Barath and Bravo battle back for West Indies

Adrian Barath and Darren Bravo both made fifties against Leicestershire as they rescued the West Indies from yet another top-order collapse on their tour of England.

The West Indies are already 2-0 down in the three-match Test series heading into next week's climax at Edgbaston, with their top order having repeatedly slumped during the series.

It looked like the tourists were set to suffer yet more embarrassment when the struggling Kieran Powell and Kirk Edwards both fell in the same over at Grace Road on Saturday from seamer Nadeem Malik to leave West Indies 25 for two.

However, a third-wicket stand of 111 between opener Barath (53 not out) and Bravo (66) helped propel their side to 150 for three at the close of the first day of this two-day match.

Edwards, West Indies' acting captain, opted to bat after winning the toss.

Powell had managed just nine when he was caught behind by Ned Eckersley off Malik's first ball.

And three balls later Edwards was lbw for nought.

It was the West Indies vice-captain's fourth duck in eight innings on a tour in which he has managed a total of only 20 runs with a top score of eight.

But Barath, who has looked the most promising member of a weak top four, got the tourists going again with his favoured cover-drive and Bravo followed suit to bring up the West Indies' 100 off Malik.

Rain then stopped play for over an hour but the break appeared to have little effect on Bravo's timing, the left-hander taking two fours off Malik to complete an 83-ball fifty with eight boundaries.

Bravo's six off spinner James Sykes saw the third-wicket duo to a century stand before he was bowled by left-arm seamer Rob Taylor going for another attacking shot.

Barath's fifty took 136 balls, but was no less valuable for that, before bad light ended play for the day with Assad Fudadin seven not out.

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