BRISBANE, Australia, CMC – Teenager Jake Carder stroked a half-century on first class debut as Cricket Australia XI put West Indies under pressure on the second day of their four-day match here yesterday.
The 19-year-old left-hander struck a top score of 58 to lead four top order batsmen with scores over 40 as the hosts finished on 245 for four at Allan Border Field – a lead of two runs
Nick Stevens, in his sixth first class match, hit a polished 46, debutant 20-year-old Josh Inglis chipped in with 44 while captain Jimmy Peirson, also on debut, finished on 42 not out.
West Indies bowlers struggled to make headway and captain Jason Holder was the best of the attack with two for 41.
Earlier, left-hander Darren Bravo scored 51, Carlos Brathwaite got 47 while tail-ender Kemar Roach chimed in with a crucial 28 as West Indies, resuming on 154 for six, were dismissed for 243.
Pacer Simon Milenko led Cricket Australia XI with five for 76 while seamer James Bazley, one of six Australian players on debut, picked up two for 37 and leg-spinner Cameron Boyce, two for 56.
The left-handed Bravo, unbeaten on 46 overnight, stretched his seventh wicket stand with Carlos Brathwaite to 55 before finally departing.
He faced 158 deliveries and struck seven fours and a six before he missed a pull and was bowled by Boyce at 169 for seven.
Brathwaite, starting the day on 25, hit three fours and two sixes off 110 balls, adding 34 for the eighth wicket with Roach whose knock came from 60 balls and included three fours.
The right-handed Brathwaite seemed set for a half-century but once he was out just short of that landmark, the last three wickets fell for 40 runs.
Openers Carder and Josh Silk then handed Cricket Australia XI a solid start, posting 68 for the first wicket to defy the Windies new ball bowlers.
Carder carved out nine fours off 77 balls while Silk got 21 off 59 balls with two fours, before both fell within 22 deliveries of each other to leave the hosts on 82 for one before tea.
West Indies’ hopes of running through the innings were then dashed as Stevens and Inglis put on 86 for the third wicket.
Stevens, a 21-year-old right-hander in his sixth first class match, counted eight fours off 90 deliveries while Inglis, also a right-hander, hit six boundaries in an innings lasting 63 balls.
Inglis was eventually prised out by Holder, caught head high at slip by Bravo while Stevens fell six overs later, bowled trying to cut part-time off-spinner Kraigg Brathwaite.
On 193 for four, Cricket Australia XI denied the Windies any more success as Peirson and Matthew Short, who struck 26 not out, put on a further 52 in an unbroken fifth wicket stand.
The game is the only fixture for West Indies prior to the opening Test against Australia starting in Hobart next Thursday.
Scoreboard
WEST INDIES 1st Innings
(overnight 154 for six)
K Brathwaite c Inglis B Bazley 21
R Chandrika lbw b Bazley 10
DM Bravo b Boyce 51
M Samuels c Peirson b Boyce 19
J Blackwood c Carder b Lees 1
+D Ramdin c Andrews b Milenko 0
*J Holder c Peirson b Milenko 26
C Brathwaite c Bazley b Milenko 47
K Roach b Milenko 28
D Bishoo not out 12
S Gabriel c Carder b Milenko 18
Extras (lb6, w2, nb2) 10
TOTAL (all out, 90.5 overs) 243
Fall of wickets: 1-32 (Chandrika), 2-35 (KC Brathwaite), 3-66 (Samuels), 4-69 (Blackwood), 5-83 (Ramdin), 6-115 (Holder), 7-169 (Bravo), 8-203 (C Brathwaite), 9-211 (Roach), 10-243 (Gabriel)
Bowling: Milenko 22.5-3-76-5 (w1, nb2), Lees 22-10-28-1 (w1), J Bazley 13-5-37-2, Boyce 19-1-56-2, Short 10-2-35-0, Andrews 4-2-5-0
CRICKET AUSTRALIA XI 1st Innings
J Silk c Ramdin b C Brathwaite 21
J Carder c Shai Hope (sub) b Holder 58
N Stevens b K Brathwaite 46
J Inglis c Bravo b Holder 44
*+J Peirson not out 42
M Short not out 26
Extras (nb8) 8
TOTAL (4 wkts, 64 overs) 245
To bat: J Bazley, T Andrews, C Boyce, R Lees, S Milenko.
Fall of wickets: 1-68 (Silk), 2-82 (Carder), 3-168 (Inglis), 4-193 (Stevens)
Bowling: K Roach 11-0-56-0, S Gabriel 14-2-59-0 (8nb), C Brathwaite 12-4-35-1, J Holder 12-4-41-2, D Bishoo 9-0-29-0, K Brathwaite 6-0-25-1.
Position: CA XI lead by two runs with six wickets intact.
Toss: West Indies.
Umpires: P Gillespie, S Nogajski.
