Raval leads steady start on green surface

Lunch New Zealand 87 for 1 (Raval 44*, Williamson 20*) v West Indies
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A steady start from Jeet Raval led New Zealand to a bright position by lunch on the opening day, after they had been asked to bat on a green Seddon Park pitch. West Indies’ bowlers gained good bounce and carry from the surface – Miguel Cummins dismissing Tom Latham with a short ball – but were unable to generate movement in the air, or off the surface. Raval had moved to 44 off 83 deliveries by the end of the session, with Kane Williamson unbeaten on 20 for company. New Zealand were 87 for 1.

Raval imposed himself on the match in the first over, and his two driven fours off Shannon Gabriel – one through cover and one past mid-on – suggested that batsmen could confidently play through the line on this pitch, despite the abundance of live grass. Throughout the session, West Indies’ bowlers would be guilty of pitching too full, even Williamson hitting two straight fours off a later Gabriel over. Raval, however, also employed the pull shot to good effect when the bowlers did pitch short, twice dispatching Kemar Roach to the midwicket boundary with authoritative strokes.

Latham, who was the more reticent of the openers, had himself played the pull well as the first-wicket stand grew to 65, but was dismissed by a short delivery that cramped him for space. Aiming to put Cummins behind square leg for the second time in the 20th over, Latham managed a top-edge to the wicketkeeper.

There were few other menacing deliveries from West Indies, however. Plays and misses were rare, and the visitors failed to build meaningful pressure. Kemar Roach and debutant Raymon Reifer were the most economical West Indies bowlers, each going at less than two an over. Raval’s scoring slowed as lunch approached, while Williamson made a promising start – his straight drive off Gabriel the most attractive of the morning’s strokes.

Source: ESPN Crickinfo

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