As things stand, it’s everyone’s game.
England disappointed with the lower class of the Windies
The tourists were given a taste of their own medicine yesterday with the West Indies leading the way following an upward response of a lower order. Having seen Jack Leach and Saqib Mahmood redeem their own collapse with a final stand worth 90 on the first night, England had no answer for a similar show of resistance under Josh Da Silva. The Trinidano goalkeeper reached 95 with six, with a slightly refreshed Chris Woakes devising a three-door burst right after lunch, but showing real courage to lead his team to 232 for eight. During his 54-game battle, Da Silva was there to watch his team surpass the three numbers, over 200 and eventually lead 28, all before posting the first half of a low-scoring game. With stands 49 with Alzarri Joseph and unbroken 55 with Kemar Roach, he may have played another decisive hand. Neither side managed to win a definitive advantage in this battle for the Richards-Botham trophy, with both showing off their weaknesses and strengths at different times, but the hosts have their nose in front.
Woakes happy to be back among the wickets
After yesterday’s game, Chris Woakes admitted that he did not manage to achieve his best on this tour after he was assigned the responsibility to lead the attack. While James Anderson and Stuart Broad were sacrificed in an effort to give the side an injection of new energy for the future, the busy Warwickshire was maintained as the senior man in a new-looking attack. He was unlucky enough to take charge of some of the most obedient tracks of recent memory, paying little reward in Antigua and Barbados. But even on the best day of his tour here in Grenada, there was room for improvement, with a day spell with the new ball in the morning and another bizarre term late, as England entrusted him with a replacement. By the time England pulled their tired bodies off the pitch yesterday, they had allowed the West Indies to escape deep trouble at 95 for six and a promising 28-point lead. The series is still very much available for the next three days, but Woakes admits that he has not given the best account of himself. “It was a good opportunity and I probably did not use it as I would have liked,” he said. “It was a tough tour in that respect, we did not get doors with the new ball. It’s not due to lack of effort, I’m constantly trying to improve, it just did not work. “Obviously I wish I had gotten more wickets, but it did not happen. Getting three today was great, because I will always try to do a job for the team. It would be nice to be able to do it a little more often, but no has happened. “It would have been nice to be five, six, seven miles an hour faster, but the first two games were quite level and it was not fun to play them for anyone.”
