West Indies v England: third Test – day two as it happened
|
http://www.theguardian.com/sport/live/2015/may/02/west-indies-v-england-third-test-live Version 0 of 1. 10.34pm BST22:34 Right, well that is it from me for now. Stick around on site for all the reports and reaction from Barbados. And join us again tomorrow for what could well be the final day of this brilliant Test match. Cheerio! 10.32pm BST22:32 STUMPS England 39-5. So England lead by 107. Eighteen wickets have fallen today, which is the most ever in a day of Test cricket in the West Indies. 10.31pm BST22:31 21st over: England 39-5 (Stokes 0, Ballance 12) Lead by 107 The final over of an incredible day of cricket. And, with Ben Stokes at the crease, here comes the lumbering form of Marlon Samuels. Ballance is on strike, however, and he stays watchful, safely negotiating the last six balls of the day. 10.28pm BST22:28 20th over: England 39-5 (Stokes 0, Ballance 12) Lead by 107 This had been pretty remarkable. All of a sudden England have made Permaul look like a world beater. 10.26pm BST22:26 WICKET! Ali b Permaul 8 (England 39-5) Ten overs remain in the day, but we only have five minutes left so they’ll probably only squeeze in this one from Permaul and one more from Holder. Moeen Ali smears him over the top of mid on for four. But next up he’s gone too! One that keeps low – very low – finds the inside edge and rattles on to the stumps. Updated at 10.37pm BST 10.23pm BST22:23 19th over: England 35-4 (Ali 4, Ballance 12) Lead by 103 A neat chop from Ballance pops the ball past the man at point and away for a couple more as Holder continues. But that was the calmest over we’ve had for a while. 10.19pm BST22:19 18th over: England 33-4 (Ali 4, Ballance 10) Lead by 101 Permaul has beaten Ballance’s bat a few times here but can’t quite find the gem of a ball that’s going to bring the wicket. A big sweep attempt connects with fresh air, a prop forward sees the ball splat against the pad. He does eventually escape to the other end with a flick to square leg. Another testing over from Permaul. 10.15pm BST22:15 17th over: England 32-4 (Ali 4, Ballance 9) Lead by 100 Ali sends an edge low through the slips off Holder to get himself off the mark and get England’s lead into three figures. 10.11pm BST22:11 16th over: England 28-4 (Ali 0, Ballance 9) Lead by 96 Permaul yelps an lbw appeal as Ballance pads up a yard outside off – it was turning but not square. And there’s another huge appeal from the last but Ballance was struck just a touch outside the line, I reckon. 10.08pm BST22:08 10.08pm BST22:08 15th over: England 28-4 (Ali 0, Ballance 9) Lead by 96 So Moeen Ali strides out again – not what he would’ve expected when turning his arm over this afternoon. He has a little doubtful dab at the last. West Indies are all over England here. 10.06pm BST22:06 WICKET! Root c Bravo b Holder 1 (England 28-4) Another one! A nibbling, tempting line outside off from Holder. Root is drawn into the shot and sends an edge through to Bravo, who takes a low catch at first slip. This is not quite the 600 played 749 pitch that we saw last time. 10.02pm BST22:02 14th over: England 28-3 (Root 1, Ballance 9) Lead by 96 And it’s a double change: Permaul replaces Gabriel. The left-armer was pretty hapless in the first innings, but there’s plenty of turn available in this pitch if he can find the right line and length. His second delivery spits furiously at Ballance and catches something before looping to leg slip. The umpire isn’t interested, and nor is Ramdin particularly but they go for a review anyway. The bat is nowhere near the ball, which struck the thigh pad flush. Another terrible review. But a very fine over from Permaul, who has Root struggling a couple of times too. “Ok, I’ve seen a worse one now …” writes John Beaven. (See the 9th over.) 9.57pm BST21:57 13th over: England 26-3 (Root 1, Ballance 7) Lead by 94 A bowling change: Jason Holder enters the fray. Another low edge, from Ballance this time, fails to carry to slip, thanks to to a combination of soft hands and a slowing pitch. Meanwhile in the stands, someone dressed as the WWE’s Undertaker and someone dressed as WWE’s Hulk Hogan grapple for the title. It’s Survivor Series 1991 all over again, with Taker taking the title. Presumably Hulk will win it back next Tuesday in Texas*. *You may have to be an early 90s wrestling fan to get that reference. 9.52pm BST21:52 12th over: England 25-3 (Root 1, Ballance 6) Lead by 93 Gabriel also enters the sixth over of his spell. Again he keeps it tight, with just a leg bye added to the total. 9.47pm BST21:47 11th over: England 24-3 (Root 1, Ballance 6) Lead by 92 Taylor continues and Root flicks into the leg side to get himself off the mark. And Ballance drives the next sweetly down the ground for four. Taylor’s pace just seems to be down a touch here, understandable given it’s the sixth over of a fiery spell. Even so, Root has a nibble at the fifth ball and only just pulls out of the shot in time. 9.39pm BST21:39 10th over: England 18-3 (Root 0, Ballance 1) Lead by 86 Gabriel sends down a fine, full maiden at Ballance, who is digging in well. It’s a good battle. 9.34pm BST21:34 9th over: England 18-3 (Root 0, Ballance 1) Lead by 86 We’ve had 16 wickets today and England are essentially 86-3 as Joe Root strides to the crease. And you can add 17-3 to that list of top-order failures mentioned in the 6th over. “I’m sure his must have been done on an OBO before but what is the worst review people have seen?” wonder John Beaven. “That one of Bell’s must be in the running. How could they possibly think that warranted reviewing?” Samuels in the West Indies’ first innings was on a par, I’d say. 9.30pm BST21:30 WICKET! Bell lbw b Taylor 0 (England 18-3) Taylor continues into his fifth over, and this time finds the edge of Ian Bell’s bat. The Sledgehammer of Eternal Justice, though, plays with hands soft as fontanelle and the ball pitches well short of the slip cordon. Next up, though, he’s gone, gone, gone! Another glorious inswinger from Taylor beats bat and finds pad. The batsman reviews more in hope than expectation but the ball is hitting halfway up middle stump. Bell goes for a pair! Updated at 10.06pm BST 9.26pm BST21:26 8th over: England 17-2 (Bell 0, Ballance 0) Lead by 85 A play-and-miss from Bell from Gabriel’s last. A maiden keeps the pressure on. And there’s some excellent Ray Von-esque work from the ground DJ between overs … Updated at 9.31pm BST 9.21pm BST21:21 7th over: England 17-2 (Bell 0, Ballance 0) Lead by 85 Taylor beats Ballance’s outside edge with a beauty from round the wicket but he finds the edge with the next – it drops perhaps a yard short of the man at first slip. Nervy stuff from England here, but West Indies have their tails up. Four byes flung down leg side ease the pressure a touch Updated at 9.31pm BST 9.18pm BST21:18 6th over: England 13-2 (Bell 0, Ballance 0) Lead by 81 So the top of the England order remains a huge concern. Trott’s scores on his return to the Test side have been: 0, 4, 59, 0, 0, 9. And England have been 34-3, 52-3, 38-3 and now 13-2 in four of their six innings. 9.15pm BST21:15 WICKET! Cook c Brathwaite b Gabriel 4 (England 13-2) And now the captain goes! Gabriel finds the perfect line outside off, squaring up Cook and forcing him onto his tippy-toes. The ball catches the edge and flies low to second slip where Brathwaite takes a fine pouch. Updated at 9.38pm BST 9.10pm BST21:10 5th over: England 11-1 (Cook 2, Ballance 0) Lead by 79 The magic sponge has done its work and Gary Ballance is fit to come out at No3. 9.09pm BST21:09 WICKET! Trott c lbw b Taylor 9 (England 11-1) And that might well be that for Jonathan Trott. Taylor keeps his straight line to the batsman, getting clipped away for a couple early in the over, but from the fifth ball he finds just enough movement back towards Trott to beat the bat and slap the back pad. Plumb. Updated at 9.29pm BST 9.03pm BST21:03 4th over: England 9-0 (Cook 2, Trott 7) Lead by 77 Good pace from Gabriel, who gets up to 92.8mph from the last. Cook plays out a watchful maiden. 8.58pm BST20:58 3rd over: England 9-0 (Cook 2, Trott 7) Lead by 77 Trott looks comfortable out there at the moment, but neither Taylor nor Gabriel has really hit their straps. Taylor is far too straight here, allowing Trott to clip in typical Trottesque style for a couple. 8.53pm BST20:53 2nd over: England 7-0 (Cook 2, Trott 5) Lead by 75 Gabriel takes the new ball at the other end. Trott sits deep in his crease and shuffles forward as the ball is released, but he’s in control as he tucks a short ball away to square leg for one. 8.48pm BST20:48 1st over: England 5-0 (Cook 1, Trott 4) Jerome Taylor charges in on a hat-trick … and Cook blocks out calmly. And a simple flick to leg gets England and their captain off the mark. So Jonathan Trott returns to the firing line. There’s no short leg or bat-pad, so Taylor pitches up and Trott props forward to block. A (n ironic?) cheer goes up from the Barmy Army. And he flicks the last of the over confidently through midwicket for four. “Can anyone explain to me why any player who spends any time out in the middle during this series quickly ends up sporting a bat which looks as though it’s been used to murder several small woodland animals?” wonders Thomas Jenkins. “I’m not the most observant soul, but I don’t remember noting this phenomenon before. Do duke balls sweat in the Windies climate?” I can only assume it’s something up with the lacquer on the ball 8.43pm BST20:43 Out come the the players once more. 8.32pm BST20:32 END OF INNINGS: West Indies 189 all out A terrific little innings from Blackwood, but a superb bowling effort from Anderson. England lead by 68 – a more than handy advantage. 8.31pm BST20:31 WICKET! Blackwood c Ali b Anderson 85 (West Indies 189 all out) Blackwood hammers Anderson with the force of a thousand suns over the top for a huge six! Crikey that was some shot. A bumper next up is fended into the leg side, but there’s no one there to take the catch. He has a whirlwind whoosh at the next, connecting with fresh air, but connects with the next. He can’t clear the men on the fence, though, and Ali makes a fine diving catch. Anderson ends with 6-42. 8.27pm BST20:27 49th over: West Indies 183-8 (Blackwood 79, Gabriel 0) Blackwood carves Ali just over Anderson at mid off for four. The field is all out so it’s block, thrash, block from Blackwood but no running. The field stays deep from the fifth ball, so Blackwood dinks into the leg side and calls for the run. Gabriel is having a right old snooze at the non-striker’s end, and he might well have been run out if it were not for a misfield from the bowler. 8.24pm BST20:24 48th over: West Indies 178-8 (Blackwood 74, Gabriel 0) So a five-for for Jimmy Anderson, his first in the Caribbean and his 17th overall. 8.22pm BST20:22 WICKET! Taylor b Anderson 25 (West Indies 178-9) Taylor has a wild, Jason Vorhees-esque slash at Anderson’s first but connects only with Barbados air. The next, though, is gloriously on-driven over the top of long on for six. That, as Arnold Rimmer once said, is the metaphorical equivalent of flopping your wedding tackle into a lion’s mouth and flicking his love spuds with a wet towel. He follows it up, though, with another lofted drive, over mid off this time, for four more. There’s no hat-trick, though, Anderson bursting a quicker ball through another straight heave and clipping the stumps. Updated at 8.38pm BST 8.17pm BST20:17 47th over: West Indies 168-8 (Blackwood 74, Taylor 5) A dance and a mow from Blackwood but he can only squirt Ali to the man at long on for a single. Taylor … slashes his first ball to the cover boundary for four! It was a bit streaky but it was effective. He does have a Test ton to his name, after all. England’s lead is 89. 8.14pm BST20:14 46th over: West Indies 162-8 (Blackwood 73, Taylor 0) And that’s over. Blackwood has 73 off 76 – he might need to push his foot down even harder now. 8.13pm BST20:13 WICKET! Permaul c Lyth b Anderson 18 (West Indies 162-8) Permaul gives the lie to the ‘blocker’ tag I gave him a couple of overs ago, with a loft over the top of mid on for a couple then a cracking drive through the covers for four and a almost Lara-esque one-legged flick off the hip for four more. Anderson looks decidedly unimpressed and hits back in fine style, drawing Permaul forward and a fend into the hands of Lyth at short leg. Updated at 8.34pm BST 8.09pm BST20:09 45th over: West Indies 150-7 (Blackwood 73, Permaul 5) Moeen Ali returns. And this time he finds his length and his pace. Blackwood is troubled by the first and pushes the second serenely for a single. That brings the hesitant Permaul into the firing line and he’s utterly flummoxed by a full one that catches a faint outside edge and also Jos Buttler before running away for four. It’s all much better … until the last, which is another long hop that gets the treatment it deserves from Blackwood. That brings up the West Indies 150. 8.04pm BST20:04 44th over: West Indies 140-7 (Blackwood 68, Permaul 1) Off we go again then. Anderson (with superb figures of 9-5-13-3) charges in once more. Blackwood drives crisply for a single. And Permaul blocks, which frankly looks pretty much all he is capable of. 7.54pm BST19:54 Hello again one and all. Thirty eight overs remain in the day and England will be hoping to use as few as possible to mop up these final three Windies wickets. Blackwood is obviously key for the home side, but England can’t make the mistake (as they have done before) of bowling only for the tail-end wickets. 7.43pm BST19:43 Tea-time summary: Unless Blackwood ups the tempo even more and gets above-adequate support from the tail-enders, England look headed for a handy first-innings lead here. John Ashdown will describe the rest of the day for you. Thanks for your company and emails. Updated at 7.51pm BST 7.41pm BST19:41 TEA: 43rd over: West Indies 139-7 (Blackwood 67, Permaul 1) Broad continues, and sends in a couple of shorter ones at the vulnerable tail-ender, before trying an inswinging yorker, which Permaul digs out well. He survives the over reasonably comfortably and that’s tea. England’s session again. 7.37pm BST19:37 42nd over: West Indies 139-7 (Blackwood 67, Permaul 1) Blackwood attempts a straight slog at a back-of-a-length accurate ball from Stokes that really wasn’t sloggable. He misses it, and earns a stare and a cheery verbal riposte from the bowler. He adds a single as does Permaul, which puts Blackwood back on strike from where he does manage to tees off properly, sublimely in fact, at Stokes, hoisting him into the stands, where a steward makes a horrible mess of an attempted catch. It’s a lovely six though, which is followed by a fine-leg tickle to the ropes for another four. Ballance has “bad bruising, but not a fracture”, according to Michael Atherton in the commentary box. He’s touch and go to bat in England’s second innings. 7.32pm BST19:32 41st over: West Indies 127-7 (Blackwood 56, Permaul 0) Blackwood plays and misses at Broad, and we again see some variable bounce: this one kisses the turf twice en route to the keeper. But he’s inclined to, and now needs to, play his shots, which he does with a forceful on-drive down the ground for three. Permaul keeps out the rest of the over, though not always with conviction. 7.28pm BST19:28 40th over: West Indies 124-7 (Blackwood 53, Permaul 0) Abrasiveness’s Ben Stokes replaces Root, and his introduction pays dividends. Blackwood takes advantage of one just back of a length to ease delightfully through backward point for four to bring up a fine 50. Emboldened – actually, he’s always emboldened - he thumps the next ball to a sprawling Jimmy Anderson at mid-off, which looks as it it stings him a little on the wrist. A single brings Holder to the strike and to his innings’ end, as he drives at an outswinger and edges it to Buttler. England could be heading for a 100+ first-innings lead here. Updated at 7.30pm BST 7.26pm BST19:26 Wicket! Holder c Buttler b Stokes 5, England 124-7 Well bowled. Stokes draws Holder forward and catches his edge. Buttler catches the ball. Updated at 7.50pm BST 7.21pm BST19:21 39th over: West Indies 119-6 (Blackwood 48, Holder 5) Holder flicks Broad through midwicket for two amid suggestions of reverse-swing, and takes advantage of a rare wide one to get three more to deep square leg. England make a bit of a mess of fielding and gathering this, but the West Indies batsmen decide not to risk any runs for the overthrows. Updated at 7.22pm BST 7.17pm BST19:17 38th over: West Indies 114-6 (Blackwood 48, Holder 1) Blackwood’s decided to have a go at Root now, and how. He plants a foot down the pitch and carts his first ball over long-on for six. A flicked single follows. Holder looks a little uncomfortable and swishes and misses at Root before clipping dangerously uppishly to wide mid-on to get off the mark. 7.13pm BST19:13 37th over: West Indies 107-6 (Blackwood 41, Holder 0) It gets worse for West Indies as Broad takes his reward for bowling fuller, taking the edge of Ramdin’s bat and earning a catch behind. John’s prediction that we’ll be seeing England bat again moves closer to realisation. The new batsman Holder sees out the rest of the over, though only just – he leaves the final ball of it, underestimating the extent to which it darted back in off the seam and it comes close to taking the bails off. A fact question, from Andy Tyacke: The Windies early collapse, allied to a dose of supreme optimism (cloud cuckoo-land?) set me wondering: what is the lowest first innings test score which has led to the enforcement of the follow on? And what was the result? 7.10pm BST19:10 Wicket! Ramdin c Buttler b Broad 13, West Indies 107-6 First wicket for Broad, a good-length away-seamer that takes Ramdin’s edge and Buttler does the rest. Updated at 7.46pm BST 7.08pm BST19:08 36th over: West Indies 107-5 (Blackwood 41, Ramdin 13) Ouch! Root drags one short, and Blackwood pivots and thumps it straight into a ducking Gary Ballance at short leg; it stings him hard on the arm he’d left dangling to protect himself. The attention of the physio is required and the England No3 follows him off the field for a check-up. It brings Adam Lyth some time in the middle, as a sub fielder rather than in the opening batsman role he’s probably merited. Instead he most front up at short leg. Blackwood brings up the West Indies’ hundred with an unorthodox across-the-line pull off a wide delivery that goes for four down the ground. And to top it off, he sweeps the next one square for four too. Good batting. 7.02pm BST19:02 35th over: West Indies 99-5 (Blackwood 33, Ramdin 13) Broad replaces the admirably miserly Jordan and straight away has an lbw shout against Ramdin from a straight and true delivery that hits the batsman just above the knee-roll, but there’s a clear inside-edge too. He’s bowling a fuller length than he was at the start of the innings and it’s keeping the batsmen honest, until a slightly looser one outside off stump is cut classily square on the offside for four by the West Indies captain. A gaggle of England fans are indulging in a mock rugby scrum, no doubt to the unqualified delight and unsurpassed thigh-slapping amusement of all around them. 6.58pm BST18:58 6.57pm BST18:57 34th over: West Indies 95-5 (Blackwood 33, Ramdin 9) I’ve enjoyed watching Blackwood in this series – skittish and scatty at times, audacious and tenacious at others. He’s having to restrain himself a little here but he gets forward to work a single through the legside. It’s one of two scoring shots in the over, the other being Ramdin’s inelegant mow-sweep behind the stumps from a wide legside delivery by Root, which brings them three. 6.53pm BST18:53 33rd over: West Indies 91-5 (Blackwood 32, Ramdin 6) Jordan stays on to bowl his sixth over and Blackwood dabs a loosener down the legside for one. Ramdin misses out by slightly mis-timing a half-volley and his cover drive is well intercepted by Anderson without the concession of a run. Buttler is jabbering away like a good’un behind the stumps – he’s got a very hard-to-place accent, apart from anything else. 6.49pm BST18:49 32nd over: West Indies 90-5 (Blackwood 31, Ramdin 6) Hello again everyone. I was going to reintroduce myself with the observation that we’d seen an outbreak of actual batting had since I was last with you, but then Root got Chanderpaul courtesy of another astonishing Jordan catch. Watching a classy young Yorkshire batsman and occasional spinner claim one of world cricket’s prized scalps inevitably summoned to mind memories of this, from 13 – 13! – years ago: Anyway, Root resumes, around the wicket, to Ramdin, who essays one ugly legside swish and misses it altogether. It’s a maiden. 6.44pm BST18:44 31st over: West Indies 90-5 (Blackwood 31, Ramdin 6) Ramdin taps a single away off Jordan, who is keeping things very neat and tidy without really offering any penetration. And that’s drinks, after which Tom Davies will take you through til tea. 6.39pm BST18:39 30th over: West Indies 89-5 (Blackwood 31, Ramdin 5) Ramdin carts Root emphatically through midwicket for four, but the bowler isn’t far away from getting Blackwood from the fifth ball of the over, an edge zipping just out of Bell’s reach at leg slip. 6.37pm BST18:37 29th over: West Indies 84-5 (Blackwood 31, Ramdin 0) Jordan gets the ball in his hands once more, this time at the end of his run. Five dots at Blackwood mean he’s bowled 23 balls before a backfoot punch from the last gives the batsman two and breaks the string of dots. “Is it possible Jordan would get in the team purely on catching ability, a la Jonty Rhodes?” wonders Toby Sims. “Absolutely invaluable it seems.” Not sure about that, but it certainly helps. If you’re picking between two roughly equivalent seamers, but one of them can catch like that at slip … well, which one would you choose? Updated at 6.37pm BST 6.33pm BST18:33 28th over: West Indies 82-5 (Blackwood 29, Ramdin 0) Perhaps the most remarkable thing about that catch was the way in which Jordan reacted so quickly that he almost seemed to be waiting for the ball in the end. Brilliant. And West Indies are back in trouble. 6.32pm BST18:32 WICKET! Chanderpaul c Jordan b Root 25 (West Indies 82-5) What a catch this is! From the final ball of the over, Chanderpaul edges to slip where Jordan, having started going the wrong way, contorts his body and sticks an arm out to his right to pouch the catch. That was astonishing. Updated at 6.56pm BST 6.27pm BST18:27 27th over: West Indies 80-4 (Blackwood 28, Chanderpaul 24) Jordan starts off with another couple of dots before finding Blackwood’s leading edge. Just for a moment it looks like a caught-and-bowled is on but the ball drops well short in the end. Another maiden, though – that’s three out of three from Jordan. 6.23pm BST18:23 26th over: West Indies 80-4 (Blackwood 28, Chanderpaul 24) Pretty predictably Joe Root replaces the out-of-sorts Ali. And he almost picks up a wicket with his first ball! Blackwood rocks back and flicks wide of Bell at leg slip, who can’t quite hold on. That has to go down as a missed chance, though it wasn’t an easy one by any means. 6.19pm BST18:19 25th over: West Indies 79-4 (Blackwood 27, Chanderpaul 24) Jordan sends down a second maiden at Chanderpaul. England have just lost the impetus since that Bravo wicket. 6.16pm BST18:16 24th over: West Indies 79-4 (Blackwood 27, Chanderpaul 24) Another drag-down from Ali, but this time Blackwood can only cart the thing out to deep square leg where Broad fields. He’s a touch too short to Chanderpaul too, with the batsman able to drive off the back foot for a couple. And a third drag-down, this time Shiv pulls for four. Ali has completely lost his length here. Four more come from the last as Blackwood tickles to fine leg. A change required – Moeen Ali’s last two overs have gone for 26. 6.12pm BST18:12 23rd over: West Indies 67-4 (Blackwood 22, Chanderpaul 17) A bowling change: Chris Jordan replaces Jimmy Anderson. He finds the splice of Chanderpaul’s bat with one that just spits up a touch from a good length, but other than that the veteran is entirely comfortable. A maiden. 6.08pm BST18:08 22nd over: West Indies 67-4 (Blackwood 22, Chanderpaul 17) It’s carnage! Ali drags one down and Blackwood is on to it in a flash, mowing hard to cow corner for six (he’s now hit sixes in four of his 12 Test match innings). And the bowler follows up with two more half-trackers, both pummelled to the square leg fence by Blackwood. Gary Ballance ducks and dives for cover at short leg. 6.04pm BST18:04 21st over: West Indies 53-4 (Blackwood 8, Chanderpaul 17) An inside edge from Chanderpaul squirts square but otherwise he blocks, blocks and blocks again. “Glare?” wonders Marie Meyer. “I don’t know, but this one has eyes that follow you around the room and just generally gives one the creeps. Or so I find.” Just next to the sports desk here at Guardian Towers someone has installed a Barack Obama version of the same. Sometimes catches you out late at night … 6.01pm BST18:01 20th over: West Indies 53-4 (Blackwood 8, Chanderpaul 17) Just a single from Ali’s latest. 5.58pm BST17:58 19th over: West Indies 52-4 (Blackwood 8, Chanderpaul 16) Blackwood fends off a few outside off and Anderson ends up straying too straight, with Blackwood able to glance off his pads for four. And there’s another loose delivery from the last, with Blackwood this time flicking squarer for four more. In between balls there’s the odd sight of Jonny Bairstow removing some of the cardboard advertising from the boundary rope. It looked a little like Joe Root was complaining about the glare. Can cardboard glare? 5.53pm BST17:53 18th over: West Indies 44-4 (Blackwood 0, Chanderpaul 16) The first boundary of the afternoon as Chanderpaul flicks behind square for four. And he picks up a couple more with something very similar from the next ball. Ali does well to pin Chanderpaul down at the end of the over, giving Anderson the chance to test the right-handed Blackwood in the next over. 5.50pm BST17:50 17th over: West Indies 38-4 (Blackwood 0, Chanderpaul 10) Anderson (6-4-4-3) returns for another blast with the new-ish ball. Chanderpaul becomes the first West Indian batsman to reach double figures with a clip to leg for one. 5.46pm BST17:46 16th over: West Indies 37-4 (Blackwood 0, Chanderpaul 9) “Through the gate!” chirps Buttler from behind the stumps. There’s certainly enough turn out there to give the bowler the opportunity. 5.43pm BST17:43 WICKET! Bravo c Jordan b Ali 9 (West Indies 37-4) Moeen Ali continues after the lunch break and immediately rips one past Bravo’s groping outside edge. Two balls later he finds that edge, a half-hearted poke from the batsman, and Jordan takes a simple catch. Updated at 6.04pm BST 5.36pm BST17:36 Hello all. Well this game is rattling along at a fair old rate. I wouldn’t be all that surprised if we see England batting again before the end of the day*. If Anderson can winkle out a couple more with a quick blast after lunch then they’ll be in business. *Aaaaaand … cue 200-run fourth-wicket partnership. 5.07pm BST17:07 Right, time for a quick break: It’s been a great morning’s cricket, particularly if you like watching smart, zesty seam bowling, which I do – enormously. Taylor was excellent as West Indies made short work of England’s tail, which underperformed again, before Anderson turned things England’s way with an exquisite display of the new-ball bowler’s art. John Ashdown will be with you when play resumes, and I’ll catch up with you all later. 5.03pm BST17:03 Lunch – 15th over: West Indies 37-3 (Bravo 9, Chanderpaul 9) Root can’t find his range at times here, and dollies up a dismal long-hop on the legside that Chanderpaul has time to turn into and wallop to the deep midwicket boundary. But he’s more accurate with the rest of the over, and Chanderpaul is content to see it out before they turn for the sanctary of a slap-up feed. It’s been a bowlers’ morning. 5.00pm BST17:00 14th over: West Indies 33-3 (Bravo 9, Chanderpaul 5) Ali is pleasingly on the money, pushing Bravo back and giving him little room to manoeuvre. He hurries through the over in a bid to get another over in, which the umpires award them, despite the clock showing 12pm local time. “Great little session, that,” chirps Buttler from behind the stumps. Indeed it has been. 4.58pm BST16:58 13th over: West Indies 33-3 (Bravo 9, Chanderpaul 5) We have spin at both ends, with Root replacing Anderson. The Yorkshireman begins with what can only be termed a loosener – actually it can be termed much more critically - that is wide outside leg-stump and runs away for four byes. Chanderpaul takes a deftly flicked two. 4.54pm BST16:54 12th over: West Indies 27-3 (Bravo 9, Chanderpaul 3) Respite from the seamers comes in the form of an opening over from Moeen Ali, who comes round the wicket and finds plenty of turn straight away, beating Bravo with both a wide, short-ish one and a fuller-flighted ball that nips past the outside edge. Bravo cuts on the offside for two before the over ends with a solo appeal from the bowler after tossing one up and thudding the bottom of Bravo’s pads, but he’s well forward and outside off-stump. 4.51pm BST16:51 11th over: West Indies 25-3 (Bravo 7, Chanderpaul 3) Anderson slants one across Chanderpaul’s front-on stance, but he needs to be patient here and leave balls like that, which he does. But he’s getting no freebies from the bowler at all, and four dot balls in a row preface a nudge off his pads through the legside for two. Anderson has figures of 6-4-4-3. “Has Marlon Samuels ever NOT gone for a review,” wonders Jonathan Salisbury. Over the park as a young lad, perhaps, though that one just gone was a particularly senseless one. 4.46pm BST16:46 10th over: West Indies 23-3 (Bravo 7, Chanderpaul 1) Bravo adds a single to give the strike to new man Chanderpaul, whose nuggety resilience – not greatly evident in this series – is needed more than ever by the home side now. He’s off the mark with a push through midwicket for a single. Deserved praise for Jimmy, from one who knows: 4.42pm BST16:42 9th over: West Indies 21-3 (Bravo 6, Chanderpaul 0) This is just wonderful bowling: Anderson beats Samuels with yet another gorgeous outswinger, which, ominously, bounces twice en route to the keeper. The even more gorgeous outswinger that Anderson rips past Samuels with the fourth ball of the over does not though, Buttler taking at waist height. But it’s all part of the set-up for an excellent final ball of the over, which Anderson brings back in at Samuels, who plays no stroke and is given out after a review. 4.40pm BST16:40 Wicket! Samuels lbw b Anderson 9, West Indies 21-3 Brilliant, again, from Anderson – setting up Samuels for an inswinger that the batsman doesn’t pick, leaves and it looks plumb. He’s given out without hesitation. A review is called for nonetheless. He’s not got a hope though. And umpire Oxenford’s original decision is upheld. Updated at 6.29pm BST 4.35pm BST16:35 8th over: West Indies 21-2 (Bravo 6, Samuels 9) Broad’s finding a better variety now, having over-relied, as is often his wont, on shorter stuff in his first two overs, the flipside of that being that when he does overpitch, Samuels is ready to have a go: he larrups the third ball of the over through the covers for four. The bowler’s response is good though, a testing outswinger on a length that beats Samuels comfortably. The batsman adds a single to keep the strike though. A good contest between these two, this. 4.31pm BST16:31 7th over: West Indies 16-2 (Bravo 6, Samuels 4) Bravo clips Anderson away neatly in front of the wicket on the on-side for two. The bowler’s still in the ascendancy though and catches Bravo unawares with a sharp, well-directed bouncer that the left-hander struggles to duck under with assurance. 4.27pm BST16:27 6th over: West Indies 14-2 (Bravo 4, Samuels 4) England are all over West Indies here. Broad concedes a four, but he won’t mind too much, as it comes from a rash frustrated slash over a diving slip cordon. Bravo’s equally ill at ease when he tries to cut a ball that wasn’t wide enough to cut and almost hacks it onto his stumps. Broad then has a muted leg-before shout at Bravo but it’s pitched outside leg stump and earns a leg-bye before, at last, a decent scoring shot – a lovely crack through extra-cover for four by Samuels. In the meantime, here’s John Starbuck, echoing the frustrations of thwarted subeditors everywhere: “When it went for review, I was poised to send you an email pointing out the triumph of Hope over experience, but I can’t do that now. Still, there’s always another innings.” 4.22pm BST16:22 5th over: West Indies 5-2 (Bravo 0, Samuels 0) Anderson is devilishly difficult to bat against when he’s in this sort of mood, line and length brilliantly calibrated to tease and test the best. And he’s too good for Hope, who having kept out four deliveries, edges to Cook with the fifth and is given out after a review. Tony Harlow interjects again, to half-respond to an earlier challenge: “Btw whilst I’m at it Kevin Pietersen’s partner Jessica was a pop star with liberty x. No school involved though!” It does give me a chance to offer a more tenuous one though: teenage Essex sensation, who scored a majestic hundred against Surrey in the week, went to the same school as actress Tamzin Owthwaite (albeit 20 years apart or so) and the same school as, well, me. That’s my own lame-to-fame of the month out of the way anyhow. 4.18pm BST16:18 Wicket! Hope c Cook b Anderson 5, West Indies 5-2 It’s been coming. Anderson is well on top of the home batsmen here, and he find Hope’s edge, Cook gathers low, but a review is called for to check he took it before it bounced. It’s a closer-run thing on replay than it first looked, and from front-on there’s just a hint of a suggestion that it may have nudged some grass before Cook scooped it up. But not suggestion enough, and the decision is upheld. Updated at 5.11pm BST 4.14pm BST16:14 4th over: West Indies 5-1 (Hope 5, Bravo 0) Broad persists with a shorter length, which because of the lack of bounce in this pitch, does at least force some awkward ducking. Then when he puts one on a length, he induces a chance and a terrible drop from Cook, off Bravo’s outside edge. The England captain seemed to snatch at it too early and it bobbles off his fingers, then the back of his hand and falls to the turf. Updated at 5.14pm BST 4.10pm BST16:10 3rd over: West Indies 5-1 (Hope 5, Bravo 0) While Broad still sought to dig a couple in short in the previous over, Anderson’s finding a perfect fuller length for his away-seamers, and beats Hope all ends up with a classic “too good for thee, lad” delivery that the batsman can’t get anywhere near. He’s a bit more composed with the rest of the over, without scoring from it. “A quick thought,” chin-strokes Tony Harlow. “No one much seems to be discussing the order in which Stokes, Moeen and Buttler come in. Most people seem to say Buttler is a batsman who is ok keeping wicket. At least they say that when the catch goes down or the stumping is missed. Isn’t #8 and 3 not out maybe a suggestion that he’s going in too low? Moeen looks more of a 7 or 8 - some attractive 50s but mostly a quick 30 or 40 (a bit swann like)? What’s the thought.. mine would be Buttler, Moeen, Stokes, Jordan based on limited views.” I don’t think I’d have Moeen any lower, given how he can anchor an innings, but there might be a case for putting Buttler ahead of Stokes. 4.06pm BST16:06 2nd over: West Indies 5-1 (Hope 5, Bravo 0) What a testing moment this is for the debutant and local boy Shai Hope, who’s played only 14 first-class matches but hit a double-hundred on his most recent appearance on this ground, for Barbados against Windward Islands last month. And he’s very nearly out first ball! Broad finds his edge, a nervously prodded forward defensive and Jordan dives for it at slip but can’t quite reach and it goes for four instead. A stat to brag about, off the mark first ball with a boundary, if not a shot. His next scoring shot is a rather more assured push through the covers for one. It’s an encouraging start for England. 4.00pm BST16:00 1st over: West Indies 0-1 (Hope 0, Bravo 0) Anderson takes the new ball and takes a ticking-off from the umpire for walking across the pitch after his first delivery. No matter, though, because he gets Brathwaite next ball, a lovely Anderson-esque piece of new-ball bowling to which the opening batsman has no answer. Brathwaite’s looked a fine player at times in this series but frail at others, and Anderson has sensed that. Bravo sees out the over, which is a maiden. 3.57pm BST15:57 Wicket! Brathwaite c Jordan b Anderson 0, West Indies 0-1 What a start. Anderson has the measure of Brathwaite again, inducing an edge from Brathwaite with a teasing outswinger that Jordan takes comfortably, low at second slip. Updated at 4.00pm BST 3.54pm BST15:54 Between-innings musings: Taylor’s terrific burst this morning has prompted some grumbling about why he wasn’t used as much yesterday, although he didn’t bowl as well then as he did just now. England have a job to do in the field now, though they’ve had a first-innings lead and dismissed West Indies for below 300 first dig in both the previous Tests. And here’s John Starbuck: “People were saying beforehand that 260-ish would be about par for the first innings, so the question is how far England set themselves to restrict or bowl out the opposition by the same time tomorrow. West Indies are probably feeling good about themselves though. Cue a masterclass from Chanderpaul?” 3.50pm BST15:50 96.3 overs England 257 all out (Buttler 3 not out) So England’s tail hasn’t wagged, or even flickered, or even extricated itself from the visitor on the sofa accidentally sitting on it. It’s been a great morning so far for West Indies, dismissing England with only 17 more added, leaving poor Jos Buttler stranded on three not out. So there have not been many runs, then, nor many overs, about which Chris Mardo wishes to complain. “Have the West Indies really only bowled 5 over and 4 balls in 35 mins of play so far?” he thunders. “What the hell is going on?” No they’ve bowled seven overs and six balls in 43 minutes. But yes, it’s pretty poor stuff, and particularly harsh on OBO correspondents on the late shift. Will no one think of us? 3.44pm BST15:44 Wicket! Anderson b Taylor 0, England 257 all out And this is what Taylor can do: a fine in-swinger from around the wicket careers into Anderson’s bat and clatters his stumps over. He’s come back with a vengeance this morning. Updated at 4.19pm BST 3.42pm BST15:42 Wicket! Broad b Taylor 10, England 257-9 Well that Broad cameo-ette didn’t last long. Taylor comes in from round the wicket and splatters his stumps. Updated at 4.21pm BST 3.39pm BST15:39 96th over: England 257-8 (Buttler 3, Broad 10) Broad, relieved to get something on a full length, swings lustily at Gabriel and larrups him high and safe over extra cover for four. Gabriel responds with a bouncer and a short sharp-ish one into Broad’s rib from around the wicket that he fends away on the offside. The England erstwhile-all-rounder looks up for this though, and steers another short ball past third slip for four more. Ramdin introduces a third man, who’s called into action straight away as Broad nudges another single down in that direction. Meanwhile, here’s Mike Wilner in LA: Well, if you’re looking for cricket-less emails, I was at a reception in California last night and nearly stepped on a lizard. The little guy was about eight inches long. And how likely is it that the pendulum of opinion about Alistair Cook will swing with his performance yesterday? Is England now nailed on for the Ashes? Inevitable, really. No, frankly. 3.33pm BST15:33 95th over: England 248-8 (Buttler 3, Broad 1) Taylor targets Broad, as expected, with a low-ish bouncer, which the left-hander ducks beneath, but not convincingly, and he has to be on his mettle with the second ball too, which he pulls away from, lets strike his upper arm and dribble down to slip. It’s good aggressive fast bowling from Taylor, but Broad is at least not doing anything daft with his bat or giving the bowler a sight of the stumps. It’s not pretty, but it helps him survive, and he’s off the mark with a push off his hip square on the legside. Taylor then zips a delicious outswinger past Buttler’s outside edge with the last ball of the over. Very good bowling. 3.28pm BST15:28 94th over: England 247-8 (Buttler 3, Broad 0) The Ultra-Edge snicko system, which is not available to the third umpire, suggests both Jordan’s bat and then pad nicked the delivery from which he was given out. Gabriel keeps Buttler in defensive mode with a tight line and length, and has a half-shout for lbw with one that jags back into the batsman’s upper thigh, but it’s too high. Buttler does not yet look particularly in his element here, and it’s another maiden. 3.23pm BST15:23 93rd over: England 247-8 (Buttler 3, Broad 0) Taylor again proves prone to straying down the legside, though Jordan can’t cash in with the first ball of the over. Then Jordan’s bamboozled by a peach of a seam-up outswinger, which again breaks the surface and zips past his wary defensive pose. But he doesn’t survive the next ball, another delivery pushed down the legside but one that Jordan helps through to the keeper. He calls for a review but is given out. The phenomenally out-of-form Broad comes to the crease and, while the field placings and commentary chatterings suggest a bouncer first up, the left-hander instead has to dig out an inswinging yorker. Wicket maiden. 3.18pm BST15:18 Wicket! Jordan c Ramdin b Taylor 3, England 247-8 Taylor strays down legside but Jordan flicks it behind to the keeper. Or does he? The finger goes up, and a review is belatedly called for. There’s a noise, but it’s inconclusive, and there’s not enough for the third umpire to overturn the on-field umpire’s decision. The finger goes up and it’s curtains for Jordan. Updated at 3.20pm BST 3.13pm BST15:13 92nd over: England 247-7 (Buttler 3, Jordan 3) As expected, we have pace at both ends, with the return of Shannon Gabriel, who’s been quietly impressive in this series. He’s reasonably accurate here but this benign pitch means it’s hard work for a fast bowler to do anything threatening. He spears one in at Jordan, who deflects it round the corner a little awkwardly and the batsmen run through for a leg-bye, then Buttler adds two with a neat flick down to square leg. 3.07pm BST15:07 91st over: England 244-7 (Buttler 1, Jordan 3) Taylor, a little wry yesterday, comes back into the attack and still doesn’t quite find a consistent line. Buttler gets off the mark by squirting one away just backward of square on the offside for a single then Jordan turns one away off his legs for another. There’s already talk of the pitch cracking up a tad as a couple of Taylor’s early deliveries have thrown up a fair bit of dust and oomskah. Our first email of the day arrives, with no real mention of cricket, but carrying a meandering anecdotal tone of which I approve: “By all rights I should be sleeping now,” writes Phil Withall. “It’s nearly midnight and I have a busy day of family fun tomorrow. However, the combination of Norwich City lining up a play off against Ipswich Town and a rat taking up residence in the dry wall (we’ve had a lot of rain/flooding here) means I won’t be going to bed any time soon. I’m feeling positive about today, mainly because it means I don’t have to think about the rat. It’s an improvement on the Possum that ate it’s way through the wall last year..” It’s not quite clear whether Norwich-Ipswich or the rat is the scarier prospect here. 3.02pm BST15:02 90th over: England 242-7 (Buttler 0, Jordan 2) Out they come, and we’ve got four balls of Samuels’ over to complete, following Cook’s dismissal two balls into it last night. Jordan gets forward to defend his first two before getting forward to open his account with a flicked two through the covers. Expect the quicks to come on now. 2.52pm BST14:52 Celebrity facts I never knew … but now do, thanks to Sky’s preview piece with Barbados-born Chris Jordan: the England all-rounder went to school with Rihanna. What other future-cricketer/pop-star classroom combinations have there been, if any? Given how posh both professions can be these days, there could be plenty, I guess. Updated at 2.57pm BST 2.48pm BST14:48 Meanwhile, our man in Barbados reckons it might be a busy day for England’s slower bowlers: 2.43pm BST14:43 Afternoon/morning everyone. And welcome to a fascinatingly poised Test match. There isn’t a more pitch-perfect Old-school Cricket first-day score than 240-7 – 80 runs per session, an average of two or three wickets in each, openers taking all day to score a hundred, the works. Alastair Cook’s century had, of course, been a long time coming, but it was deserved and perhaps we can talk about other things a little now, though his late dismissal meant day one undoubtedly belonged more to West Indies than England. We can now home in mercilessly instead on other people who might be in need of some scores, such as Jos Buttler, who resumes today on 0. West Indies, meanwhile, have had good moments in this series, but failed to build on them, so this second morning matters hugely to them too. At least we look like being spared the sort of tedious grinding run-accumulation-fest that was England’s previous Test in Barbados, even though this looks a good, true pitch. And England fans would welcome some of the euphoria of the match here 11 years ago, when Michael Vaughan’s team were on the sort of bubbly upward curve that meant stuff like this happened: Whatever, England need’s bowlers need to both bat and bowl well today. 2.30pm BST14:30 Preamble England will resume on 240-7 after centurion Alistair Cook departed in the final over last night. Tom Davies will be here shortly to talk you through the first session of the second day’s proceedings, but in the meantime you can check out what Mike Selvey had to say about England’s up and down first day … For one England batsman the return journey is complete. For another there is utter desolation when renaissance was all he craved. It was shortly after five o’clock, with the shadows already stretching out across Kensington Oval, when Alastair Cook clipped a half-volley from the fast bowler Shannon Gabriel off his toes and through square-leg for the boundary that after a minute more than six hours’ batting took him to the 26th Test century that had eluded him for the past 704 days of his life and more than 64 hours of batting. As the ball crossed the rope Cook celebrated, arms aloft, bat held high in one hand, helmet in the other as we had become used to seeing on 25 previous occasions and something many had feared might never be seen again. The crowd had been expectant and now rose to its collective feet to cheer to the rafters an extraordinarily resilient and unfairly maligned cricketer. Read his full day one report here. |