ST GEORGE’S – West Indies were 71 for three, replying to England’s first innings total of 204, at lunch on the second day of the deciding third Test on Friday at the National Cricket Stadium in the Spice Isle of Grenada.
At the interval, Nkrumah Bonner was not out on one and fellow Jamaica Scorpions batsman and Windies vice-captain Jermaine Blackwood was not out on the same score, after the hosts started batting in the morning session.
West Indies lost three wickets in the final hour before lunch after the opening pair of their captain Kraigg Brathwaite and left-hander John Campbell put on exactly 50 for the first wicket.
But the Windies top-order batsmen became unglued because of the variable bounce of the pitch, taking a few blows to the helmet and body, and the English pacers exploited it to their side’s advantage.
Brathwaite played back and across to a well-pitched, well-directed delivery that kept low from Ben Stokes and was lbw for 17 in the second over after the morning refreshments break.
Shamarh Brooks too, played back and across a well-pitched, well-directed delivery from Saqib Mahmood that also kept low and was lbw for 13 in the final 15 minutes before the interval.
Five balls later, left-handed opener John Campbell gloved a delivery going down the leg-side and was caught behind for 35 from Craig Overton in what turned out to be the penultimate over before the interval.
The three-Test series for the newly-minted Vivian Richards and Ian Botham Trophy is level at 0-0 after the first two Tests in the series – at the Vivian Richards Cricket Ground in Antigua and Kensington Oval in Barbados – were drawn.
Summarised scores:
ENGLAND 204 (Saqib Mahmood 49, Jack Leach 41, Alex Lees 31, Chris Woakes 25, Craig Overton 14; Jayden Seales 3-40, Kyle Mayers 2-13, Alzarri Joseph 2-33, Kemar Roach 2-41).
WEST INDIES 71 for three (John Campbell 35, Kraigg Brathwaite 17, Shamarh Brooks 13).
(AR)
