Gayle Forces

Gayle is 85x, adding 145 with Powell

Chris Gayle breathed some life into the first Test in Antigua, closing in on a century in his first Test match for 19 months after raising his fifty in just 39 balls. At the other end, Kieron Powell was more circumspect but played well for his own half century as the West Indies openers went to stumps with an unbeaten century partnership.

Gayle was particularly severe on Chris Martin, driving four balls of his first over to the boundary between cover point and mid off and then taking another boundary in his second over. Martin, to his credit, kept it full in order to find the edge but he never created any doubt in the way he had against the Australians last December. West Indies went to tea at 0-72 after little more than an hour's batting, with new boy Neil Wagner also savaged. Doug Bracewell alone stood up to the attack from Gayle, having him dropped in the tenth over when Dan Flynn dived when a step to his left at point would have done and dropped a catch most would have taken and that just a ball after stood and watched a Powell slash pass by so close at second slip that a small move and it would have hit him. Such was the need that Dan Vettori bowled the thirteen over.

The last session started with an improved three over spell from Martin but he still went at five an over. Wagner was again attacked, this time by Powell. Ross Taylor had to swing Kane Williamson into the defence (well, it certainly wasn't an attack). Williamson bowled a tight spell but most of it to Powell, who was starting to slow things down, if only by keeping Gayle at the bowlers end. Vettori bowled from the other end did what he and all other self-respecting left arm spinners do, trapping batsmen in their crease at 90kms and hour and strangling the life from the game. The Kiwi isn't the only flightless bird in New Zealand.

It was effective. Powell and then Gayle slowed down. Shouts for lbw started happening. West Indies batted cautiously to their 100 and in the last hour dropped the overall scoring rate down to three an over, where it had been twice that at tea. Towards the end, Wagner was gaining some reverse swing, tailing the ball into both left handers but his line sent most deliveries beyond leg stump despite inside edges and a desire by the batsman for stumps. Only once in a three over spell did he try sending one straight, outside off stump, when he beat Gayle all ends up on the last ball of the day. Vettori bowled fifteen overs for just 24 and created some half chances with lbw shouts but in reality he was a brake not a breaker.

Doug Bracewell hits Narine for six

Earlier in the day, New Zealand lost most of their batting order in an even slower crawl where they lost 6-77 in 32 overs. After Sunil Narine quickly despatched Wagner, caught at slip, Williamson, Dean Brownlie and Kruger van Wyk batted extraordinarily long times for comparatively few runs. It wasn't until Bracewell launched a half hour of mayhem at the West Indies, hitting 5 fours and 2 sixes, that the Kiwi innings looked capable of doing anything but grow cobwebs. It wasn't that the last pair added 42 in less than seven overs that was so remarkable, more that Chris Martin (4 not out) was one of the partners. He has only had eight higher scores in his 99 Test innings.

If the West Indies don't lose their nerve, there are plenty of runs in the pitch but they'll only win if they bat once. They need to pile on runs on the third and fourth day. 150 in front might be enough. 200 would be better. New Zealand need five wickets in the first session. Attrition hasn't worked so far and it won't win them this Test match. They are so afraid of losing, they can't win.