Blackwood makes case for selection with powerful century

Bridgetown (Barbados), June 5 (IANS/CMC) Jermaine Blackwood made a strong case for selection in the West Indies senior team with a powerful century for the West Indies High Performance Centre (HPC) against Bangladesh A at Kensington Oval here.

The former West Indies Under-19 star roared to 147 to help cement the HPC's advantage against Bangladesh cricketers on the third day of the second and final four day "Test" Wednesday, reports CMC.

The visitors, chasing a victory target of 490 runs were 32 for three at stumps after the home side on the strength of Blackwood's century supported by an outstanding knock of 89 from Assad Fudadin, declared their second innings on 354 for five.

The HPC moved to enhance their chance of an outright victory by embarking on a run fest after resuming at their overnight score of 24 without loss.

Blackwood came in at the fall of Chadwick Walton's wicket and was soon outscoring Fudadin in a second wicket partnership that produced 207 runs.

The Jamaican batsman raced to his century with a boundary even before his Guyanese team mate reached his half century.

Blackwood counted 12 boundaries and five sixes until the partnership ended when he was stumped while Fudadin departed 11 runs shy of his century, caught at the wicket after smashing seven fours and a six.

Sheldon Cotterel and Miguel Cummings claimed three early wickets when the visitors went in to bat.

Cotterel bagged two for 14 while Cummins picked up a wicket for the same number of runs with Bangladesh A still requiring another 458 runs with seven second innings wicket intact and a day remaining.

Brief scores:

WI HPC 354 all out (Leon Johnson 74, Jonathan Carter 54, Jermaine Blackwood 45) and 354 for 5 decl. (Jermaine Blackwood 147, Assad Fudadin 89) Bangladesh A 219 (Nasir Hossain 53, Marshall Ayub 41, Sheldon Cotterel 3/30, Devendra Bishoo 3/57) and 32 for 3

--IANS/CMC

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