IT was not a boundary-filled innings which had fans at the edge of their seats, but Justin Greaves' patient and assured maiden hundred on day two of the first Test between West Indies and Bangladesh was a display of a batsman in full control of his game.
Early on the second day's play at the Sir Vivian Richards Stadium, North Sound, Antigua on November 23, the West Indies slipped to 261 for seven after Hasan Mahmud dismissed the pair of Joshua Da Silva and Alzarri Joseph. In countryman Kemar Roach, though, Greaves found the perfect partner as the pair put on 140 runs for the eighth wicket to get the West Indies past the 400-run mark as they seized control.
Both batsmen were sound in defence, with their running between the wicket being the hallmark of their recovery partnership. Greaves struck just four boundaries in his unbeaten 115, with the veteran Roach hitting two fours in a Test-best score of 47.
"Kemar was just saying stay in the moment every single time," Barbadian Greaves said, at the end of day two.
"He said, 'one ball at a time and remember to stay positive' because that's my game as well."
Though the boundaries weren't flowing for the Windies, Greaves found other ways to keep his score ticking over.
"Positive doesn't mean hitting boundaries all the time. Positive for me means leaving the ball well, looking to get a single and obviously if there's a bad ball, having the intent to put it away," Greaves said. "For me, just staying positive and having a clear mind. Kemar just spoke about it in the middle."
Having made his Test debut away to Australia in January, the 30-year-old Greaves was recalled to the team after a stunning 2024 CG United Regional Super50 campaign which saw him scoring three consecutive hundreds for the Leeward Islands Hurricanes. Though transitioning from the white-ball to red-ball game, Greaves didn't take long before repaying the faith of the selectors.
"Batting at number six is a very vital role in Test cricket. A lot of people talk about knowing how to advance the game. But for me, it's about positive intent. I could run people into the ground," he said.
"I actually enjoy it, batting long and being hungry. That's something Kemar Roach always tells me - 'you've got to stay hungry.'"
Top-order batsmen Alick Athanaze (90) and Mikyle Louis (97) both missed out on centuries on day one, but Greaves said reassuring words by Roach and Jomel Warrican helped him get over the line.
"I think maturity has a lot to do with it," he said. Responsibility is a very big thing for me at this point in time - I'm never in a rush.
"I had the perfect opportunity to bat as long as possible. For me, learning from (the CG United) Super50 and just bringing that here and getting over the line (was really important).
Greaves helped West Indies post 450/9 declared in their first innings.
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