3rd Test: Wounded WI recover through big partnership

New Zealand let Chanderpaul, Ramdin off the hook on day one.

HAMILTON: Shivnarine Chanderpaul and Denesh Ramdin rebuilt West Indies’ first innings with a 200-run partnership to guide their side to 289 for six at the close of play on the first day of the third and final Test against New Zealand on Thursday.

Their partnership ensured the visitors ended the day with a marginal point victory after losing the toss and being asked to bat first.

The visitors, who must win the match to halt Brendon McCullum’s side from winning their first Test series against a major cricketing nation since 2006, were 71-1 at lunch but collapsed after Kraigg Braithwaite’s dismissal on 45.



There was a flurry of boundaries helped along by sloppy New Zealand fielding and catching but tourists could not cling on as they lost four crucial wickets in a matter of nine runs.

‘Bad boy’ returns to NZ

Big-hitting New Zealand cricketer Jesse Ryder is poised for a return to the international stage, completing a remarkable comeback after a turbulent period on the sidelines.

The 29-year-old’s comeback was announced on Thursday to play the West Indies in a series of five One-Day Internationals (ODIs) starting in Auckland on December 26.

Ryder, a self-confessed ‘bad boy’, went into a self-imposed exile 22 months ago to sort out personal issues following several alcohol-related incidents.

In March, Ryder suffered a fractured skull and was placed in an induced coma in hospital after being beaten up outside a bar. He also received a six-month ban this year after testing positive to a performance-enhancing drug found in weight-loss pills he was taking.

Published in The Express Tribune, December 20^th, 2013.

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