Tea and Biscuits in the West Indies
Day 2: Grenada. Joshua Da Silva’s precious half century nudges the hosts ahead.
Day 2: Grenada. Joshua Da Silva’s precious half century nudges the hosts ahead.
MORNING SESSION: West Indies 71–3
Mid-session Drinks Break: I rather enjoyed the first hour of play, the highlight of which being John Campbell’s punishment of any wide deliveries as he finished the mini session 30 not out from only 43 balls. The English bowlers seem intent on bowling to their (in)famous “plans” and the plan doesn’t seem to involve bowling at the stumps! Their wide and swinging ever wider deliveries this morning have been pounced upon by Campbell whereas his opening partner and Captain Kraigg Brathwaite has been ever watchful and dogged on his way to just 9 runs within the hour. At 41–0 at the session break, England need a change of bowling and a mighty change in tactical plans.
KRAIGG BRATHWAITE lbw bowled Stokes (17).
15 minutes after the mid-session break England strike for the first time today and the West Indian Captain’s early demise perfectly encapsulated the entire Test Match and perhaps even the series. With the score on 50–0 England finally bowled straight at the stumps and via the vagaries of the bounce on this slow, low and dying wicket the ball from Stokes kept low, trapping Brathwaite absolutely cricketing “dead” in front of his stumps and the West Indian Captain didn’t even bother to review the decision. Soft dying wickets have plagued this entire series and Grenada is only different in that the lack of bounce is already prevalent here early on day 2. Sadly injury has plagued England’s all rounder Ben Stokes and despite taking the wicket he immediately left the field of play. One hopes it’s a brief departure and not a new or recurring injury.
SHARMARH BROOKS lbw bowled Mahmood (13).
The final 45 minutes of the day’s opening session was notable for the worryingly late return to the field of play of Ben Stokes and England’s very noticeable change in tactic with both Mahmood and Craig Overton bowling short pitched balls or cricketing “bouncers”. Brooks’ demise just before the Lunch Break was a mirror image to that of his Captain Kraigg Brathwaite earlier with the ball keeping low before crashing into his pads. He was as “dead” as his Captain earlier and hence did not review the decision either.
JOHN CAMPBELL caught Foakes bowled Overton (35).
Just 1 run and mere minutes later, Campbell gloved a leg side catch to wicketkeeper Ben Foakes and after adding just 5 runs since the mini-session break compared to his 30 in the first hour of play. Overton in particular continually bowled short at him, striking him twice in as many minutes on his batting helmet before “strangling” him in the strange lexicon of cricket with a loose leg side delivery the batsman could and should have watched pass harmlessly by. With 2 wickets for just 1 run, England’s change of tactics had reduced the West Indies from 68–1 to 69–3 and with the lunchtime score of 71–3, this leaves the Test Match perfectly in the balance on a very unpredictable wicket.
AFTERNOON SESSION: West Indies 134–7
The first hour of the afternoon’s play belonged almost exclusively to England bowler Chris Woakes and an hour’s play that rather pleased this particular armchair Captain! England had very definitely changed tactics and were bowling shorter and more crucially straighter, and combined with the unpredictable bounce of a wicket not appropriate for Test Match cricket, the visitors grabbed a firm hold of the game with 3 wickets in the hour’s play.
NKRUMAH BONNER caught Foakes bowled Woakes (4).
The West Indies added 11 runs in the afternoon session with Bonner acquiring a cricketing “life” when on 1 but he added just 3 further runs before feathering an edge through to wicketkeeper Foakes and the West Indies were now 82–4 and wobbling. The wicket was yet another example of the untrustworthy nature of the wicket as Bonner tried to duck a short ball that simply didn’t bounce anywhere near a predictable height and he tamely presented Chris Woakes with the first of 3 quick wickets.
3 balls later…
JASON HOLDER caught Bairstow bowled Woakes (0).
With no addition to the innings score Holder tried to hook a short delivery from Woakes but simply bludgeoned it high and arcing into the safe hands of Jonny Bairstow. The West Indies were tottering on 82–5.
JERMAINE BLACKWOOD lbw bowled Woakes (18).
The West Indian vice-captain had counter attacked whilst wickets tumbled at the other end before he too would receive a low bouncing delivery that was immediately given out LBW (Leg Before Wicket) on the field. His appeal to the DRS (Decision Review System) was in vain, and at 95–6 England enjoyed a firm strangle hold on the game and in exactly the same way that the West Indies had enjoyed on Day 1.
KYLE MAYERS caught Mahmood bowled Stokes (28).
Mayers was the principal partner in a 34 run partnership with a dogged Joshua Da Silva that steadied the West Indian ship in the middle of the afternoon session. His demise at 128–7 was a tame one and a simple catch to Saqib Mahmood or it was a canny piece of bowling from Ben Stokes as he bowled this delivery slightly slower than usual. Either way, the wicket of Mayers left the West Indies in the mire and still 76 runs behind England’s first innings total.
Alzarri Joseph (5 not out) accompanied the West Indies last recognised batsman Joshua Da Silva (6 not out) at the Tea Break with their side 134–7 and still 70 runs short of England’s first innings total. Da Silva in particular has been very circumspect and no doubt mindful that his wicket could be the lynchpin for the remainder of the day and whether the West Indies can claw their way to parity by the close of play today.
Stumps Day 2: West Indies 232–8 (Joshua Da Silva 54 not out).
If today’s first session of play pleased me and the second entertained me, the third and final session intrigued, entertained and pleased the cricketing Test Match purist in me enormously. With the Test Match itself truly in the balance Alzarri Joseph, in the West Indies team primarily as a fast bowler, “charged” and advanced down the wicket to any and every England bowler as he confidently counter attacked to reduce England’s lead to just 27 runs. In an 8th wicket partnership of 49 with Joshua Da Silva, Joseph’s unorthodox approach forced the England bowlers to retreat to plan B of earlier and resume bouncing and pitching short balls to unsettle the batsmen on this indifferent and unpredictable wicket. Unorthodox or not, Joseph’s invaluable contribution of 28 runs steered his team to within 27 runs of England’s first innings total and with Joshua Da Silva still stoically 28 not out at the final mini-session drinks break of the day, the West Indies stood at 182–8 and now just 22 runs behind.
With 10 overs of the day’s play to go, England claimed a new ball having seen their overnight lead of 204 runs now become a 6 run deficit. Kemar Roach joined Joshua Da Silva at the fall of Joseph’s wicket but 33 runs later remained as unbeaten and unmoved as his senior batting partner having received 45 deliveries for his precious 16 runs. Da Silva too had contributed, adding 13 further runs at this final signpost of the end of the day’s play. When stumps were finally drawn 6 overs later, the West Indies lead of 6 had become a very healthy 28 with Kemar Roach still unbeaten on 25 not out and Da Silva, today’s “Man of the Day”, a brilliant and patient 54 not out.
2 days down, fortunes and favourability have fluctuated wildly first to the hosts yesterday before an England fightback, before today’s early dominance from the visitors was counter attacked brilliantly by Kyle Mayers and Joshua Da Silva for the West Indies. A 28 run lead is only really a “healthy” one at this stage and shouldn’t progress to a crucial one tomorrow as a fresh England bowling attack must knock over the final 2 West Indian wickets in quick order. If indeed they do, two things are clear (1) this Test Match is virtually a one inning shoot out now and (2) It’s almost a guaranteed certainty that this match will finish in a positive win rather than the drab draws that have come before it on this tour.
But it’s a one inning game now and any team can win from here on this unpredictable wicket.
See you tomorrow!
Thanks for reading. Linked below is my appraisal of the opening day’s play and within my archives are umpteen more items on this beautiful sport:
Tea and Biscuits in the West Indies
Day 1: Grenada. Leach and Mahmood to the rescue after yet another England batting collapse.medium.com