Da Silva and Hodge hail Windies fightback

BRISBANE, Australia (CMC):

Wicketkeeper-batsman Joshua Da Silva and rookie Kavem Hodge showed great determination to rescue West Indies with a composed half-century against hosts and world champions Australia in the day-night first Test yesterday.

Da Silva endured a bouncer barrage from the Australian pacers to lead a recovery for the Caribbean side with 79 and shared a 149-run, sixth-wicket stand with Kavem Hodge that carried the visitors to a respectable 266 for eight at the close on the first day of the match at the Gabba.

Hodge, playing in only his second Test, made 71, and with Da Silva averted another batting collapse after West Indies slumped to 64 for five at the dinner break after they won the toss and surprisingly chose to bat.

“I knew after getting bumped out twice in Adelaide they would come at me a lot, so I put on a chest pad this time and decided to duck from a few and ride a few,” he told reporters after play. “It wasn’t going well, so I needed to change and thankfully it worked a little bit.”

Da Silva said he was a bit disappointed that neither he nor Hodge carried on until the close, but he celebrated the fight that he and Hodge epitomised over the span of close to two sessions.

“Nobody would have expected, for sure, at 64 for five when I came in that we’d be 266, so that’s 200-plus runs for three wickets for the rest of the day, so we are pretty happy,” he said.

“We just wanted to show that we can fight, that we can put a foot forward. We might not win, but at least, we can show people we are here to fight, here to play cricket …

“Against one of the best teams in the world, we showed fight here. We showed fight in Adelaide with the ball, but it’s about showing people, West Indies, we’re still here and we want to show people that we deserve to be here.”

Hodge said he admitted to teammates after the first Test in Adelaide that nerves had got the better of him, but he felt more relaxed and less pressure to perform at the second time of asking, and he was proud of the rescue act that he and Da Silva performed.

“I was a bit more relaxed, and I could work my plan, and enjoy the environment of Test cricket,” he told ABC Radio. “I was happy with the time I spent in the middle, and I am just trying to be as consistent as possible.”

Hodge showed plenty of gumption and a selection of nice strokes, mostly through the off-side, and he said it all came down to being more disciplined in his approach.

“Looking back at videos of the first Test, and after spending time in the nets, I just focused in on what it was that I really had to do,” he added.

“My game plan was generally leaving the ball outside the off-stump and zoning in on that and trying to be more consistent ball after ball in every over.”

He said: “The pink ball takes a little bit of adjusting to when the lights in the stadium are turned on and the sun goes down, your visuals are all over the place, but it’s just a matter of trying to focus and like any other cricket – the more time you spend at the wicket, you feel more relaxed, you feel more in.

“We felt the pitch was going to be pretty nice for batting. It was rock hard, so I think the most important thing for us was that we had to get in … It’s unfortunate that some of the other guys didn’t, but I knew once that was done, it was only a matter of taking it as deep as possible.”

Scores: West Indies 266 for eight (Joshua Da Silva 79, Kavem Hodge 71, Alzarri Joseph 32; Mitchell Starc 4-68) vs Australia.