also featured in the second-highest Test partnership at the ground, putting on 361 with David Warner for Australia's second wicket against Pakistan in November 2019. The highest remains the 386 that Ricky Ponting and Michael Clarke shared in against India in January 2012 – both batters making double centuries.

Chanderpaul at it again

West Indies arrived in Australia with high hopes for Test rookie Chanderpaul, son of the great Shivnarine Chanderpaul, and while the team are collectively struggling, he has proven highly capable. Scores of 51 and 45 in the first Test boded well, and he will certainly hope to post a new personal Test best on Saturday.

The West Indies resumed at 192-3 chasing the improbable target of 498 and pushed Australia beyond drinks in the second session before Lyon claimed the final two wickets in successive balls.

Australia skipper Pat Cummins was on the field throughout the final day but did not bowl, due to a quad injury which has him in doubt for the second Test starting in Adelaide on Thursday. Cummins' absence from the attack heaped more pressure on Lyon who shouldered that burden.

Lyon finished with 6-128 from 42.5 overs in the fourth innings, getting the key breakthrough of captain Kraigg Braithwaite, after having Kyle Mayers caught at first slip by Steve Smith in the first session. Braithwaite, who reached his century late on day four, was bowled by Lyon for 110.

Jason Holder was brilliantly caught by Smith at first slip off Travis Head before Joshua De Silva edged to Usman Khawaja off Josh Hazlewood, with the tourists' resistance appearing set to wither at 233-7.

But Alzarri Joseph and Roston Chase put together a stubborn 82-run eighth-wicket partnership which ensured Australia were made to work for their victory. 

Head clean bowled Joseph, who belted three sixes in his 43, on the delivery after wicketkeeper Alex Carey dropped a tough chance, before Lyon dismissed Chase for 55 and Kemar Roach in successive balls.

Marnus Labuschagne was named Player of the Match after his scores of 204 and 104* earlier in the contest.

Lyon brings it home for Australia

Australia's all-time most productive off-spinner Lyon finished the job for the hosts with four final-day wickets and six for the fourth innings, having taken two late on the fourth day.

Lyon's five-wicket haul was the 21st of his Test career, but also his fifth in the fourth innings of a Test match, with only one of those coming before 2019.

Positives for West Indies

Not much was expected from the West Indies in this series but they can take some heart from their gallant defeat in Perth, although it leaves them 1-0 down in the two-game Test series.

The West Indies bowling left a bit to be desired but their opening batsmen did well, with Braithwaite scoring 64 and 110, while debutant Tagenarine Chanderpaul impressed with 51 and 45.

The West Indies resumed at 192-3 chasing the improbable target of 498 and pushed Australia beyond drinks in the second session before Lyon claimed the final two wickets in successive balls.

Australia skipper Pat Cummins was on the field throughout the final day but did not bowl, due to a quad injury which has him in doubt for the second Test starting in Adelaide on Thursday. Cummins' absence from the attack heaped more pressure on Lyon who shouldered that burden.

Lyon finished with 6-128 from 42.5 overs in the fourth innings, getting the key breakthrough of captain Kraigg Braithwaite, after having Kyle Mayers caught at first slip by Steve Smith in the first session. Braithwaite, who reached his century late on day four, was bowled by Lyon for 110.

Jason Holder was brilliantly caught by Smith at first slip off Travis Head before Joshua De Silva edged to Usman Khawaja off Josh Hazlewood, with the tourists' resistance appearing set to wither at 233-7.

But Alzarri Joseph and Roston Chase put together a stubborn 82-run eighth-wicket partnership which ensured Australia were made to work for their victory. 

Head clean bowled Joseph, who belted three sixes in his 43, on the delivery after wicketkeeper Alex Carey dropped a tough chance, before Lyon dismissed Chase for 55 and Kemar Roach in successive balls.

Marnus Labuschagne was named Player of the Match after his scores of 204 and 104* earlier in the contest.

Lyon brings it home for Australia

Australia's all-time most productive off-spinner Lyon finished the job for the hosts with four final-day wickets and six for the fourth innings, having taken two late on the fourth day.

Lyon's five-wicket haul was the 21st of his Test career, but also his fifth in the fourth innings of a Test match, with only one of those coming before 2019.

Positives for West Indies

Not much was expected from the West Indies in this series but they can take some heart from their gallant defeat in Perth, although it leaves them 1-0 down in the two-game Test series.

The West Indies bowling left a bit to be desired but their opening batsmen did well, with Braithwaite scoring 64 and 110, while debutant Tagenarine Chanderpaul impressed with 51 and 45.

The West Indies resumed at 192-3 chasing the improbable target of 498 and pushed Australia beyond drinks in the second session before Lyon claimed the final two wickets in successive balls.

Australia skipper Pat Cummins was on the field throughout the final day but did not bowl, due to a quad injury which has him in doubt for the second Test starting in Adelaide on Thursday. Cummins' absence from the attack heaped more pressure on Lyon who shouldered that burden.

Lyon finished with 6-128 from 42.5 overs in the fourth innings, getting the key breakthrough of captain Kraigg Braithwaite, after having Kyle Mayers caught at first slip by Steve Smith in the first session. Braithwaite, who reached his century late on day four, was bowled by Lyon for 110.

Jason Holder was brilliantly caught by Smith at first slip off Travis Head before Joshua De Silva edged to Usman Khawaja off Josh Hazlewood, with the tourists' resistance appearing set to wither at 233-7.

But Alzarri Joseph and Roston Chase put together a stubborn 82-run eighth-wicket partnership which ensured Australia were made to work for their victory. 

Head clean bowled Joseph, who belted three sixes in his 43, on the delivery after wicketkeeper Alex Carey dropped a tough chance, before Lyon dismissed Chase for 55 and Kemar Roach in successive balls.

Marnus Labuschagne was named Player of the Match after his scores of 204 and 104* earlier in the contest.

Lyon brings it home for Australia

Australia's all-time most productive off-spinner Lyon finished the job for the hosts with four final-day wickets and six for the fourth innings, having taken two late on the fourth day.

Lyon's five-wicket haul was the 21st of his Test career, but also his fifth in the fourth innings of a Test match, with only one of those coming before 2019.

Positives for West Indies

Not much was expected from the West Indies in this series but they can take some heart from their gallant defeat in Perth, although it leaves them 1-0 down in the two-game Test series.

The West Indies bowling left a bit to be desired but their opening batsmen did well, with Braithwaite scoring 64 and 110, while debutant Tagenarine Chanderpaul impressed with 51 and 45.

The Windies put on 145-6 in St Lucia, where Obed McCoy and Hayden Walsh did most of the damage with the ball in an 18-run triumph.

Andre Russell's maiden half-century was also a telling contribution in what was a fifth win in six for the Windies against Australia in this format

Australia had looked in good shape after restricting the home side to 35-3 off 7.4 overs, but Russell's 51 came from 28 deliveries to help his side to a credible total.

The tourists lost the dangerous Aaron Finch in the second over of their response before rallying to reach 108-4 at just past the midway point.

With Australia firmly on track for the win, the Windies needed something special and it was McCoy and Walsh who produced the goods.

Wickets tumbled as McCoy took 4-26 and Walsh claimed 3-23, with seven of Australia's batting order limited to a single-figure contribution in an innings where they were all out for 127 in 16 overs.

THE REAL MCCOY

It was a devastating spell with the ball for McCoy, who accounted for Josh Philippe, Ashton Agar, Mitchell Starc and Josh Hazlewood.

But it wasn't just his wicket-taking that impressed, with McCoy suppressing Australia's run rate by delivering 13 dot balls in a man-of-the-match display.

"It feels great," said McCoy. "I've been working really hard. It was just all about execution and sticking to the team plan.

"Normally on that surface the ball has nice bounce and carry but I was just trying to mix up my pace as much as I can."

NO EXCUSES FROM FINCH

Australia captain Finch offered no excuses for what was a shocking collapse from his side.

Finch admitted his team needed to show a little more intelligence in their approach.

He said: "We've been working on trying to be a little more aggressive in the middle overs but maybe just need to rein it in and have some more smarts.

"I thought the wicket played a little better batting second. There's no excuses for our batting display there.

"You've got to dust yourselves off and come again with the same attitude but just execute a little bit better under pressure."

At the close of play, the Scorpions were 118 for 4 and trailed the Windwards by 18 runs after bowling out the Volcanoes for 137.  Keron Cottoy was the only Windwards batsman to show any resistance, after making a trying 50 from 108 balls.

After losing the typically reliable Devon Smith, with just 6 runs on the board, the Volcanoes lost wickets at regular intervals as Mindley ripped through the middle order, removing Kavem Hodge (23), Alick Athanaze (6), and Ackeem Auguste (3) to leave the team struggling at 54 for 5.

Cottoy’s brave resistance briefly staved off the inevitable, but he rapidly ran out of partners before being dismissed, caught, and bowled by Nicholson Gordon.  Mindley ended with overall figures of 5 for 20, while Gordon claimed 4 for 43.

In response, John Campbell and Leroy Lugg put 71 on the board before that partnership was broken with Campbell being dismissed by Josh Thomas, just two runs short of a half-century.  Lugg (36) was next to go after he was caught by Kimani Melius, off the bowling of Sherman Lewis, and the team suffered a mini-collapse after losing Nkrumah Bonner and Jermaine Blackwood in the space of a few balls.  Marquino Mindley (1) and Brandon King are the not-out batsmen at the crease.

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."

Paceman McCoy took stunning figures of 6-17, reducing the tourists to 138 all out at Warner Park after play got under way two hours later than scheduled due to team luggage not arriving on time in Basseterre.

Brandon King then top-scored for West Indies with 68 from 52 balls, before Thomas smashed a free hit for six and struck Avesh Khan for four to win it with four deliveries to spare, squaring the five-match series at 1-1 ahead of Tuesday's third match.

McCoy made a dream start by getting Rohit Sharma caught by Akeal Hosein at a wide short third man from the first ball of the match and also removed Suryakumar Yadav in his second over.

The dangerous Rishabh Pant (24) and Hardik Pandya (31) got starts before they were dismissed by Hosein (1-22) and Jason Holder respectively (2-23) as the wickets continued to tumble.

McCoy returned to send Ravindra Jadeja (27) packing and leave the tourists 115-6, then saw the back of Dinesh Karthik, Ravichandran Ashwin and Bhuvneshwar Kumar in a brilliant penultimate over.

King dominated the strike in an opening stand of 46 as the Windies made a good start to the run chase, Kyle Mayers the first to fall to Pandya in the seventh over.

Nicholas Pooran holed out attempting to smash Ashwin for six and West Indies were 83-3 in the 13th over when Shimron Hetmyer was caught and bowled by Jadeja.

King brought up his half-century off 39 balls but was bowled by an Avesh yorker immediately after slapping him for a six down the ground, leaving the Windies needing 32 off 27 balls with six wickets in hand.

Arshdeep Singh bowled Rovman Powell to leave the game in the balance, but with 10 needed off the last over, Thomas punished Avesh's no ball with a huge six and finished off the job with a cut for four.

Six of the best for McCoy

It was a day to remember for quick McCoy, who registered the seventh-best figures by a bowler from any nation in the shortest format at international level.

Keemo Paul held the previous record T20I figures for the Windies of 5-15 against Bangladesh in December 2018 before McCoy tore through India.

King provides the platform

Opener King did not play in the first match of the series, but he made a big impact on his return.

He played responsibly on a wicket that was not easy to bat on, hitting two sixes and eight fours to register a fourth T20I half-century that proved to be crucial.

The Windies toiled in the field for 117.4 overs, eventually ending South Africa's first innings just 20 minutes into the opening session as Kagiso Rabada fell on 21 before Lungi Ngidi's four-ball duck.

That same pair of Rabada and Ngidi asked questions of Mikyle Louis and Kraigg Braithwaite with the new ball, yet the Windies openers reached an unbeaten half-century stand with little trouble.

The visiting Proteas turned to Maharaj's spin as early as the 13th over, reaping the rewards as the left-arm spinner ripped through Louis' defence to remove the opener on 35 with the last ball before lunch.

Rain caused a lengthy delay to follow but that stoppage proved fruitful as Wiaan Mulder ran out Braithwaite, on 35, before Maharaj removed Keacy Carty for 42 and Alick Athanaze on just three.

Maharaj bowled 28 straight overs throughout a battling day and hopes South Africa can capitalise with the West Indies on 145-5, some 212 runs behind the visitors' first-innings total of 357.

"When the ball goes in the outfield, it becomes a bit soft and doesn't react much," Maharaj said at stumps. "We have been trying to keep it as dry as possible.

"There is not much off the wicket. I have been trying to use different paces, and various trajectories but only the odd ball is reacting.

"But when you bowl in the right channel for a long time in Test cricket, it does pay dividends."

Kavem Hodge and Jason Holder will hope to provide further resistance when play begins on Saturday in Port of Spain.

The Lancashire seamer is a like-for-like replacement for the injured Mark Wood, who has been ruled out due to an elbow problem sustained in the first Test.

Joe Root's side played out a draw in that opening contest against Kraigg Brathwaite's hosts in Antigua and have moved on to Barbados for the second of three tussles for the Richards-Botham Trophy.

Centuries for captain Root, Jonny Bairstow and Zak Crawley were stymied by a superb display from Nkrumah Bonner and Wood's injury, on the back of Ollie Robinson being ruled out for the opener.

Root admitted that while Durham bowler Wood would be a loss, he had little doubts about 25-year-old Mahmood's potential.

"He's very mature for a guy who hasn't played a huge amount of international cricket, and he has an understanding of how he wants to operate," Root said.

"He's been very impressive. He's got a slightly different trajectory and will give us a point of difference. He has done that when he's played in other formats.

"Clearly he has good control, especially if the ball moves with reverse swing."

West Indies batsman Bonner, whose recent emergence as a Test player has followed a false start in international cricket in the T20I format 10 years ago, is relishing another battle after his man-of-the-match performance.

"During that 10-year period when I was out, there was a lot of work I put in mentally, physically and technically, and I'm really happy to be reaping the rewards now," Bonner said, quoted by BBC Sport.

"I'm more experienced now, I understand my game a lot better. I always had that belief I could play international cricket.

"Obviously sometimes the belief goes down a little bit, but I kept working and I'm really happy to have come back."

Stokes closes in on select England landmark

England all-rounder Ben Stokes has been relatively quiet with bat and ball since returning to the international fold, but he could reach a notable landmark this week.

He needs 84 more to reach 5,000 runs in Test cricket for England; in doing so, he would become just the 23rd player to achieve this feat for the team.

West Indies are one of the three teams against whom he has scored over 1,000 runs.

Roach poised to move up WI rankings

Kemar Roach needs only one more wicket to become the outright seventh-highest wicket taker for West Indies in men's Test cricket.

Roach is level with Garry Sobers on 235 wickets, and the paceman has more wickets against England (54) than against any other team in this format.

Once he moves ahead, he will have sixth-placed Michael Holding in his sights, with 249.

In a wonderful advert for women's cricket, the all-around entertaining affair got the thrilling ending it merited.  With the West Indies needing to defend just 6 runs in the last over, Dottin, who has hardly been seen with the ball over the last few months, stepped up to take 2 for 2, and also effected a run-out, to finally wrap up brave New Zealand resistance in her only over of the match. 

The result meant the West Indies had successfully defended 259 for 9, their third-highest total ever recorded at the tournament.

Earlier, a brilliant 119 of 128 from Matthews, who was named the player of the match, set the stage for the West Indies triumph.  Unexpectedly returning to the top of the order after Rashada Williams was ruled out of the match due to concussion protocol, Matthews hit 16 fours and a six, dispatching New Zealand’s bowlers to all parts of the ground while proving to be the stable catalyst the West Indies needed.

Dottin, who opened with Matthews, had promised a similar type of performance but was sent packing after hitting three fours and skying another attempt to Jess Kerr after playing across the line off Lea Tahuhu. 

With Kycia Knight then departing for just 5, Matthews formed a crucial 66-run partnership with captain Stafanie Taylor, which helped the West Indies reach 100 at a steady five runs an over.  The partnership was broken when Taylor was caught behind after clipping off Tahuhu. 

It was, however, one only of three partnerships Matthews would be involved in as she also paired with Shemaine Campbelle and Chedean Nation to glue the team’s innings together. 

Matthews was eventually dismissed going after Kerr as Hannah Rowe held on to the catch in the deep.  Nation's 46-ball 36 and then Anisa Mohammed's six-ball 11, however, added valuable runs for the team at the end of the innings.  Tahuhu was the pick of the New Zealand bowlers with 3 for 57, while Kerr claimed 2 for 43.

In pursuit, Sophie Devine struck a magnificent century to keep New Zealand's chase on track, for the most part, and Katey Martin and Kerr's quickfire 40-run partnership brought it down to run-a-ball for the last over before the timely intervention of Dottin.

On Wednesday, that dream could become reality for Trinidadian off-spinner Bryan Charles.

The 29-year-old is a part of the West Indies squad to face South Africa in three Test matches, with the first beginning on Wednesday at the Queen’s Park Oval in Port-of-Spain.

“It would be an extremely proud moment for me, especially if I am lucky enough to receive my cap at home,” Charles said in an interview with CWI’s John Phillips at the end of a training session on Monday.

Charles’ first call-up to the West Indies test squad comes after 44 First-Class games since his debut against Guyana at Providence in 2015.

In those 44 games, Charles has taken 150 wickets at an average of 26.56 including seven five-wicket hauls and one 10-wicket match haul.

This past West Indies Championship season, Charles led the Trinidad & Tobago Red Force with 31 wickets in seven matches at an average of 17.

“I was obviously pretty elated to hear the news. It was a very proud moment for me. I’ve been waiting for this for a long time,” he said of receiving the call-up before thanking his father for introducing him to the game at a young age.

“Obviously, I’d like to thank my dad. He introduced me to most sports but I stuck with cricket from my younger days and made a career out of it from playing for the national team from Under-13 straight up to the senior team,” he added.

This won’t be Charles’ first time representing the West Indies on the international stage, however, as he represented the West Indies Under-19s at the 2014 ICC Under-19 World Cup in the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

As far as inspirations in international cricket go, Charles singled out Australian off-spinner Nathan Lyon, specifically mentioning his fondness of his action.

If given a chance to play on Wednesday, there’s no doubt Charles would love to emulate what Lyon did on test debut against Sri Lanka in 2010 when he dismissed the great Kumar Sangakkara wit the first ball of his career.

Chasing 194 for victory, Bangladesh scored 158-6 off their 20 overs.

Shakib al Hasan’s unbeaten 68 took the tourists close but the West Indies bowlers were always on top, notwithstanding a few big overs for Bangladesh near the end.

Romario Shepherd took 2-38 and Obed McCoy, who took wickets with the first two balls he bowled in the match, returned figures of 2-37, 20 of them conceded in the 19^th over of the match.

Shakib, who during the match, became the only batsman to score 2000 runs and take more than 100 wickets in T20 history, featured in partnerships of 53 with Afif Hossain who scored 34 from 27 balls. The latter was dismissed as the visitors slumped to 78-4 in the 11^th over.

Shakib and Mossadek Hossain added another 53 for the sixth wicket but with the required run rate steadily climbing, Bangladesh’s chances of victory seemed remote.

The West Indies won the toss and chose to bat, scoring 193-5 from their 50 overs.

Brandon King scored 50 as the West Indies sought to take a 1-0 lead in the three-match series after the first match on Saturday ended in a no-result because of rain.

After losing Shamarh Brooks for a duck and Kyle Mayers for 17, King and Captain Nicholas Pooran shared in a third-wicket stand of 74.

Pooran smashed three fours and a six in his 30-ball 34 before he was trapped lbw by Mossadek Hossain. His departure saw the arrival of his vice-captain, who after a tentative start exploded against the Bangladesh attack.

Powell and King shared in a 63-run fourth-wicket partnership from just 29 balls when King whose 50 came up off 36 balls with six fours and a six, got out caught by Shakib Al Hasan trying to hit Shoriful Islam over the boundary.

Powell, meantime, showed little mercy racing to 50 from 20 balls. Twenty-three of those runs came in the 16 over when he hit Shakib for three sixes and a four. He remained unbeaten on 61 from just 28 balls. He hit two fours and six sixes, the last of which came from the last ball of the innings when he clubbed Shoriful over the deep midwicket boundary.

Romario Shepherd made three and was replaced by Odean Smith, who hit the third ball of the final over to end unbeaten on 11 from just four balls.

Shoriful returned figures of 2-40 while there was a wicket each for Shakib (1-38), Mahedi Hasan (1-31) and Mossadek (1-0).

Broad finished with match figures of 10-67 after claiming the first and last wickets on the final day of the third Test at Old Trafford, where England won by 269 runs to regain the Wisden Trophy.

The England paceman trapped Kraigg Brathwaite lbw to become the seventh bowler to join the 500 club, a landmark James Anderson reached by dismissing the same batsman in 2017.

Broad took 4-36 on day five and Chris Woakes finished with magnificent figures of 5-50 to bowl the tourists out for only 129.

England great Broad was furious at being left out for England's defeat in the first Test at the Rose Bowl and responded by taking six wickets last week, before claiming 10 and scoring a quickfire half-century in the decider.

He told Test Match Special: "I was really down that week [in Southampton], but I've got some brilliant people around me to pick me up.

"I knew I was bowling well, I knew I was in good rhythm, so it was great to get an opportunity when we got here to have the chance to take some wickets."

Broad revealed he got the answers he was looking for when he spoke to head coach Chris Silverwood and national selector Ed Smith after being omitted for the opening Test and was fuelled to prove a point in Manchester.

"I had a really good chat with Silverwood and Ed Smith. To be honest it was always unrealistic to expect any seamer would play all six of these Test matches this summer with them being back-to-back and workloads," he said.

"I was just disappointed I wasn't chosen for that first game, but I sort of knew deep down I would get an opportunity.

"If I get challenged or I feel like there is a bit of a point to prove, I'm a competitive person anyway, but I came to Manchester with the bit between my teeth and it does feel really good to have been able to put some performances in.

"I think it's not as if the management staff are thinking that I couldn't do it anymore, because my record over the last 18 months particularly has been pretty strong, but it's always good to be on winning sides for England and to have contributed to winning Test matches.

"When you cross 30 it's easy to write you off, when you are 34 it's much easier to write you off, but I hope I've quietened the writers-off a little bit."