Tea and Biscuits in the West Indies
Day 3: Grenada. It’s the “Da Silva and Mayers show” as England collapse to certain defeat.
Day 3: Grenada. It’s the “Da Silva and Mayers show” as England collapse to certain defeat.
With the West Indies commencing this third day and a day traditionally known in the cricketing world as “moving day” on 232–8 and with a minimal lead of 28 runs, my brief preamble to the day’s play will be a short prediction for the day as a whole. Writing this an hour before the start of the day’s play, I foresee the West Indies adding 20+ quick runs to their overnight total, an overall lead of 50 and England will stumble and claw their way to 150–6 by the time stumps are drawn at the end of the day’s play, and with a slender 100+ run lead going into Day 4.
Time will tell.
It always does.
But before we delve into the cricketing matters on the field today, can I first direct you to my articles on the previous 2 days of play in this Test Match? An appetiser perhaps, before we find out how accurate (or otherwise!) my predictions turn out to be:
Tea and Biscuits in the West Indies
Day 1: Grenada. Leach and Mahmood to the rescue after yet another England batting collapse.medium.com
Tea and Biscuits in the West Indies
Day 2: Grenada. Joshua Da Silva’s precious half century nudges the hosts ahead.medium.com
MORNING SESSION: West Indies 297 all out at Lunch. Lead by 93 runs.
Oh dear! Despite England snagging the first of the two required West Indies wickets early this morning and with only 13 runs added to their overall lead, it appeared my pre-day prediction might in fact come true. However, yesterday’s batting rock, Joshua Da Silva, became today’s central hub around a West Indies batting unit that refused to bow, refused to throw away their individual wickets and steadfastly accompanied him on his way to a maiden Test Match century. Rather than the expected (and predicted) early flurry of runs and fall of the two wickets required to end the West Indies innings, Number 11 batsman Jayden Seales faced 59 deliveries for his 13 invaluable and dogged runs before on the stroke of the Lunch Break he was caught and bowled by England Skipper Joe Root, and the West Indies were finally all out for a huge looking innings total of 297. Da Silva finished exactly 100 not out (from a mammoth 257 balls) but rather more importantly was the 2+ hours of time taken from the game with his continued innings this morning, as well as the extra 46 runs added in the process.
The West Indies overnight lead had increased from a handy 28 runs to a rather more imposing and pressure laden 93 runs, and make no mistake, Joshua Da Silva’s innings both yesterday and this morning has turned this Test Match on it’s head. His possible match winning century certainly “won” the individual morning session, keeping a tired and weary England bowling unit in the field for over 2 hours and extending his team’s lead to 93 runs.
AFTERNOON SESSION: England 43–4 and still trailing by 50 runs.
If the West Indies dominated the first session they followed this magnificently in the afternoon and medium pace bowler Kyle Mayers was again a major thorn in their side. Whereas in the first innings he captured the first two England wickets to fall (including the Captain for a duck), here he snagged 3 of the first 4 wickets to fall, and at the fall of Ben Stokes wicket for just 4, England were deep, deep in the mire, and collapsing on just 39–4.
ZAK CRAWLEY caught Holder bowled Seales (8).
England’s first wicket fell with the innings score on 14 and it rather disappointed your humble cricket correspondent. I have long championed Zak Crawley and his correct/upright style and attacking intent. Here with his side still trailing by 79 runs he played a rash wide attacking shot that flew from the edge of his bat into the huge hands of Jason Holder in the slips. It was rash, unnecessary and sadly, Crawley had yet again only registered a single figure score following his 7 runs in the first innings.
JOE ROOT caught Campbell bowled Mayers (5).
The England Captain fell to the bowling of Kyle Mayers for the second innings in succession and here, with only Mayers 3rd delivery of the innings. Root was rightly angry with himself as he trudged back to the pavilion as he was out to a favourite shot of his and to compound his misery, to a delivery he should have left well alone. Mayers delivery was wide and unthreatening to which Root slashed hard at the ball that edged a sharp, high catch that John Campbell gleefully held onto. With the fall of their Skipper’s wicket, England were even deeper in the mire at 27–2 and still trailing by 66 runs.
6 balls later…….
DAN LAWRENCE bowled Mayers (0).
With only his 9th ball of the innings, Mayers took his current spell of bowling figures to 2 wickets for 2 runs as Lawrence misjudged a ball that “nipped back” off the wicket and whilst he offered no shot, the ball deftly and gently brushed against his off stump and removing those oh so precious bails. With no further score added, England were 27–3 and very definitely collapsing again.
BEN STOKES caught Brooks bowled Mayers (4).
Stokes’ demise was so indicative of the (un)true nature of the wicket. Mayers delivery was probing just outside off stump but didn’t really bounce and Stokes played neither an attacking nor defensive shot and instead hesitated, dangled his bat and feathered a tiny edge through to Sharmarh Brooks. Mayers fully deserved this, his third wicket, and with England now rocking on 39–4, the West Indies had grabbed this Test Match by the scruff of its neck.
Alex Lees (11 not out) and Jonny Bairstow (3 not out) helped England to limp to 43–4 at the Tea Break and still exactly 50 runs behind.
But the afternoon session belonged to the Barbadian bowler Kyle Mayers who finished this session with the fantastic bowling figures of 7 Overs 2 Maidens 7 Runs and 3 Wickets.
3 very precious England wickets.
STUMPS DAY 3: England 103–8. Lead by 10 runs with 2 wickets remaining.
Following the Tea Break, Lees and Bairstow were unhurried and rather untroubled as their partnership of 41 edged England to just 13 runs behind. However, Bairstow’s demise would signal both yet another batting collapse and the commencement again of the Joshua Da Silva and Kyle Mayers double bill. Firstly Da Silva and his on field “banter” with Bairstow. Leading up to Bairstow’s loose swipe at a delivery from Alzarri Joseph that he under edged through to a gleeful Da Silva, both players were caught on the “stump mike” chuntering away at each other, not maliciously, just friendly, edgy conversation, of which Da Silva appeared to accuse Bairstow of batting as slowly as him! The Yorkshireman was dogged defensively and happy to play the anchor role needed by his team to ensure he stayed not out at the wicket and they stay in the game. Da Silva’s remark, if true, was ironically cutting, self effacing and crucially, indicative of the dominance being asserted by his team. The very next ball after all of these on field shenanigans, Bairstow played a dreadful cricketing “mow” and tamely edged a simple catch to his conversational chum behind the stumps.
At 80–5 England were stumbling again and 3 runs later (and still 10 runs behind in the entire Test Match), Ben Foakes hesitated in returning for a second run and this split second hesitation led to his downfall as a spearing throw from the outfield from Kyle Mayers left a routine run out chance for the other member of the afternoon duo, Joshua Da Silva, and Foakes was inexplicably run out for just 1 run.
Whilst all around him were losing their heads, Alex Lees top scored for England with a resolute and obdurate 31 runs from 132 balls but his departure was Mayers 4th wicket and the 5th was soon to follow. Firstly Lees was incredibly unlucky as the uneven bounce of the wicket returned and a low delivery beat his defence before taking his off stump clean out of the ground. Worse was to follow just 4 runs later and with England limping into a pitiful 8 run lead, Mayers produced a brilliant lifting delivery that Craig Overton could only steer at pace toward Jason Holder in the slips. Holder juggled the catch two, maybe three times before safely clutching it and his celebration matched that of bowler Mayers who now had the ridiculous figures and match statistics of 5 Wickets for 9 Runs in this inning, and 7 Wickets for 23 Runs as a match total!
Statistics are everything in Test Match cricket. This morning, the West Indies had a lead of 28 which they increased to 93 and by the close of play, and after taking 8 England wickets, they are now just 2 wickets and 10+ runs away from winning a Test Match they will thoroughly deserve to. I predict this to be around the hour mark in tomorrow morning’s session, but judging on today, what do I know about predictions!
But here’s some more sobering statistics for you: England had 6 single figure scores today and the “Extras” (Wides/Leg Byes/No Balls) total of 20 runs clearly way ahead of any of those 6 batsman, and only 2 behind Bairstow’s score of 22. If Lees had been caught by Blackwood when on just 9 the Test Match may already be over. Jack Leach and Saqib Mahmood bailed England out in the first innings too with their last gasp 90+ run partnership.
England have been abject in this Test Match but take nothing away from tomorrow morning’s victors. Joshua Da Silva is likely the “Man of the Match” unless the other member of their dynamic duo Kyle Mayers bags the final 2 wickets in the morning!
Thanks for reading. Peace to you all.