Joseph and Smith take West Indies A to 274
Half-centuries by Devon Smith and Sylvester Joseph steered West Indies A to 274 for 8 at the end of day one of the second 'Test' against Sri Lanka A
01-Dec-2006
Devon Smith jogged the memories of regional selectors with another half-century, while Sylvester Joseph and Narsingh Deonarine notched their own, as West Indies 'A' kept their Sri Lankan counterparts in the field for the entire opening day of the second unofficial "Test" at Warner Park yesterday.
The left-handed Smith, who last played for the West Indies against Australia on the tour Down Under late last year, cracked an attractive 69, to help the hosts to 274 for 8 at the close. He hit a century in the drawn opening "Test" last week.
Captain Sylvester Joseph, also seeking to stir the thoughts of selectors, stroked an enterprising 59, while Deonarine carved out 55.
West Indies A's total thrived on two major partnerships. First, Smith and Joseph added 88 for the third wicket to revive the regional side from 41 for two and then Deonarine and Darren Sammy (48) posted a further 80 for the seventh wicket when the score slipped to 178 for 6.
Smith's innings contained 12 fours from 103 balls while Joseph faced 82 balls and batted a shade over two hours, striking eight fours.