Marathon man Kraigg Brathwaite crawled to his second highest career score as West Indies advanced to 351 for five at lunch in their first innings against England in Barbados on Saturday.
In another test seemingly headed for a soporific draw barring something dramatic on a “turgid” pitch, Brathwaite added 36 runs in a morning session delayed slightly by rain at Kensington Oval.
He was 145 at lunch. Night watchman Alzarri Joseph (19) was the only man out, caught sharply at point cutting a Ben Stokes ball.
West Indies were still 156 runs behind England, who declared their first innings at 507 for nine on Thursday.
Jason Holder (12) was unbeaten at lunch with opener Brathwaite, who has been on the field for every minute of the 10 sessions to date.
The captain has displayed immense concentration, facing 444 balls, of which only a handful have beaten the bat.
He went 30 consecutive balls without scoring just before lunch, eliciting a sarcastic cheer from the crowd when he finally pushed the ball for a couple of runs.
Brathwaite’s highest test score is 212 against Bangladesh in 2014.
Spinner Jack Leach continued to bowl with unerring accuracy. He has delivered 60 overs for figures of 1-107.
Neither team has demonstrated enough bowling strength to rattle through the opposition on a benign pitch.
There have been four century-makers in the match – Joe Root (153) and Stokes (120) for England, and Brathwaite and Jermaine Blackwood (102) for West Indies.
“This is a turgid wicket,” said England spin bowling coach Jeetan Patel.
The first test in Antigua last week was drawn on another flat pitch.
The final test of the series starts in Grenada next Thursday.
(Reporting by Andrew Both in Cary, North Carolina; editing by Clare Fallon)
For all the latest Sports News Click Here
