The West Indies began their tour of England with a resolute batting performance in their warm-up match against an FCC XI at Beckenhem, finishing the opening day on a high note. Led by Kavem Hodge's commanding century, they posted a formidable total of 339 in their first innings.
Opting to bat first after winning the toss, the visitors faced early adversity with Captain Kraigg Brathwaite and Zachary McCaskie departing cheaply, leaving them struggling at 10 for two. However, debutant Mikyle Louis and Kirk McKenzie steered the innings back on track with a crucial 106-run partnership for the third wicket. Louis impressed with a composed half-century, scoring 50 before he was dismissed.
McKenzie continued to build on the foundation laid by Louis, playing fluently to score 73 valuable runs. His partnership with Hodge, who anchored the innings superbly, proved pivotal as they added 138 runs together. Hodge, displaying both patience and aggression, reached his century with a confident six off Farhan Ahmed, setting a strong platform for his team.
Following a rain interruption, the West Indies' middle and lower order faced a testing period, losing wickets in quick succession. Despite the lower-order collapse, Hodge stood tall, guiding his team past the 300-run mark. His innings finally came to an end when he was dismissed for a well-made 112, the last wicket to fall as the West Indies were bowled out for 339 from 72.1 overs.
John Turner was the pick of the bowlers for FCC XI, claiming four wickets for 60 runs, while Ahmed also made significant contributions with his four-wicket haul costing 48 runs.
The day's play showcased the West Indies' resilience and depth in their batting lineup, with partnerships crucial in steering them towards a competitive total. As they continue their preparations for the upcoming series against England, this performance will serve as a confidence booster and provide valuable insights into the conditions and opposition.
At stumps FCC XI were 15-0. Ben McKinney is 11 not out and with him is Harry Singh.
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Pooran’s 41st T20 fifty leads MI New York to six-wicket win over Seattle Orcas in 2024 Major League Cricket opener
Nicholas Pooran hit 62* to lead defending champions MI New York to a six-wicket win over the Seattle Orcas to kick off the second edition of Major League Cricket at Church Street Park in Morrisville on Friday.
After winning the toss and electing to field first, the MI New York bowlers dominated the Orcas batting, restricting them to 108 all out off 19.1 overs.
Shubham Ranjane (35), Harmeet Singh (20) and Aaron Jones (12) were the only batsmen to reach double figures for the Orcas against 3-22 and 3-25 from eight overs combined from superstars Rashid Khan and Trent Boult, respectively.
Captain Kieron Pollard also chipped in with 2-11 from his 2.1 overs.
It then took MI New York only 14.2 overs to reach 111-4 with Pooran finishing 62* off 37 balls, his 41st T20 half-century.
His knock included seven fours and two sixes.
Full Scores:
Seattle Orcas 108 all out off 19.1 overs (Shubham Ranjane 35, Rashid Khan 3-22, Trent Boult 3-25)
MI New York 111-4 off 14.2 overs (Nicholas Pooran 62*, Cameron Gannon 2-40)
Athanaze, Da Silva hit second innings fifties as West Indies tour match against County Select XI ends in a draw
The three-day warm-up match between the touring West Indies and a County Select XI ended in a draw on Friday.
The tourists entered day three at the Kent County Cricket Ground in Beckenham on 57-2, leading by 23 runs in their second innings.
They eventually progressed to 196-5 off 44 overs before declaring, leaving the County Select XI needing 163 to win.
The West Indian second innings batting effort was led by a well-compiled 66* from Alick Athanaze, his second half-century of the game.
The 25-year-old Dominican faced 99 balls, hitting 11 fours in the process.
He was well supported by wicketkeeper/batsman Joshua Da Silva who finished not out on 51 off 69 balls including six fours.
Medium pacer Sonny Baker took 2-49 off eight overs for the Select XI.
The hosts then lost a pair of early wickets before play was brought to a close due to rain with them on 30-2 in the 11th over.
The West Indies will now turn their attention to the first Test against England which starts on Wednesday, July 10 at Lord’s.
Full Scores:
West Indies 339 off 72.1 overs (Kavem Hodge 112, Alick Athanaze 74, Kirk McKenzie 73, Mikyle Louis 50, Farhan Ahmed 4-48, John Turner 4-60) & 196-5 dec. off 44 overs (Alick Athanaze 66*, Joshua Da Silva 51, Mikyle Louis 28, Sonny Baker 2-49)
County Select XI 373-4 dec. off 85 overs (William Luxton 112*, Hamza Shaikh 84, Tom Prest 53, Harry Duke 46*) & 30-2 off 10.3 overs
Lara hoping for the best as Windies to face daunting English task in upcoming Test series
West Indies battling legend and former Test captain Brian Lara is optimistic that the Caribbean side’s inexperienced battling line up can stand tall to the demands as much will be required of them in the Three-Test series against England, which bowls of next Wednesday.
In fact, Lara pointed out that a technical and tactical approach will be integral to West Indies chances, especially given the strength of England’s line up, coupled with their aggressive approach and home conditions at Lord’s, which they will relish.
With that in mind, Lara believes the best way to defend against the opponent’s strengths is to take an attacking approach in the field.
“I think more important is how the bowlers and the captain handle it in the field because we have to stay positive. We have to stay aggressive in terms of having attacking fields, having players in attacking positions, because the way they (England) bat, England are going to have you pushing players out on the boundary – which is what they want,” Lara said during a recent interview with Sky Sports.
“You push your deep cover back or your third man back, your deep backward square back, it creates opportunities for them to get singles – four, five singles an over is actually great scoring. We’ve got to be very technical and tactical in terms of how we approach this series,” he added.
Unlike England, who has upped their game in Test cricket to what has been labelled ‘Bazball’ under Head coach Brendon McCullum and captain Ben Stokes, West Indies has been quite the opposite.
England’s alteration has resulted in them now playing an attractive brand of aggressive cricket, particularly with the bat.
West Indies, on the other hand, have been more traditional, and Lara is of the view that the regional side should remain on the same path, instead of attempt to adopt England’s style of play.
“I don’t think first of all, as a batting team, that (aggression) is our style, which actually is a little bit of a negative. If you’re going to come up against a side that’s scoring at five and six runs an over and you’re just going to score at 2.5, three runs an over, that in itself is asking for trouble,” Lara reasoned.
“England is playing a style of cricket that is difficult to beat them, coming from behind. We’ve got to get them out cheaply in the first innings to stay in front of the game. If you get behind England – with the pace they play the game at – it’s impossible to get back into the game,” he noted.
Despite the loss of Kemar Roach to a knee injury, Lara, 55, said he is more concerned about the batting.
“I’m not worried too much about Kemar Roach missing out or the bowling attack. I think the bowling attack is pretty formidable,” he declared.
“I think the batting is where the experience is lacking. They’re trying, the batters are trying, but it’s the fact that, how much experience have they had in English conditions. So I’m hoping we can pull through in that department,” Lara ended.
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