KINGSTON, Jamaica – Test captain Kraigg Brathwaite ended a worrying slump with an unbeaten hundred, one of three triple figure scores on the second day of the third round of matches in the West Indies Championship on Thursday.
Kavem Hodge … struck his fifth first class hundred.The 31-year-old opener, who scored 27 runs from his previous four innings in the tournament to follow up his 34 runs on the two-Test tour of Australia last month, produced a typically patient 129 not out to lead Barbados Pride to 315 for six in their first innings at Sabina Park.
Beginning the day on one with Pride on 15 without loss in reply to Jamaica Scorpions’ 269, Brathwaite faced 290 balls and counted 13 fours, to record his 31st first class hundred.
He received support from Kevin Wickham, the elegant 20-year-old carving out 63 from 92 balls with half-dozen fours, while Jonathan Drakes chipped in with 31.
Brathwaite’s effort was required after his side slipped to 36 for two early in the day, losing Zachary McCaskie lbw for 15 to a full length delivery from seamer Derval Green (2-38) and Shayne Moseley, caught low down at first slip by Chadwick Walton driving at pacer Ojay Shields.
Brathwaite then added 55 for the third wicket with Drakes, 120 for the fourth wicket with Wickham and 63 for the fifth wicket with Roshon Primus (22).
Heading into day three, Pride lead by 46 runs with four wickets intact.
At Chedwin Park in St Catherine, newly minted Test batsman Kavem Hodge struck his fifth first class hundred while veteran Sunil Ambris carved out his eighth, as Windward Islands Volcanoes stamped their authority over Combined and Campuses and Colleges Marooners.
Hodge, 31, finished unbeaten on 130 while Ambris, 30, lashed an up tempo 120, the two knocks firing Volcanoes to 358 for eight in reply to CCC’s 204 – a lead of 154 runs.
Resuming the morning without a run on the board, Volcanoes tumbled to 75 for four as off-spinner Romario Greaves (5-142) struck key blows in the top order.
Kimani Melius offered no stroke to seamer Govasta Edmond and was bowled for 13, left-hander Johan Jeremiah edged a defensive prod behind off left-arm pacer Jediah Blades for 12 while Jeremy Solozano holed out to long-off off Greaves for 19.
When Test left-hander Alick Athanaze perished for a breezy 26 off 35 balls, missing a back foot stroke and adjudged lbw to Greaves, Volcanoes were in danger of collapse.
However Ambris, who played six Tests and 16 One-Day Internationals and Hodge, who made his Test debut on the recent tour of Australia, combined in a 192-run, fifth wicket partnership to lift their side out of trouble.
Ambris counter-attacked brilliantly, his innings requiring only 114 balls and including 10 fours and four sixes. He brought up his fifty off just 44 deliveries and reached his hundred off 98 deliveries with the first ball after tea, paddle-sweeping Greaves for a couple.
Hodge, meanwhile, struck 13 fours and faced 230 balls in much more composed innings, his half-century needing 100 deliveries and his hundred requiring 178.
Once Ambris top-edged a sweep at Greaves and was taken behind square, Volcanoes lost some of their momentum, with three wickets falling for 28 runs towards the end.
