ST GEORGE’S – West Indies were 134 for seven, replying to England’s first innings total of 204, at tea on the second day of the deciding third Test on Friday at the National Cricket Stadium in the Spice Isle of Grenada.
At the interval, Joshua da Silva was not out on six and Alzarri Joseph was not out five, after the Windies continued from their lunch total of 71 for three.
The West Indies batting meltdown continued between lunch and tea with their batsmen becoming unglued because of the variable bounce of the pitch, which the English pacers – led by Chris Woakes with 3-32 from 12 overs – have exploited with good effect.
A succession of reviews reigned in the early exchanges after lunch with Windies vice-captain Jermaine Blackwood and his Jamaica Scorpions teammate Nkrumah Bonner winning on both occasions.
Blackwood, on one, survived an England review of a not-out verdict from umpire Joel Wilson for an lbw appeal off Woakes in the first over after the interval, and Bonner, on the same score, successfully reviewed a caught behind verdict from the same umpire off the same bowler two overs later.
Bonner, however, failed to make full use of his reprieve, and he was caught behind off Woakes for four, taking evasive action from a short, rising ball, but leaving his hands in the path of the ball, which brushed his gloves on its way to the keeper.
World No. 1 all-rounder Jason Holder was caught at deep square leg for a duck three balls later when he ill-advisedly hooked at another short, rising delivery from Woakes and miscued.
Blackwood, on 10, was fortunate he whipped a delivery from pacer Saqib Mahmood a little short of the fielder at short mid-wicket, and on 14, he again got lucky when he made a late decision to leave a delivery from the bowler, and the ball touched the toe of the bat, but wicketkeeper Ben Foakes failed to grab the chance.
Next over, Blackwood got a boundary to third man off the first delivery from Woakes, but he played back and across to the second, which kept low, and he was adjudged lbw for 18, a decision confirmed after he unsuccessfully reviewed.
West Indies were 95 for six, and da Silva came to the crease and with Kyle Mayers got the hosts past 100, defying the visitors and the surface for almost an hour.
But Mayers was caught at mid-on off Ben Stokes for 28 just when it appeared he was getting into the swing of things, chipping a slower delivery.
The three-Test series for the newly-minted Vivian Richards and Ian Botham Trophy is level at 0-0 after the first two Tests in the series – at the Vivian Richards Cricket Ground in Antigua and Kensington Oval in Barbados – were drawn.
Summarised scores:
ENGLAND 204 (Saqib Mahmood 49, Jack Leach 41, Alex Lees 31, Chris Woakes 25, Craig Overton 14; Jayden Seales 3-40, Kyle Mayers 2-13, Alzarri Joseph 2-33, Kemar Roach 2-41).
WEST INDIES 134 for seven (John Campbell 35, Kyle Mayers 28, Jermaine Blackwood 18, Kraigg Brathwaite 17, Shamarh Brooks 13; Chris Woakes 3-32).
(AR)
