Star Metro - England take three early wickets in victory push

Having opted to declare his team's second innings at 185 for six at the end of a rain-interrupted first session, England skipper Joe Root featured in two of the three early dismissals to lift his tally of Test catches to 151, with the home side sliding into early trouble at 39 for three at the start of the afternoon session.

The hosts had been set an improbable 282 to win in two sessions.

West Indies captain Brathwaite (32 not out) and his vice-captain Blackwood (14 not out) have since defied their opponents for 18 overs with Root exploring all his bowling options, including himself, in pursuit of more success.

Left-arm spinner Jack Leach, identified as a potential match-winner for England, struck in his first over when Brathwaite's opening partner, John Campbell, was caught off bat and pad by Alex Lees at silly point.

However it was Saqib Mahmood, one of England's two debutants in their bowling attack, who claimed the other two wickets with assistance from his skipper.

Shamarh Brooks hung his bat outside the off-stump and Zak Crawley juggled with the chance at second slip before an alert Root completed the catch.

There was no such drama though when Mahmood drew an edge from Nkrumah Bonner's bat four overs later for the captain to make no mistake at first slip.

- Selfless England batters -

While their run-scoring efforts in the morning session were frustrated by several brief stoppages for rain, the visitors still achieved their objective in putting the match beyond the reach of the home side as attacking innings from Dan Lawrence (41) and opener Zak Crawley (40) led a selfless effort in which every England batter who came to the crease eschewed caution in prioritising the team cause.

Left-arm spinner Veerasammy Permaul and pacer Jayden Seales were the prime bowling beneficiaries of that unrestrained aggression, both taking two wickets each while senior fast bowler Kemar Roach and the other seamer in the West Indies armoury, Alzarri Joseph, took a wicket apiece.

Notwithstanding their clear intent from the moment the innings resumed at the overnight position of 40 without loss, there was an odd passage of play as the lunch interval approached following the dismissal of Lawrence via a catch by Joseph at long-on off Seales.

Obviously playing to instructions, Ben Foakes and Chris Woakes were then content picking up singles until the break, abandoning the unrestrained power-hitting of those who preceded them at the crease.

England were in a similar situation at the end of the first Test a week earlier in Antigua, where after setting the home side a target of 286, they reduced the West Indies to 67 for four just after tea before man-of-the-match Bonner and former captain Jason Holder batted through the rest of the afternoon to ensure a draw.

S.Morin--SMC