BY SPORTSCAST WRITER
BULAWAYO – Captain Kraigg Brathwaite and fellow opener Tagenarine Chanderpaul both hit centuries as West Indies finished in 221-0 in a rain affected match of the second day of the first Test against Zimbabwe on Sunday.
Only one session was played due to a wet outfield at the Queens Sports Club in Bulawayo, after most of the first day wash washed out with Windies on 112-0.
Both openers undefeated on 55 from day one, which was also rain affected, Brathwaite and Chanderpaul were untroubled and reached their tons with relative ease, Chanderpaul’s first.
Brathwaite brought up his hundred with a double down to third man, his 12th hundred in the longer version.
Left-hander Chanderpaul rotated the strike well with his skipper, and growing confident later and starting to find the boundary.
“Kraigg is a guy who values his wicket, he doesn’t give it way,” said Chanderpaul.
The 26-year-old Trinidadian, who reached his century with a single to square leg, paid tribute to his father, former West Indies captain Shivnarine Chanderpaul.
“He messaged me last night, and it’s a best feeling (scoring a hundred). My dad has done so much to me in my career,” said Chanderpaul.
Zimbabwe spin bowler Wellington Masakadza said his side is still in the game, despite the challenging bowling conditions in Bulawayo.
“It’s always difficult to bowl first in Bulawayo, but we will get better tomorrow,” said Masakadza. “I thought we bowled well, same as yesterday. We just weren’t lucky enough, we missed outside edge, and balls falling short. But we didn’t let them get away, which is a big positive in Test cricket.
“In Test cricket, there is definitely going to be something on day two, day three in Test cricket.”
