Chanderpaul Pleased With Century After Digging In

Chanderpaul Pleased With Century After Digging In

Shivnarine Chanderpaul celebrates his century on day two in Dominica

©WICB Media/Randy Brooks Photo

Both Chris Gayle and Shivnarine Chanderpaul scored centuries on day two of the second Test against Zimbabwe in Dominica as West Indies assumed a controlling position in the match.

Chanderpaul's 108 was his third century in four matches and one he had to work hard for, particularly after Marlon Samuels was dismissed from the first ball of the day.

He proceeded to add a fifth-wicket stand of 173 with wicket-keeper Denesh Ramdin and West Indies closed on 381 for eight in reply to 175.

"It was a pretty tough day," Chanderpaul said. "You could see it was not an easy wicket to bat on.

"The ball was bouncing and turning a lot and you had to really dig in. We had to get the job done and put some runs on the board and look to get a significant lead," he added.

In what is his 148th Test match, Chanderpaul drew on his experience after Samuels' dismissal resulted in the earliest possible start for him.

"I was just about to sit and watch some cricket and Marlon got a good first ball - there wasn’t much he could have done about it, it was a real ‘beauty’.

"It was tough work. Some of the balls were bouncing, some were keeping low, you weren’t always certain what the ball would do so you had to stay watchful and patient and wait on the bad balls.

"We have a lead of over 200 so that’s pretty good for us. All the spinners are making things happen on this pitch so we believe we are in a very good position to go on and win," he said.

© Cricket World 2013