Tea and Biscuits in the West Indies
Day 4: Antigua. Crawley and Root dominate but do England have the firepower to now win the game?
Day 4: Antigua. Crawley and Root dominate but do England have the firepower to now win the game?
Tea and Biscuits in the West Indies
Day 1: Antigua. Jonny Bairstow the centurion yet again as England take the honours on the opening day.medium.com
Tea and Biscuits in the West Indies
Day 2: Antigua. The hosts hold a slender advantage going into day 3 of this first Test Matchmedium.com
Tea and Biscuits in the West Indies
Day 3: Antigua. Root misses a trick as Bonner compiles a magnificent century for the hosts.medium.com
Ahead of today’s play I announced to my world famous cricketing mole “Horseman” (name changed to protect the innocent) that today would be a fine day for England Captain Joe Root to finally score that hundred I predicted he would in every recent Ashes Test Match this winter in Australia. If it wasn’t for the Antiguan rain that curtailed play early with 45+ minutes still remaining, I dare say the Skipper would’ve done me proud and finally proven a cricketing prediction of mine true. Predictions are as easy as being “Captain Hindsight” and proclaiming you knew all along, but that’s getting ahead of ourselves. As is the mighty acclaim that will come the way of Root’s junior batting partner today Zak Crawley. His 117 not out from 200 balls received was a majestic all day effort from the 24 year old Kent born batsman and as I’ve long championed the young man, and with no hindsight necessary, his innings today pleased me immensely. But that too is getting ahead of ourselves, for we must, as is tradition, start at the commencement of the day’s play.
Starting this 4th day on 373–9, the West Indies only added a further 2 runs before their last wicket fell and it fell to exactly the right and deserving English bowler. Yesterday Jack Leach was arguably England’s best bowler. He took 1 valuable wicket but with better luck and grace he could have snagged 2/3/4 more wickets on a day where he barely conceded more than a run per over and I felt bowled far better than the cricket journalists would have you believe. However, Leach’s early flighted delivery spun a little before crashing into Jayden Seales pads and he was out LBW (Leg Before Wicket) and the Windies had a total first innings lead of 64 runs and this early in the day it seemed a priceless one. Also as described yesterday and without the need of hindsight once more, the wicket is a “pudding”, a “blancmange”, lifeless, slow, low and gradually, if undramatically, getting slower and lower. England also have a penchant for batting collapses and so early in the 4th day and with both sides yet to bat in their second innings, that 64 run lead for the hosts looked precious indeed.
England would lose just 1 wicket all day on this soft and lifeless wicket and sadly for debutant Alex Lees, it would be him, trapped LBW by the mercurial Kemar Roach for just 6. Lees only scored 4 in the first innings so he’s had the roughest of Test Match starts, but if century maker and fellow opening batsman Zak Crawley isn’t his current inspiration then nothing will be. At the fall of Lees wicket came a sprinting onto the field England Captain Joe Root, and from a precarious 24–1 and still 40 runs adrift of the West Indies, Root and centurion Crawley would guide the visitors to a commanding overnight score of 217–1 and a now imposing lead of 153 runs with 1 day to go. If Root (84 not out) finished the day 16 runs short of my predicted century it wasn’t for the want of trying. The England captain crafted and grafted his way to 84 runs in his own inimitable style, only a handful of boundaries out of the 22 combined between himself and Crawley, but he worked the field, found the gaps and was as assured as you’d expect from the number 2 rated batsman in the world, and on a soft, easy wicket.
Root was England’s 655th all time Test Match cricketer when he made his debut against India nearly a decade ago and currently stands on an unreal average of almost 50 and with an astonishing 10,000 Test Match runs. At 31 years of age Root is 7 years the senior of Zak Crawley and there have been 40 new Test Match cricketers between Root’s debut in 2012 and Crawley’s just 3 short years ago. Today, Crawley showcased exactly why he’s worth a place in this team, worthy of the praise I bestowed upon him in yesterday’s article and why with perseverance he may well have a long and fruitful Test Match career. I like the cut of Zak Crawley’s jib. He’s upright, technically correct (especially with an attacking straight bat), has positive intent to score, hits a damn hard cricket ball and seems reassuringly solid in defence. There were flashes of all this in the Ashes series in Australia but he sunk under the weight of the team around him. Today he was majestic, unhurried, patient and hugely attacking when receiving bad balls. He remains 117 not out overnight and passed 1,000 Test Match runs in the process today, and must be given a prolonged run in the team throughout this series and throughout the English Summer and beyond.
With 1 day to go the position of the game is fairly simple and even though they have a healthy lead of 153 runs I cannot see how England can win this Test Match tomorrow. They will no doubt bat quickly and with intent to score heavily and set their hosts an intriguingly difficult target to chase, but without their fastest and best bowler Mark Wood (doubtful to return due to injury), I can’t see how they have the firepower to quickly “skittle” the West Indies in the best part of 2 sessions. I said yesterday an England win was off the table and today has certainly improved their chances, but I can’t see them taking 10 quick West Indian wickets.
But there remains an X Factor: a dead, slow, slowing, low and getting lower wicket that could in itself provide the excitement needed for a shower of quick wickets and panic on the face of all in coming batsmen. It’s set up for either an exciting run chase/wicket chase or a boring and drab nothing of a slow draw.
I know which I prefer.
See you tomorrow,
Captain Hindsight.