The West Indies advanced to the third test against England, opening a small lead in the first games in Grenada. The lower resistance saw the West Indies finish 232-8, ahead of 28, even though it was 128-7 at one stage. Similar to the first day, when a 90-yard box saved England, goalkeeper Joshua da Silva disappointed the bowlers late in the day with 54 non-outs, putting 49 for the eighth wicket with Alzarri Joseph and 55 undefeated with the number 10 Kemar Roach. England made a disappointing start with the new ball but got 6-45 in an impressive recovery on both sides of the meal. After the West Indies reached 50-0, Ben Stokes had Kraigg Brathwaite lbw with a ball held low, while Chris Woakes got 3-48 – his best data in an overseas test since December 2017. This put tourists on track for their own lead, but as the hit became easier in the final session, getting a wicket again seemed difficult. However, on a court that shows signs of unequal bounce against the toughest ball, both sides will still believe they can win what is likely to be a low-scoring game. A win for each team would see them take the turn with the score currently 0-0 after two draws.
A balance test
Da Silva scored 54 non-outs from 152 balls, having entered 95-6 Whatever advantage the West Indies gain from further developing their lead in the top places is offset by the fact that they will almost certainly have to fight last in a stadium where it will be difficult to chase. But Da Silva’s work slowly – he even survived six overs against the new ball with Roots and now has the highest Test score – pushed the day to the home side’s favor. Overall, it had an incredible resemblance to the previous one. As Jack Leach and Saqib Mahmood did 24 hours earlier, Da Silva took advantage of a surface that seems to die as soon as the ball softens. England must cling to the difficulty that the first class of the West Indies had earlier. Their motorcyclists, as soon as they finally found their line, used uneven bounce instead of the rich movement of the seam that resulted in the collapse of the tourists on the first day. The West Indies also helped in some bad shots – Jason Holder was caught with his third ball in the deep square foot and Kyle Meyers calmly hit Ben Stokes for extra coverage for 28. The playing field and the weaknesses of both sides in batting mean that a series that was largely miserable can end in an exciting finale.
Mixed day of England with the ball
England’s bowling effort was transformed from a low level to an encouraging one before it ended in grumbling frustration. Their inability to remove the lower class, albeit on a slow pitch, once again revealed the lack of peak of this attack. Since England had only done 204 with the bat, the start was also very moving. They needed wickets early, but instead new ball pair Chris Woakes and Overton made too many deliveries that could be left alone. Not for the first time, Stokes was the player who created an opening – although Bratwate could do little with his delivery. From there, England turned to bowling bay on a heavy, medium court length and improved significantly. Overton does not have a fast pace, but he twice hit the John Campbell corkscrew on the helmet before catching him on the side of the leg. The West Indies top row found the short balls difficult to play given the uneven bounce, Nkrumah Bonner also held a Woakes short ball back for four when trying to duck. However, when England got stuck with the plan for the short ball slowly, the fatigue in the bowlers’ legs and the life that left the pitch allowed Da Silva to put the ball on the side of the foot with relative ease. Saqib Mahmood was arguably England’s top scorer in his second Test, but his only reward at 18 overs was the wicket of Shamarh Brooks, lbw at the start of the West Indies collapse.
Woakes’s rare wickets abroad
Woakes took two wickets in 66 over in the first two tests. Woakes’s performance was almost entirely English in a microcosm. He was particularly to blame for the opening overs when 12 of his first 18 balls were left alone. The new ball spell with Overton was one of the most harmless in England attack in recent memory. However, a three-wicket spell after lunch brought England to the top of the game. Bonner and Holder’s wickets were followed by Jermaine Blackwood who was trapped by a ball that broke back into something that seemed like a major spell for the Woakes Test career. His fights abroad have been much talked about – he had 33 wickets at 54.42 before this Test – but his figures are now his best abroad since the 2017-18 Ashes in Australia. But England’s inability to get the last two wickets got its shine from the Woakes era. The 33-year-old was awkward in three overs with the second new ball when England needed him to wrap his tail.
‘Decent effort’ – reaction
English multi-page Chris Woakes: “We wish we had a little better bowling this morning. In the first hour we wish we had the ball a little fuller. But when the wicket showed there were a few pieces in it, we bowed well and I think a decent effort to get eight of them. “ West Indies goalkeeper Joshua da Silva: “It’s quite level at the moment, so we’re just trying to get as much as we can. There ‘s the weird thing that stays low. It’ s definitely a new ball. to play”.
