Best batsman Kraigg Brathwaite carved out his 18th first class hundred to surpass 7 000 first class runs as Barbados Pride dominated leaders Guyana Jaguars on the opening day (Thursday) of their eighth-round match of Cricket West Indies (CWI) Digicel Regional 4-day in Barbados.
He was joined by West Indies teammate, Shai Hope, who gathered his fifth First-class hundred as Pride, choosing to bat first at Kensington Oval, ended the day on 293 for two.
Leon Johnson misses a catch off the bat of Kraigg Braithwaite
Brathwaite struck 143 while Hope entertained with an unbeaten 118, the pair putting on 205 for the second wicket in a partnership that pulled the hosts around from 45 for one after left-hander Anthony Alleyne perished cheaply for eight in the first session.
Playing only his second game of this season’s Regional four-day championship, the 24-year-old Brathwaite immediately made his presence felt.
All told, he struck 17 fours in an innings lasting 236 balls and just over 4-3/4 hour, passing the 7 000-run landmark when he reached 36.
Hope, meanwhile, extended his rich vein of recent form, counting 15 fours and two sixes in a knock spanning 257 deliveries and just under five hours at the crease.
For Hope, it was his third hundred in seven games, following his back-to-back efforts in the semi-final and final of the Regional Super50 last month.
Brathwaite combined with Alleyne to add 45 for the first wicket and safely navigate the first hour for the hosts.
However, Alleyne seemingly lost concentration following the drinks break and fell to the second delivery, wafting at a short ball from left-arm seamer Raymon Reifer and nicking a catch behind to wicketkeeper Shane Dowrich.
Any hopes Jaguars had of slicing through Pride’s top order were then dashed, however, as Brathwaite and Hope combined to keep the visitors wicket-less for the remainder of the session and the entirety of the post-lunch period.
At lunch, Pride were 75 for one with Brathwaite on 43 and Hope, 16, and the pair added a further 88 in the second session to push the hosts up to 163 without further loss at tea.
Brathwaite raised his half-century off 108 balls with his fifth four — a punch to the cover boundary off left-arm spinner Gudakesh Motie and achieved triple figures in the fifth over after tea off 177 deliveries with 11 fours.
Hope, meanwhile, brought up his half-century in style by clearing long on with the ineffective West Indies leg-spinner Devendra Bishoo to move to 49 before driving Reifer square in the next over.
Unbeaten on 55 at tea, Hope reached three figures in the final hour of the day when he hoisted Bishoo to the mid-wicket boundary to move to 99 before taking a single.
Brathwaite eventually perished with 150 beckoning, playing back to fast bowler Romario Shepherd and going lbw.
Hope and Shamarh Brooks, unbeaten on 14, then steered Pride safely to the close in an unbroken third wicket stand so far worth 43. (CMC)
