Dogged skipper Kraigg Brathwaite yesterday scored an unbeaten 101 to lead the West Indies’ resistance as they chase 498 to win the first Test against Australia after Marnus Labuschagne joined rare company in making a double and single century in the same match.
The home side declared at lunch on day 4 in Perth after reaching 182-2 to go with their first innings of 598-4, having bowled out the Caribbean side for 283.
Labuschagne belted 104 not out to go with his 204 in the first innings — only the eighth player to achieve the 200-100 feat in the same Test, joining the likes of Sunil Gavaskar, Brian Lara and Kumar Sangakkara.
Photo: AFP
In reply, the Windies battled to 192-3 at stumps, still 306 runs behind, with Kyle Mayers yet to score alongside Brathwaite.
Tagenarine Chanderpaul (45), Shamarh Brooks (11) and Jermaine Blackwood (24) were the wickets to fall.
Brathwaite said the team believed they could hang on for a draw or even push for a win.
“It all starts from the first over [today],” he said. “We don’t want to think too far ahead, just take it over by over, session by session.”
“We’ve got to believe,” he said. “It was good to get through today obviously and that first over tomorrow is very, very crucial. Australia are going to come hard and it’s important that we start extremely well.”
In a blow for Australia, skipper and pace spearhead Pat Cummins did not bowl after experiencing thigh soreness.
Starc bowled the son of West Indies great Shivnarine Chanderpaul to snap a dangerous 116-run opening stand. Nathan Lyon’s spin accounted for Brooks, a concussion substitute for Nkrumah Bonner, with Steve Smith taking the catch at slip, and then Blackwood for 24 with Labuschagne the safe pair of hands.
However, Brathwaite was unmovable and brought up his 11th Test century off 157 deliveries.
“For me it means everything ... you know Australia is going to be a tough place for batting and to do it really meant a lot,” he said of getting to three figures.
In Pakistan, the runs continued to flow as captain Babar Azam (136) made the seventh century of the first Test against England after openers Abdullah Shafique (114) and Imam-ul-Haq (121) fell earlier on day 3.
However, the home side were still 158 runs behind with three wickets in hand at stumps last night as they made their way to 499-7 in reply to England’s mammoth 657 all out.
Additional reporting by staff writer
Four-time NBA all-star DeMarcus Cousins arrived in Taiwan with his family early yesterday to finish his renewed contract with the Taiwan Beer Leopards in the T1 League. Cousins initially played a four-game contract with the Leopards in January. On March 18, the Taoyuan-based team announced that Cousins had renewed his contract. “Hi what’s up Leopard fans, I’m back. I’m excited to be back and can’t wait to join the team,” Cousins said in a video posted on the Leopard’s Facebook page. “Most of all, can’t wait to see you guys, the fans, next weekend. So make sure you come out and support the Beer
Revelations of positive doping tests for nearly two dozen Chinese swimmers that went unpunished sparked an intense flurry of accusations and legal threats between the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) and the head of the US drug-fighting organization, who has long been one of WADA’s fiercest critics. WADA on Saturday said it was turning to legal counsel to address a statement released by US Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) CEO Travis Tygart, who said WADA and anti-doping authorities in China swept positive tests “under the carpet by failing to fairly and evenly follow the global rules that apply to everyone else in the world.” The
Taiwanese judoka Yang Yung-wei on Saturday won silver in the men’s under-60kg category at the Asian Judo Championships in Hong Kong. Nicknamed the “judo heartthrob” in Taiwan, the Olympic silver-medalist missed out on his first Asian Championships gold when he lost to Japanese judoka Taiki Nakamura in the finals. Yang defeated three opponents on Saturday to reach the final after receiving a bye through the round of 32. He first topped Laotian Soukphaxay Sithisane in the round of 16 with two seoi nage (over-the-shoulder throws), then ousted Indian Vijay Kumar Yadav in the quarter-finals with his signature ude hishigi sankaku gatame (triangular armlock). He
Rafael Nadal on Wednesday said the upcoming French Open would be the moment to “give everything and die” on the court after his comeback from injury in Barcelona was curtailed by Alex de Minaur. The 22-time Grand Slam title winner, back playing this week after three months on the sidelines, battled well, but eventually crumbled 7-5, 6-1 against the world No. 11 from Australia in the second round. Nadal, 37, who missed virtually all of last season, is hoping to compete at the French Open next month where he is the record 14-time champion. The Spaniard said the clash with De Minaur was