West Indies A entertain at Taunton

West Indies A opted not to enforce the follow-on in their tour match with Somerset at Taunton. After bowling the home side out for 183, the West Indians extended their lead to an unsurpassable 453 with some fluent batting. At stumps, they were 266/7.

Dwayne Bravo top scored with an exhilarating unbeaten 77, with acting captain Ryan Hinds hitting 75. Once again, the batting was flamboyant and effective, a complete turnaround from the timid performances which plagued the start of the tour.

At the other end, the batsmen looked to have settled before throwing their wickets away. Chris Gayle was clean bowled by Matthew Bulbeck for 17, after piercing the infield four times. Devon Smith (29) followed, with Runako Morton lashing three fours and a customary six before he was trapped lbw by a full ball from Parsons.

Hinds, meanwhile, was exemplary. He hit 11 fours, scoring quickly but sensibly. He found a willing ally in Bravo late in the day. The normally aggressive Trinidadian took time to settle after an early boundary. Once in, he unleashed his usual catalogue of fluent, wristy strokes. Still only 18, Bravo has the talent to become a first-team regular. He might even be more special than that.

Bravo reached 50 from 56 balls with seven fours. He hit the ropes five more times as his strike-rate passed 100. Quietly, 18-year-old spinner Arul Suppiah had picked up three wickets, removing Hinds, Gareth Breese and Sulieman Benn (who hit 10 from three balls) thanks to a neat stumping from Carl Gazzard.

Earlier, Reon King had been the destroyer as Somerset's first innings fell apart. The Guyanan pacer grabbed four for 48 in an aggressive display. The home side lost seven wickets in the first session after openers Matthew Wood and Neil Edwards extended their partnership to 63.

Wood was the main contributor, hitting 51 after Edwards was dismissed early for 31. None of the next four batsmen reached double figures as King and Jermaine Lawson found regular edges.

Wood played with the sort of freedom which only a friendly match can allow, hitting nine fours in his 75 ball innings before Darren Powell got the better of him.

Debutants Wesley Durston and Gazzard managed the seamers, adding 38 before they were dismissed either side of lunch. The tail was mopped up clinically, with Lendl Simmons claiming a neat stumping to dismiss an advancing Matthew Bulbeck.