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Nicholls’ charmed ton puts New Zealand on top
WELLINGTON, Dec 11, 2020 (BSS/AFP) – Fortune favoured Henry Nicholls, who
posted a crucial century for New Zealand to wrest the honours from the West
Indies on day one of the second Test at the Basin Reserve in Wellington on
Friday.
The 29-year-old snapped a 21-month string of low scores and survived
multiple dropped catches for his sixth Test century.
At stumps, Nicholls was 117 not out with Kyle Jamieson on one and New
Zealand 294 for six.
Everything went the West Indies’ way at the start of the day when Jason
Holder won the toss and made New Zealand bat on an emerald surface with cloud
cover and a howling northerly wind.
After a couple of expensive overs to start with, Shannon Gabriel and Chemar
Holder led an attack that had New Zealand pinned down at 78 for three.
The pitch offered pace, bounce and seam movement and when the bowlers found
a good length and moved the ball, they were almost unplayable, and New
Zealand were without their talisman Kane Williamson, who is on paternity
leave.
But when it seemed the odds were against the Black Caps, an out-of-form
Nicholls stepped up.
When he joined Will Young in the middle, the sun emerged, the wind faded
and the momentum swung New Zealand’s way.
As the total grew, so did the number of spectators with more than 3,500 in
the ground by late afternoon with no crowd restrictions in the largely
coronavirus-free country.
– Broken microphone –
Nicholls played his way through a short-ball barrage, passing 50 for the
first time in 14 innings but riding his luck as chances were spilled and
nicks fell in no-man’s land.
He was dropped once on 21 and a second time on 47, while on 29 a top edge
for six sailed just out of the reach of Jermaine Blackwood, who had moved
several metres in from the boundary.
A shout for Nicholls to be given caught behind on 70 was turned down after
an earlier throw at the wickets had broken the stump microphone, leaving no
way for the ball tracker to detect if there had been a faint edge.
When Nicholls passed his century, it typified his risky innings as he
shaped to turn the ball through midwicket but top-edged it for two on the off
side.
Gabriel, in his 50th Test, was clearly frustrated when Darren Bravo dropped
a regulation chance at first slip with Nicholls on 47, but he had reason to
smile in his next over when he had Will Young caught at second slip by Jason
Holder for 43.
Nicholls had partnerships of 70 with Young, 55 with BJ Watling, and 83 with
Mitchell.
Watling authored his own demise on 30 when he chopped a wide Alzarri Joseph
delivery on to his stumps, while Mitchell was trapped in front by Chemar
Holder for 42.
Gabriel was the pick of the bowlers, finishing with three for 57 after
removing Tom Blundell (14) and Ross Taylor (nine) before lunch before Young
became his 150th Test dismissal.
Chemar Holder, on debut, dismissed Tom Latham (27) in the first session and
ended the day with two for 65.
BSS/AFP/GMR/1232 hrs