Batsmen struggle in 2nd Trial game
David Bernard Jr’s XI were 10 without loss after knocking over Tamar Lambert’s XI for 182 on yesterday’s rain-interrupted first day of the second Trial match at the Melbourne Oval.
Only Donovan Pagon in the top-order six was able to get going on a surface which was less favourable to batting than the Up Park Camp pitch in the previous game.
The elegant Pagon struck 56 from 85 balls, inclusive of 10 fours, before he was dismissed by pacer Andre Russell. Earlier, openers Zeniffe Fowler (0) and Danza Hyatt (13) again failed with the bat against incisive pace bowling. Fowler was removed by Russell, who took the most wickets with three for 59 off 12 overs, while Bernard Jr accounted for the wickets of Hyatt and Lambert, who also made a duck.
Wavell Hinds was then caught in the covers by Bevan Brown off the bowling of Russell for 26, while Carlton Baugh Jr was caught on the boundary off the bowling of Bevan Brown for seven.
Nikita Miller and Daren Powell offered some resistance with 33 and 34, respectively, before fast man Ricardo Dacres dismissed both.
Leg-spinner Odean Brown, who was belatedly introduced, mopped up the tail to finish with two wickets for no run off three overs and four balls.
Powell and Jason Dawes bowled fast with the new ball for Lambert’s XI, but play was called off early due to bad light.
Openers Brenton Parchment and Xavier Marshall will resume for Bernard Jr’s XI when action starts today at 10:00 am.
National coach Junior Bennett believes some of the batsmen gave away their wickets in conditions which already suited the bowlers.
“I think there were some ‘soft’ dismissals. What we have is a wicket that challenges the batsmen some more with lateral movement and bounce,” Bennett said.
He added: “Some players got starts and didn’t carry on. (But) we have to give the bowlers credit. They utilised the conditions well.”
Both XIs amassed over 400 runs each in their first innings at Up Park Camp, but Bennett did not appear to be troubled by the low score of Lambert’s XI yesterday.
He instead highlighted the importance of the players to practise on surfaces of varying characteristics.
“It’s a part of the preparation; as we go forward we need these things to happen. You’re going to play a tournament where you’re going to play in different conditions, so you have to get adapted to it from now,” he argued.
