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Kemar Roach

BULAWAYO. — Batsmen Shai Hope, Roston Chase and Kraigg Brathwaite all gathered half-centuries as West Indies made a bright start to their tour of Zimbabwe. Opting to bat first on the opening day of the three-day match against Zimbabwe A at Bulawayo Athletic Club, the Caribbean side ended on 336 /7 declared and then skittled their hosts for 143. The Windies were 74 /1 at stumps at the end of the day two yesterday. Hope top-scored 85 in the first innings, Chase stroking 79 and Brathwaite chipping in with 53. Kyle Hope, Shai’s older brother, missed out on a half-century with 42, while seamer Michael Chinouya, who played his only two Tests against New Zealand last year, was the best bowler with two for 55.

In the only warm-up match before the first Test starting on Saturday, West Indies made the most of the outing with their main batsmen getting among the runs. They lost left-hander Kieran Powell cheaply for one with a mere seven runs on the board in the day’s fifth over, but Brathwaite and Kyle Hope posted 87 for the second wicket to repair the innings. Brathwaite struck five fours and a six in an innings spanning 136 deliveries and just over 31 /2 hours, while Kyle faced 109 balls in 189 minutes at the crease and counted four fours and a six.

Both perished four balls apart in successive overs with the score on 94, but their demise paved the way for an attractive 175-run, fourth-wicket stand between Shai Hope and Chase. Hope, the most successful batsman on the recent tour of England, appeared in good touch, striking 10 fours off just 107 balls in just over three hours. Meanwhile, the Windies want to keep improving after a tour of England in which they lost the Test series, but won a lot of friends with their fightback.

“We proved a lot of people wrong (in England). We have a young group of guys who believe in themselves,” paceman Shannon Gabriel said.

His new ball partner Kemar Roach, who marked his return to Test cricket with 11 wickets at 29.81, including a five-wicket haul at Lord’s, recognised the need to alter the lines and lengths on the slower, drier pitches in Zimbabwe.

“Tough conditions in Zimbabwe — it’s my first time here. So I’m trying to adapt as fast as possible and looking to win the series against Zimbabwe as well. They (The pitches) are pretty slow, quite a big difference from England. Obviously, it’s the drier part of the world, so you’ve got to adapt and get the lines and lengths right. I think (bowling) fuller is better here. Have to get the ball to do some stuff off the seam and be patient,” Roach said.

Gabriel echoed his new-ball partner’s comments and reckoned there might be more assistance for the spinners.

“I don’t think they are going to give us a pitch with bounce of anything. I think it is going to be a bit more slower and a bit more turn and assistance for the spinners. So we need to adjust and come together as a team. Judging from the pitch we practised here, there is tennis-ball bounce,” he said.

Roach no longer has that searing pace, but he showed skills and smarts in England. That combined with Gabriel’s firepower has lent a fresh edge to the West Indies attack. Captain Jason Holder, Alzarri Joseph, Miguel Cummins and Devendra Bishoo make up the rest of the bowling group. Roach was pleased with the core bowling group and credited bowling coach Roddy Estwick for his inputs.

“The guys (bowlers) have been doing a good job. I had been watching from home (when I wasn’t playing). Our bowling is our strength. We have to keep working hard on that and get better. With more experience, these guys will become better cricketers and better bowlers as well. I think the core of bowlers we have in our Test team is a very good one and hope these guys stick as long as possible,” Roach said.

“I have been working at finding my rhythm and bowling coach Roddy Estwick has been doing a fantastic job. I have had a lot of interactions and he has given me some good advice. So, I’m confident, going forward into this series against Zimbabwe. We are looking forward to these two games and Zimbabwe have been playing some good cricket,” Gabriel said. — Jamaica Gleaner/Cricinfo.