HAMILTON, New Zealand: A gutsy 200-run partnership between Denesh Ramdin and Shivnarine Chanderpaul rescued the West Indies from a perilous position yesterday as the tourists battled to 289 for six on the first day of the third Test against New Zealand.
Ramdin was dismissed just before the close for 107 to end a sixth-wicket stand that lifted the score to respectability after another Calypso collapse had seen the team slump to 86-5 soon after lunch.
Chanderpaul was not out 94 at the close, with Darren Sammy yet to score as the West Indies fight to win the Test in a bid to level the three-match series.
The tourists’ cause was helped by a wicket that offered the bowlers little in the morning before becoming totally unresponsive midway through the day, allowing the batsmen more time to place the ball, and the run rate lifted noticeably. After just 142 runs were scored in the first two sessions, the post-tea session of play yielded a further 147 runs.
Meanwhile,aggressive batsman Jesse Ryder has returned to the New Zealand side after a doping suspension and an absence of nearly two years when he was included yesterday in the limited overs squad for matches against West Indies later this month.
The 29-year-old last played for the national team in Feb. 2012 after a self-enforced break following off-field disciplinary issues.
Earlier this year he served a six-month doping ban and survived an assault that left him in a coma with serious head injuries.
“Jesse gives us added fire power at the top of the order and he has a proven international record,” national selection general manager Buce Edgar said.
New Zealand one-day squad: Brendon McCullum (captain), Martin Guptill, Jesse Ryder, Kane Williamson, Ross Taylor, Colin Munro, Corey Anderson, Jimmy Neesham, Luke Ronchi, Nathan McCullum, Adam Milne, Kyle Mills, Mitchell McClenaghan.
Agencies
