Tweet
Gayle century lifts Windies hopes
Gayle century lifts Windies hopes
Second Test, Napier (day three, close):
West Indies 307 & 62-2 v New Zealand 371
Date: 19-23 December Start time: 2300 GMT (18-22 December)
Coverage: Live on Sky Sports; live scorecard on BBC website
Match scorecard
Gayle celebrates his first century for over three-and-a-half years
Chris Gayle hit an unbeaten 146 to help West Indies to 278-7 on day four of the second Test - 214 ahead of New Zealand.
It was Gayle's first century since he hit 317 against South Africa in April 2005 and included six sixes, one of which found a stand roof, and 13 fours.
His contribution was crucial after his side had slipped to 106-4 when Jeetan Patel struck twice and Gayle shared a 124-run stand with Brendan Nash.
Patel's victims included Shivnarine Chanderpaul for a rare first ball duck.
The prolific batsman hit a full toss straight back to Patel, who failed to complete his hat-trick against Nash with the following ball.
Nash and Gayle then patiently built their stand, although they survived two referrals to third umpire Mark Benson.
Gayle was on 83 by lunch, with the tourists 82 ahead at 146-4, and he and Nash batted through the entire second session and the opener reached his century with a nervy single after a misfield by Patel.
606: DEBATE
Can either side force victory on the final day?
It had taken the left-hander 14 overs to move from 91 to three figures because of some tight bowling from Patel and Daniel Vettori.
Nash completed his second half-century of the match from 137 balls and West Indies were 224-4 at tea.
But he was unsettled by some hostile bowling from James Franklin after the interval and was finally out for 65 when a bouncer hit his gloves and went through to Jamie How.
Denesh Ramdin and Jerome Taylor failed to contribute much and it was left to Fidel Edwards to keep Gayle company until stumps.
Gayle admitted the gap between his previous century and this one felt a lot longer than it was.
"It feels like five years ago now. Hopefully it can be a beneficial one for the team," he said.
He also said the West Indies needed another 50 runs to be competitive on the last day.
"If we get past that it's a bonus," he added. But bowler Franklin said his side still held the upper hand. "If we can get the three wickets in the first hour and restrict them to 250-260, on a pretty flat deck we'll back ourselves to chase it," he said.
Second Test, Napier (day three, close):
West Indies 307 & 62-2 v New Zealand 371
Date: 19-23 December Start time: 2300 GMT (18-22 December)
Coverage: Live on Sky Sports; live scorecard on BBC website
Match scorecard
Gayle celebrates his first century for over three-and-a-half yearsChris Gayle hit an unbeaten 146 to help West Indies to 278-7 on day four of the second Test - 214 ahead of New Zealand.
It was Gayle's first century since he hit 317 against South Africa in April 2005 and included six sixes, one of which found a stand roof, and 13 fours.
His contribution was crucial after his side had slipped to 106-4 when Jeetan Patel struck twice and Gayle shared a 124-run stand with Brendan Nash.
Patel's victims included Shivnarine Chanderpaul for a rare first ball duck.
The prolific batsman hit a full toss straight back to Patel, who failed to complete his hat-trick against Nash with the following ball.
Nash and Gayle then patiently built their stand, although they survived two referrals to third umpire Mark Benson.
Gayle was on 83 by lunch, with the tourists 82 ahead at 146-4, and he and Nash batted through the entire second session and the opener reached his century with a nervy single after a misfield by Patel.
606: DEBATE Can either side force victory on the final day?
It had taken the left-hander 14 overs to move from 91 to three figures because of some tight bowling from Patel and Daniel Vettori.
Nash completed his second half-century of the match from 137 balls and West Indies were 224-4 at tea.
But he was unsettled by some hostile bowling from James Franklin after the interval and was finally out for 65 when a bouncer hit his gloves and went through to Jamie How.
Denesh Ramdin and Jerome Taylor failed to contribute much and it was left to Fidel Edwards to keep Gayle company until stumps.
Gayle admitted the gap between his previous century and this one felt a lot longer than it was.
"It feels like five years ago now. Hopefully it can be a beneficial one for the team," he said.
He also said the West Indies needed another 50 runs to be competitive on the last day.
"If we get past that it's a bonus," he added. But bowler Franklin said his side still held the upper hand. "If we can get the three wickets in the first hour and restrict them to 250-260, on a pretty flat deck we'll back ourselves to chase it," he said.