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Daily Mirror
Daily Mirror
Sport
Matthew Cooper

5 talking points as West Indies take slim lead over England as series hangs in the balance

After the West Indies earned a slender 28-run first-innings lead in the third and final Test against England in Grenada, we are set for a second-innings shoot-out which will determine who wins the series.

After a brilliant 90-run last-wicket partnership between Jack Leach and Saqib Mahmood pushed England up to a first-innings total of 204, Joe Root's side began the day looking to make the most of the momentum they had wrestled back from the West Indies. With Chris Woakes and Craig Overton taking the new ball, England were desperate to make early inroads much like the hosts did on day one.

However, England did not bowl very well in the first hour, with the seamers failing to really challenge Kraigg Brathwaite and John Campbell as they put on a 50-run opening partnership. Star all-rounder Ben Stokes did make a much-needed breakthrough for England when he got Brathwaite out lbw with a ball that kept low.

That variable bounce became a potent weapon for England as Shamarh Brooks also fell to one that kept low and John Campbell was worked over by some short-pitched bowling from Craig Overton. Mahmood pinned Brooks lbw for 13, while Campbell was caught behind for 35 after getting hit on the head twice.

After the lunch break, England continued to make inroads into the West Indies' batting line-up. Nkrumah Bonner was caught behind for four off a short ball from Woakes, while Jason Holder perished for a duck in the same over after spooning a catch to Jonny Bairstow.

Woakes then picked up his third wicket just two overs later, getting Jermaine Blackwood out lbw for 18. Stokes then earned his second scalp of the day, with Kyle Mayers chipping a simple catch to mid-on to leave the West Indies 128-7.

Wicketkeeper Joshua Da Silva and Alzarri Joseph then added a crucial 49 to reduce England's lead to just 27 runs. However, in a bid to accelerate proceedings, Joseph played a horror shot and was caught behind for 28.

Da Silva went on to top score for the West Indies with 54 not out, sharing an unbeaten 55-run partnership with Kemar Roach that pushed them into a slim lead. At the close, the hosts were 232-8 and just 28-runs ahead of England.

Here are five talking points from the day's play.

England's "very ordinary" first hour

With only 204 runs in the bank from their first innings, England needed to get off to a good start with the new ball. However, they failed to do so, with Brathwaite and Campbell adding 50 runs for the first wicket.

Legendary West Indies quick Curtly Ambrose described England's opening spell as "very ordinary" on BT Sport, while former bowler Jonathan Agnew told the BBC : "West Indies have had the better of the opening salvos so far because England haven't made them play enough".

In a damning assessment of England's first hour, Mark Butcher told BT Sport: "I hope this doesn’t come across too harsh, but I’ve never seen a more friendly opening spell than the one from Woakes and Overton with that new ball. It was like watching under-17s cricket for a little while."

Variable bounce

Despite England's poor first hour, the West Indies ended the morning session on 71-3 thanks to some variable bounce. Both Brathwaite and Brooks got out to deliveries which kept low, while Campbell was hit twice on the helmet by Overton before getting caught down the leg side off another short ball.

"The variable bounce on this pitch is only going to get worse as this game continues," Agnew told the BBC. "Not good news for the West Indies who'll bat last on this.

"We've seen two great examples of the variable bounce we've talked about. A bowler like Mahmood, with a low-slung, skiddy action, is ideal for this sort of surface."

Chris Woakes bowled well after lunch, picking up 3-21 in a superb seven over spell (RANDY BROOKS/AFP via Getty Images)

Woakes' improvement after lunch

Following a spell in the morning session which left a lot to be desired, Woakes responded by getting two wickets in one over after lunch. His first over after the break was his most threatening of the day up to that point and he then got both Bonner and Holder out in the same over with the short ball.

"This is huge for Chris Woakes, massive for England but huge for the individual," ex-England quick Steve Harmison said on commentary for BT Sport. "He's bowled beautiful areas after the tea break."

Agnew, meanwhile, labelled them bonus wickets and was particularly critical of Holder for playing a "loose shot". He told the BBC: "Both wickets felt like a bonus for England - ducking with your bat up from Nkrumah Bonner, and Jason Holder's was a loose shot before he got off the mark - he'll be furious with himself.

However, the wickets were just reward for Woakes' improvement after the break, with the 33-year-old also getting Blackwood out lbw two overs later as he picked up 3-21 in a superb seven over spell. In fact, Woakes' three wickets after lunch are more than he managed to pick up in the previous two Tests combined.

West Indies contribute to own downfall

Although England's bowlers certainly deserve some credit for adjusting their plans and finding success after a poor start, several West Indies batters will be bitterly disappointed with their dismissals. Holder played a particularly poor shot, hoicking a short ball straight up in the air and getting out for a duck.

It was the third poor dismissal in a row for Holder, who gifted Mahmood his maiden Test wicket in the first innings in Barbados with a wild hack. He followed that up in the second innings by slapping a simple catch straight to short cover off Leach.

Mayers was also out after playing a poor shot, chipping the ball straight to mid-on off the bowling of Stokes. "Just when I was praising Kyle Mayers he gifts his wicket away, very soft dismissal," said commentator Samuel Badree.

Joseph's dismissal was also a poor one, with the 25-year-old backing away and looking to launch Overton through the covers. However, he only managed to edge the ball behind to wicketkeeper Foakes.

Da Silva leads fightback

Much like England's lower-order did on day one, the West Indies' lower-order also staged something of a fightback after they were reduced to 128-7. At the time of Mayers' dismissal, the hosts were still 76 runs behind England's first innings total of 204.

However, number eight Da Silva and number nine Joseph added a further 49 runs to whittle that gap down to just runs when Joseph was dismissed. Da Silva went on to top score for the West Indies, sharing another crucial partnership with Roach and becoming the only player to reach fifty so far this Test.

"This match is following the same pattern as yesterday with the ball getting softer and the batting much easier," Agnew said. "It's hard to get obdurate lower-order batsmen out in these conditions. You can see this game is hugely in the balance. Every run is absolutely crucial."

Can you help underprivileged children experience the joy of cricket? Charity Bat for a Chance donates cricket kit to those most in need and is also fundraising. Find out more here

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