Hamilton,(AP/UNB) – New Zealand lost two quick wickets close to tea Saturday on the first day of the second cricket test against the West Indies to go to the break at 173-3.Ross Taylor was 9 not out and Henry Nicholls on 5.The home side was coasting towards the second interval at 154-1 before the loss of captain Kane Williamson (43) and opener Jeet Raval (84) helped bring the West Indies back into the match.Raval combined in partnerships of 65 for the first wicket with Tom Latham (22) and 89 for the second with Williamson to put New Zealand on top after it lost the toss and was sent in to bat.He was approaching his highest test score of 88 when he became the third batsman Saturday to fall to a catch by wicketkeeper Shane Dowrich. Dowrich caught Latham and Williamson from the bowling of Miguel Cummins and Raval off Shannon Gabriel.Williamson played at a poor ball and was caught down the leg side while Raval’s innings was ended by a good delivery from Gabriel which angled across the batsman and took the outside edge.West Indies stand-in captain Kraigg Braithwaite had cause with New Zealand 154-1 to question his decision to bowl on winning the toss. While the pitch at Seddon Park looked lush, with good grass cover, it provided nothing for the tourists’ fast bowlers and Raval was quickly into stride.He hit two fours from the first over of the innings bowled by Gabriel, who struggled to find his length early and also gave up two consecutive fours to Latham in his second over.Raval’s half century – his sixth in tests – came from 90 balls and included nine boundaries.Brathwaite thought there might be some moisture in the pitch to assist his bowlers when he won the toss and bowled. The opening batsman took over the captaincy from Jason Holder who was suspended for one match for the West Indies’ slow over rate in the first test at Wellington, which New Zealand won by an innings and 67 runs to take a 1-0 lead in the two-test series.Allrounder Raymon Reifer was named to make his test debut in Holder’s place. New Zealand recalled senior fast bowler Tim Southee in place of Matt Henry. Southee missed the first test while awaiting the birth of his first child.
