After a Lord’s Test that lasted six sessions and one hour there were concerns this series could go the same way as the farewell pint Jimmy Anderson walloped on the balcony afterwards. But what this West Indies side lack in experience they make up for in character and the second instalment here has been a tasty affair.
England were finally in the ascendancy by stumps on day three, sitting 248 for three and leading by 207 runs. But under a blanket of grey cloud, and with the floodlights at full beam, they had been pushed hard by West Indies, not least a maddening 10th wicket stand of 71 between Joshua Da Silva (82 not out) and Shamar Joseph (33) in the morning that handed the tourists a precious 41-run advantage by lunch.
By the same token, Ben Stokes and Brendon McCullum will have drawn huge satisfaction from the response that followed. All the talk from the pair after the 3-1 defeat by India earlier this year was of “refining” so-called Bazball and while that first innings 416 all out was a slightly wasteful affair given the sunny conditions and some of the dismissals, the pushback here – even factoring in a run-rate of 4.86 – hinted at a growing maturity.
Of course, it is possible to quibble about a couple of dismissals. Zak Crawley was slow to ground his bat at the non-striker’s when Jayden Seales brushed a return drive from Ben Duckett on to the stumps in his follow-through, run out in the second over for three. And Ollie Pope, more fluent than his first innings century en route to 51, fell the first delivery after a ball change, driving to gully before assessing whether the new one would swing.
Overall, however, the latest capacity crowd was witness to intelligent, assertive batting from the home side, something first set in motion by Duckett’s 76 from 92 balls in a stand of 119 with Pope. Harry Brook then upped the ante before the close, sending eight fours racing across this snooker table outfield for an unbeaten 71 that, with Joe Root bedding in for 37 not out at the other end, made for a second century stand in the innings.
Signing off for the day by deftly guiding the part-time spin of Kraigg Brathwaite to the third man boundary, Brook will now be eyeing his first Test hundred on home soil. He will face a refreshed West Indies attack, the pick of which was Alzarri Joseph with figures of two for 48. The wiry, hugely talented Antiguan blows hot and cold at times but after Pope’s errant drive, he produced a masterful inswinging yorker to trap Duckett lbw.
It left the hosts in effect 99 for three with two new batters to the crease; the kind of peril from which innings can unravel. But the Yorkshire pairing of Brook and Root reacted commandingly in gloomy light and will look to further this on day four. Should Stokes be afforded the chance to declare, it will be a tricky one to judge, however, both for a pitch that has largely held firm and this post-Anderson attack that has a rookie spinner in Shoaib Bashir. It may well hinge on the overhead conditions.
These were to the liking of Chris Woakes en route to figures of four for 84 that hinted at his early summer rust being shaken off. After West Indies resumed 65 behind with five wickets in hand, he soon hit his straps, tickling an edge from Jason Holder for his 1,000th senior wicket across all formats. Gus Atkinson snared Kevin Sinclair thanks to a sharp catch from Brook at gully, before Woakes wiped out Alzarri Joseph and Seales in the space of two balls to leave West Indies nine down and still 30 behind.
Shamar Joseph impishly danced down the pitch to smother the hat-trick ball while at the other end was a relieved Da Silva on 44 not out. The Richards-Botham trophy is currently in West Indian hands thanks to the wicketkeeper’s unbeaten century in Grenada two years ago – a knock in which he shepherded the tail with gusto and brought a sorry end to Joe Root’s captaincy – and so it was not like England were not warned here.
What followed from both teams did not always make sense – Da Silva turning down singles late in overs, Stokes showing little interest in the senior man’s wicket – but there was little doubt as to which one profited. Over the course of 78 balls the pair led England a merry dance and put a small dent in Nottinghamshire’s coffers too, Shamar Joseph smashing roof tiles on the Larwood & Voce Stand with a mighty pulled six off Atkinson.
That terracotta-shattering blow from the Baracara Lara (perhaps) had spectators below ducking for cover and, in a 16-run over, took West Indies into the lead. Just as damaging for Stokes was the stocky Da Silva ransacking an over of shod from Root for 18 more, sweeping three successive fours to Trent Bridge’s peculiar short square boundary and then clearing the rope with a muscular heave over deep mid-wicket.
It took the return of Mark Wood to eventually end the fun, a leading edge off Shamar Joseph finally rewarding the fast bowler’s wicketless efforts the previous day. Stokes would have preferred to keep his human catapult rested for the fourth innings and given this ground is where England chased down 299 against New Zealand two years ago – just five wickets down – his players will start again in the morning with work still to do.
