ST GEORGE’S, Grenada, (CMC) - Persistent overnight and early morning showers wrecked the opening day of the three-day match between the West Indies Cricket Board XI and Bangladesh yesterday. When play finally got started almost five hours later than scheduled, the WICB XI reached 82 for two in their first innings before bad light stopped play about an hour early at the Queen’s Park Stadium. The WICB XI chose to bat and only Sylvester Joseph with 42 not out and Dwayne Bravo with 23 not out spent any significant period of time at the wicket. Left-handers Wavell Hinds and Devon Smith, the two leading candidates to open the batting with Chris Gayle in upcoming Tests, both fell cheaply. Hinds was bowled between bat and pad for zero by Tapash Baisya and Smith was bowled off the inside edge by Tariq Aziz for 11 to leave the WICB XI on 25 for two. Joseph, the WICB XI captain, and Bravo, both looking to win their first Test caps, chose discretion and batted for the next two hours before umpires Glenroy Johnson and Terence Birbal offered them light. Joseph hit six fours from 108 balls in 152 minutes and Bravo has not hit any of his 99 balls for a boundary. The unseasonal weather that plagued recent international matches returned late Friday and early yesterday, and left the outfield sodden in some parts, particularly the southern end which was the area of most concern for the two umpires. This is Bangladesh’s only warm-up match prior to their two Tests against West Indies in St Lucia, starting on Friday, and in Jamaica, beginning on June 4.
WICB XI 1st innings
W. Hinds b Baisya 0
D.S. Smith b Tariq Aziz 11
S. Joseph not out 42
D. Bravo not out 23
Extras: (lb-1, w-1, nb-4) 6
Total: (for 2 wkts) 82
Fall of wickets: 1-0, 2-25.
Bowling: Tapash Baisya 10-3-14-1, Alamgir Kabir 6-1-19-0, Tariq Aziz 11-2-21-1, Enamul Haque, Jr. 11-3-21-0, Faisal Hossain 2-0-6-0.