Windies make slow but steady progress v Proteas at tea on day two

The West Indies made slow but steady progress in the early afternoon session on day two of the first Test against the Proteas on Wednesday, reaching the break on 136/3, trailing the hosts first innings score by 206-runs at SuperSport Park in Centurion.

The Windies could only add 65-runs to the score in the session, but importantly only lost one wicket to leave themselves well placed.

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Resuming after lunch in a tricky position on 71/2, Ramon Reifer (48no) and Jermaine Blackwood (37) settled their nerves by extending their third wicket partnership to 64-runs.

They took their side comfortably past the hundred run mark, before Blackwood became the only wicket of the session.

Blackwood had survived a searing inswinging yorker from Anrich Nortje a few overs previously, with the batter left sprawled on the floor after missing the toe cruncher, while the ball just missed the leg stump.

But he couldn’t survive another good inswinger from the bowler, as he inside edged onto his pad and keeper Heinrich Klaasen took a good catch down the leg side.

Roston Chase (8no) then joined Reifer and they battened down the hatches, making sure they didn’t lose another wicket as they took their side to tea.

First session

In the first session the Windies reached lunch in a shaky position after early inroads from the Proteas in their first innings.

A Kagiso Rabada peach and a first Test scalp for Gerald Coetzee were the highlights of the morning session for the Proteas, after they were bowled out for 342 in their first innings and then struck twice before lunch.

Windies openers Kraigg Brathwaite (11) and Tagenarine Chanderpaul (22) started with a 22-run opening partnership, before Brathwaite was bowled by a superb Rabada delivery that nipped back off the surface, beat his defensive guard and took the top of off stump.

New man Reifer looked positive as he struck a couple of boundaries in adding 36 with Chanderpaul, who then became the second wicket of the innings.

He had survived being given out in the previous over, after the umpires referred a catch at short leg by Tony de Zorzi off the bowling of Anrich Nortje to the TV umpire, with replays showing the ball just bounced before going into De Zorzi’s hands.

But it was barely a reprieve as Coetzee struck in the next over as a vicious inswinger caught the edge of Chanderpaul’s bat and flew to Senuran Muthusamy in the slips who took the easy catch.

Blackwood then started well with three boundaries as the visitors made their way t lunch without any further problems.

At the start of play the Proteas resumed their innings on 314/8, with Marco Jansen (23no) and Coetzee (17) at the crease and they started positively with 11 runs off the first over.

But Coetzee was soon back in the shed after gloving an Alzarri Joseph ball to second slip, to end their 26-run ninth wicket stand.

Last man Nortje then didn’t wait about, cracking three fours in an 11-ball 14, before he skied Joseph to Chanderpaul to end their innings on 342.

The wicket was Joseph’s fifth of the innings, which completed his first Test five-for, as he finished with impressive figures of 5/81.