Brathwaite's maiden double ton puts WI in command

Opener Kraigg Brathwaite's maiden double century helped West Indies amass 407 for three on the second day of the first Test against Bangladesh at Arnos Vale in St Vincent on Saturday.

Overnight rain meant the morning session was lost as groundstaff had to deal with a wet outfield and there was little entertainment for the fans who hung around for the afternoon as Brathwaite and Shivnarine Chanderpaul made slow progress.

A total of 143 runs were added in the day, with no wickets lost as Brathwaite closed on 205 not out and Chanderpaul reached 51 from 177 balls.

While West Indies would have hoped for a more rapid scoring rate to give them a better chance to win, Brathwaite's ability to focus and remain vigilant for two days will be hugely encouraging.

West Indies have struggled to find a regular partner for opener Chris Gayle in recent years and have also struggled to produce top-order batsmen who can combine strokeplay with longevity at the crease.

Chanderpaul, 40, has been the master of the latter but home captain Denesh Ramdin will be looking to up the pace on Sunday.

Image: Kraigg Brathwaite

Photograph: Vivek Prakash/Reuters