KHULNA – West Indies captain Darren Sammy has praised the duo of Marlon Samuels and Darren Bravo after their unbroken 198-run third-wicket stand led a West Indies recovery, but says how the team bats on the third day will determine the outcome of the second Test.
The right-handed Samuels stroked an unbeaten 109, while the left-handed Bravo finished on 85, as West Indies reached 241 for two at the close of the second day.
They came together to pull West Indies out of trouble at 43 for two after openers Chris Gayle (25) and Kieran Powell (13) fell cheaply.
“Marlon did not have a significant score in the previous Test, and I know before he arrived, he said he wanted to score three international hundreds. The way he went about his innings, this is what we are getting used to from Marlon,” Sammy told reporters.
“He has scored over 700 runs for us this year and he has been batting well for us in all formats of the game.
“Over the last few years, we have asked our batsmen to take responsibility and it is good to see more players doing it. Hopefully, we can continue and get a big total again.”
The knock was Samuels’s fifth Test century and his third this year, in what has been a purple patch of form for the Jamaican since his return to international cricket last year.
Bravo, meanwhile, was closing in on his fourth Test century after aborting his usual flamboyant approach for a more sedate innings.
“Bravo had a good knock in the second innings of the previous Test and he looks really good,” said Sammy.
“We normally score quickly but he and Samuels have played really well and have assessed the state of the pitch to judge the tempo at which they can score.
“Friday is a new day but we will be looking for them to start well and give us a solid foundation early on with a player like Shiv [Chanderpaul] still to come. (CMC)
