West Indies Cricket Fans

STYLISH left-handed batsman Alick Athanaze missed out on three figures on the opening day of West Indies' warm-up match against Pakistan Shaheens in Islamabad on January 10, as he scored 98 as the visitors closed day one on 273 for seven. Windies captain Kraigg Brathwaite won the toss and chose to bat, and he and opening partner Mikyle Louis both scored 34 as they shared in a 47-run partnership for the first wicket. The lanky Louis struck four fours and a six in his innings before he was trapped lbw by leg-spinner Mohammad Rameez Jr, who ended the day as the pick of the bowlers with figures of three for 40. Keacy Carty (22) and Kavem Hodge (17) got starts, but both batsmen fell to Rameez Jr. With the Windies slipping to 90 for three, Athanaze told Cricket West Indies media that it was quite tricky at the start of innings as the pitch aided both the pacers and spinners. "My innings was slow at first. I came in when we were approaching a break so I was just trying to assess and see what was going on," Athanaze said. "We had a couple of net sessions, but time in the middle is still valuable. I mean it started off slowly and then I kicked off right after the break and things started flowing." Known for his attacking approach, Athanaze didn't back down from the Shaheens attack and he struck 15 fours and the solitary six in his innings as he pushed his way to 98 off 142 balls. Similar to his fortunes against Bangladesh in the Test series in November, Athanaze fell in the nervous 90s when he was bowled by left-arm spinner Ahmed Safi Abdullah (two for 91). Athanaze rued missing out on the century, but he was pleased with his approach on what he described as a tough batting pitch. "All in all, the pitch suited my game a bit because I play spin really well. I sweep, reverse sweep and stuff. But I would have loved a hundred at the end of the day. "It was good to see that we actually got a chance to stay out in the wicket. Not just trying to survive, but also trying to score. It was good to see us finding ways to score in conditions that were so difficult." West Indies went from 159 for five to 247 for seven, before the TT wicket-keeping pair of Joshua Da Silva (11 not out) and Amir Jangoo (29 not out) saw them to the close of play without further loss. The warm-up match will conclude on January 12, with the first of two Tests between the Windies and Pakistan commencing at the Multan Cricket Stadium on January 17. Summarised Scores: WEST INDIES 273/7 (Alick Athanaze 98, Kraigg Brathwaite 34, Mikyle Louis 34; Mohammad Rameez Jr 3/40, Ahmed Safi Abdullah 2/91) vs PAKISTAN SHAHEENS.The post Alick Athanaze hits 98 on first day of WI warm-up match in Pakistan appeared first on Trinidad and Tobago Newsday.

Source: https://newsday.co.tt/2025/01/10/alick- ... -pakistan/