(CMC) – Captain Kraigg Brathwaite said he was anxious to assess the progress of the bowling group in today’s day two of their three-day tour match, after the batsmen turned in an inconsistent performance here yesterday. Only Brathwaite, with a top score of 85, managed to pass 50 as West Indies, choosing to bat first, were dismissed for 257 in their first innings.
With the first Test carded to start next Wednesday, Brathwaite said it was important the bowlers also got the opportunity to put their plans into action. “(On) day two we will be bowling now and it will be to see how the guys go about the different plans we have, and obviously going forward that will be good to see,” the seasoned opener said following day one at the MA Aziz Stadium.

“I look forward to the challenge tomorrow. Obviously the BCB team is accustomed to these conditions so once we come and stick to our plans …, we should be in a good position.” West Indies sent down eight overs towards the end of the day’s play with the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) XI ending on 24 without loss. Brathwaite batted for nearly 2-½ sessions and faced 187 deliveries, holding the Caribbean side’s batting together following a middle-order collapse. He put on 67 for the first wicket with John Campbell (44) and a further 43 for the second with Shayne Moseley (15) before four wickets tumbled for 21 runs to leave the innings on 131 for five. However, Brathwaite once again came to his side’s rescue, posting 34 for the sixth wicket with Joshua Da Silva (20), 53 for the seventh with Kyle Mayers (40) and 30 for the eighth with tail-ender Alzarri Joseph (25). The 28-year-old said even though the pitch offered no excessive turn, it had been low and slow and meant concentration had been especially important.

“I wouldn’t say (the conditions were) difficult. I thought the guys bowled well,” explained Brathwaite. “Also the pitch was a little slow and low-ish to be honest so you really had to watch the ball (for a long time). “I just made sure I had a solid defence and made sure I trusted it throughout the whole innings, used my feet on some occasions and when (playing) back – since the bounce was low – I decided I would not be coming up too early.” With West Indies hit with the withdrawal of five frontline batsmen for the series, much of the responsibility for run-scoring will rest with Brathwaite and the right-hander said his knock had been critical to his preparation. “I was happy with the time I spent in the middle. I just have to keep working hard,” he said.

SCOREBOARD

WEST INDIES 1st innings
K. Brathwaite lbw b Khaled Ahmed 85
J. Campbell c Towhid Hridoy b Shahadat Hossain 44
S. Moseley b Rishad Hossain 15
N. Bonner c wkp. Nurul Hasan b Khaled Ahmed 2
J. Blackwood c Yasir Ali b Rishad Hossain 9
K. Hodge c Rishad Hossain b Khaled Ahmed 0
J. Da Silva c Rishad Hossain b Saif Hassan 20
K. Mayers b Rishad Hossain 40
A. Joseph c Khaled Ahmed b Rishad Hossain 25
K. Roach not out 5
S. Gabriel c Mukidul Islam b Rishad Hossain 4
Extras: (b3, lb3, nb2) 8
Total: (all out, 79.1 overs) 257
Fall of wickets: 1-67, 2-110, 3-115, 4-128, 5-131, 6-165, 7-218, 8-248, 9-248.
Bowling: Khaled Ahmed 21-5-46-3, Mukidul Islam 14-5-36-0, Shahin Alam 8-0-39-0, Shahadat Hossain 5-1-29-1, Rishad Hossain 23.1-3-75-5, Saif Hassan 8-1-26-1.
BANGLADESH CRICKET BOARD XI 1st innings
Saif Hassan not out 15
Shadman Islam not out 3
Extras: (b-4, nb-2) 6
Total: (without loss, 8 overs) 24
Bowling: Roach 3-2-5-0, Gabriel 4-2-9-0, Cornwall 1-0-6-0.
Position: BCB XI trial by 233 runs with all 10 first innings wickets intact.
Toss: West Indies.