LONDON, CMC – West Indies Test captain Kraigg Brathwaite continued to struggle in the English County Championship, recording yet another failure for Warwickshire on day one of their clash with Middlesex.
The right-hander, who joined the West Midlands outfit until the end of the season, made only three as the visitors finished on 72 for four in reply to Middlesex’s meagre first innings of 121 at Lord’s.
He was one of four wickets to tumble – brilliantly taken in front of the cordon by wicketkeeper John Simpson off Irish seamer Tim Murtagh (3-17) – as Warwickshire plunged to 43 for four.
Captain Will Rhodes then propped up the innings with an unbeaten 36 off 66 deliveries, in a 29-run unbroken fifth wicket stand with Ed Barnard (nine not out).
The 30-year-old Brathwaite has managed only 42 runs from his four previous innings for Warwickshire, following his late call-up for the final four games of the championship.
At the Oval, Brathwaite’s West Indies counterpart Kemar Roach went wicket-less for Surrey as Northamptonshire finished on 171 for six, on an opening day restricted to 63.4 overs due to the weather.
The veteran seamer sent down 13 overs which yielded 28 runs but no wickets, leaving 20-year-old pacer Tom Lawes to star with three for 47.
Karun Nair top-scored with an unbeaten 51 while opener Hassan Azad struck a patient 48, the pair posting 55 for the third wicket before the innings declined.
