Brathwaite ton gives West Indies U-19s lead

Australia Under-19s 54 for 0 (Buchanan 28*, Truloff 24*) and 350 trail West Indies Under-19s 426 (Brathwaite 168*, Alleyene 106) by 22 runs
Scorecard

Centuries from Kraigg Brathwaite and Anthony Alleyne gave West Indies Under-19s a 76-run first-innings lead in their three-day match against Australia Under-19s in Dubai. With only a day to play, a draw is the most likely result, especially since Australia knocked 54 runs off the lead at the end of the day, but West Indies gave themselves a chance by scoring at 4.43 runs an over while accumulating 426.

Their captain Brathwaite played the anchor role, scoring 168 not out, and the rest of the team batted around him. Alleyene took just 136 balls for his 106, while Kavem Hodge got a run-a-ball 46. Australia's legspinner Marc Simonds took the most punishment as his two wickets cost him 144 runs. Seamers Jacob Judd and Corey McMahon took two wickets each.

Brathwaite, who has made two first-class centuries, said that his aim was to "bat through the innings". Every time I get a chance to bat I see it as a golden opportunity. From the start I was looking to bat through the innings and I knew once I did that we would get a good score and get the lead," he said.

"When I went in to bat we were in a spot of trouble," Alleyene said, "so I decided just to bat around Kraigg and get accustomed to the conditions. I have played a lot with him from Under-13 in Barbados and we are used to batting together. He helped me to relax and we just took it from there."