England v West Indies 3rd Test at Edgbaston
Neil Whitaker reports
Day 1July 27, 2024 11:13 am
FORMER West Indies captain Jason Holder top scored with 59 on the first day of the third and final Rothesay series at Edgbaston and then took two slip catches as England closed on 38 for three.
He shared in a sixth wicket partnership of 109 in 32 overs with wicket keeper Josh Da Silva after the West Indies suffered from their first of two Calypso/Collapso’s of the match. Da Silva looks like an old fashioned wicket keeper, stocky, busy at the crease, looking to keep the scoreboard moving, not like the modern keepers who are athletic, lean and blast the ball to all parts. Coming in behind Holder, he soon overtook him.
On eight Da Silva survived a leg before appeal which England reviewed but the replay showed it to be missing. He glanced Mark Wood off his hips just wide off Jamie Smith to the fine leg boundary to bring up the West Indies two hundred. As the Holder/ Da Silva partnership increased Ben Stokes introduced the tactic of strange fields and amazingly it worked when Woakes kept bringing the ball and then he got one to swing away. Da Silva followed it, nibbled at it, top edged to give Smith an easy catch. Da Silva’s 49 came from 99 balls with three fours.
Holder launched Shoaib Basher over Stokes at mid-off, he connected fully, the next ball and hit Shoaib Basher over long-on for a six to finally overtake Da Silva despite coming in before him. In Shoaib Basher’s next over Holder blasted over long off for a one bounce four.
He waited baseball style for Wood’s short ball and smashed him to the long-off boundary. Holder was the eighth out when he tried to turn Gus Atkinson to leg but the ball swung away from him and clipped the top of the off stump to give Atkinson his third wicket. England used their second review when Holder was hit on the pads by Ben Stokes and was given not out by umpire Adrian Holdstock, the replay showed that Holder had got an inside edge.
Holder said: “The ball was starting to swing a bit more and I tried to be more expansive. It was very tactical at that stage but the ball I got was a decent ball.”
In their first collapse the West Indies went from 76 for none to 115 for five losing five wickets for 39 in 35 balls. Opener Mikyle Louis didn’t move forward or backward and just hung his bat out to one that seamed back in at him from Atkinson and Jamie Smith took an easy catch.
Louis could have been embarrassingly run out before he had scored in the second over, he was hit on his hip bone by Atkinson and set off for a single. He was nearly halfway down the pitch before he realised that Brathwaite had not moved and Louis just beat Smith’s throw. It took him 31 minutes to get off the mark when he dabbed Atkinson out on the offside and set off.
Kirk McKenzie hit three fours in his 13 minute stay at the crease until he had his middle stump uprooted by a 91 mph ball from Mark Wood. On the stroke of lunch Alick Athanaze bottom edged a pull shot and dragged on.
Kragg Brathwaite, who decided to bat after winning the toss, saw his team to lunch but afterwards he gloved a pull off Wood and Smith picked up his second victim. He had looked safe and reliable but on 38 he suddenly chased after a wide ball from Stokes and top edged him just over the slips. He brought his 50 up when he glanced Stokes off his hips for a single. His 50 came from 70 balls with six fours.
Kavem Hodge misjudged a ball from Chris Woakes that came in at him but he didn’t offer a shot and the ball clipped the off stump.
After looking safe and reliable early in his innings, on 38 Brathwaite suddenly chased after a wide ball from Stokes and top edged him just over the slips. He brought his 50 up when he glanced Stokes off his hips for a single. His 50 came from 70 balls with six fours.
Alzarri Joseph tried to hit Woakes over the top but couldn’t clear Stokes at mid-off who took the catch with ball coming over his shoulder. Gudakesh Motie fended off a short ball from Atkinson, the ball looped over Smith who couldn’t take the catch but Joe Root ran behind Smith, dived forward to take the catch.
The innings was wrapped up when Shamar Joseph tried to hit Shoaib Basher over long-off but found Zak Crawley.In their second collapse they lost five wickets for 38 in 14 overs.
For England Atkinson took four for 67 and Woakes three wickets cost him 69 runs.
Ben Duckett survived an early scare on three when he gave Alzarri Joseph a return chance but the bowler couldn’t hold on to it. But his partner wasn’t so lucky after Crawley tried to blast Jayden Seales straight but edged it and Holder took the catch. He got his second wicket when he squared night watchman Wood up,took his outside edge and Holder took an even lower catch.
Duckett soon followed his opening partner back to the hutch, without adding to the score Duckett dragged to Alzarri Joseph. Holder added: “The captain told the bowlers to give everything and there is no doubt that we can knock England over.
But they’ve still got two quality batsmen at the crease but our bowlers were a lot better today. They’ve been guilty of gifting them a few runs.”
Woakes said: “I think Atkinson is making it look easy but credit to him, he has done it on two back to back flat pitches and he has the ability to swing the ball, I am pleased for him.
When you lose the toss and at 12.30 you haven’t got a wicket you think it’s going to be a hard day but we got our rewards for putting the ball in the right areas. We got the ball moving in the air and to get them out for 282 we’re really pleased.
We would have liked to have come in with only one down but we’ve got two quality batsmen at the crease. Our openers try to be positive and attack their bowlers. It’s still a good batting surface but I expect it to spin a bit more and deteriorate.”
Day 2
JAMIE Smith top scored with his highest Test score of 95 as England recovered from 54 for five in the 12th over to 376 all out a lead of 94 and at the close the West Indies were 33 for 2 with eight wickets left and still 61 behind.
Smith showed why he was brought into the team to bat orthodoxy with the tail and then accelerate when the time is right. Early in his innings Smith top edged a pull off Alzarri Joseph over Josh Da Silva’s head for a boundary and then pulled the next ball over square leg which went over the Hollies stand for a massive six.
He said: “It will be a great memory and something to tell the Surrey lads about when I come back with them.”
As well as showing his brutal side he was adapt to playing the delicate shots as shown when he delicately swept Gudakdsh Motie to the fine leg boundary.
He said: “I am very happy to have made 95, the most important thing is that it put the team in a good position. If anyone had told me at the start of the day that I would get 95 I would have taken it.
It was about building partnerships and once we put some pressure on them the runs came quickly,”
The arrival of Chris Woakes, on his home ground to the crease at the fall of Joe Root’s wicket was the signal to Smith to step on the gas. Woakes drove Shamar Joseph excellently to the cover boundary. Spurred on by that, Smith drove off his back foot to the extra cover boundary.
After tea England scored 17 off a Alzarri Joseph over which saw them take the lead and bring up their 300 and probably put the match out of the West Indies reach. Smith pulled Alzarri Joseph to the mid wicket boundary just evading Jayden Seales outstretched right hand at mid-on. Two balls later he pulled Alzarri Joseph to fine leg boundary and thumped the next ball to the mid-on boundary to take Smith to past his previous highest Test score.
With five needed for his century he was expecting a short ball from Shamar Joseph but he got a slower ball that died on him. Smith was committed to the shot and couldn’t adjust to the slower delivery that bowled him. His 95 came from 109 balls with a six and 12 fours. Smith and Woakes added 106 in 20 overs
Woakes reached his eighth Test 50, which came from 65 balls and seven fours, when he dabbed Shamar Joseph to third man for a couple. It was Woakes who took England into the lead when he drove Alzarri Joseph into the covers for a couple. After the explosive shots from Woakes his end was rather tame when he slapped Alzarri Joseph to Kraigg Brathwaite at mid-wicket.
After hitting Alzarri Joseph for consecutive sixes off short balls over fine leg and square leg Gus Atkinson tried to hit the next ball over the mid-wicket boundary he miss hit and found Motie at mid-wicket.
But Woakes wasn’t finished. He squared Brathwaite up and the ball came in and hit his off stump. The West Indies should have been two down when Mikyle Louis on nine drove Woakes and Stokes and mid-off dropped a sitter. The West Indies did go two down in the next over when Kirk McKenzie edged Atkinson but didn’t move his feet.
The West Indies got an early breakthrough in the third over of the morning when Ollie Pope got an inside edge to Shamar Joseph and played on losing his middle stump. Pope had tried to cut a ball which was full and too close to him.
In the next over Brook became Seales 50th Test victim when he edged a lose drive which moved away from him a bit to give stumper Da Silva catching practice.
It could have been better for the West Indies if they had reviewed a leg before shout against Root, on three, off Seales in the second over of the day. The replay showed it to be hitting leg stump. To rub salt into the West Indies wounds Root went on to hit 87 and shared in a sixth wicket partnership of 115 in 23 overs with Stokes
On 13 Root he clipped Seales off his legs for a single to fine leg to overtake Brian Lara to become seventh in the list of all time leading Test run scorers and during his innings he passed 12,000 runs. Root drove Alzarri Joseph to the cover boundary to avoid the follow-on. He brought up his 50 when he tucked Jason Holder off his legs for a single off 68 balls with four fours.
On the unlucky Australian number of 87, Root pushed forward at Motie but missed the ball which skidded hitting his front pad on to his back pad back pad and was adjudged leg before. His 87 came from 124 balls with seven fours. With Smith they added 62 in 14 overs.
As we now have become accustomed to Stokes was circumspect at the beginning of his innings taking 41 balls for his first 23 runs. But once he had reached 30 he threw the shackles off and charged Holder and slashed him to the cover boundary. He swept other over the square leg boundary to bring up England’s 150. After lunch he carried on in the same vein and pulled the first ball after lunch from Alzarri Joseph backward square for a four.
But it was Alzarri Joseph who had the last laugh when Stokes tried to pull him to the mid wicket boundary but instead of finding the boundary he found Brathwaite at square mid wicket and Alzarri Joseph’s 100th Test victim.
Sea,es said: “We started pretty well with the ball and put them under pressure, but full kudos to them. We showed great fight with the ball yesterday and this morning, but we need to do it more consistently. We bowled well as a group and we forced them to go for it and score more quickly, it didn’t go our way.”
I was terrible at Trent Bridge but here I’ve been better because I’ve felt more in control. I thought Smith was a compulsive hooker and I felt that if we had stuck with the short bowling that he would have holed out.”
Day 3
MARK Wood took five wickets for nine runs in six overs, including three in the final over,after lunch to wrap the West Indies second innings up as England completed a three nil series victory over the West Indies.
His first victim in the devastating spell was Josh Da Silva. In the first over after lunch Da Silva was hit on the pads by Wood who was convinced Da Silva was out but umpire Adrian Holdstock was unmoved so England reviewed it. The replay showed it to be umpires’ call.
Da Silva was then given a rough time by Wood who he couldn’t get away. When Wood swung one back in at him and hit his back pad De Silva was walking back to the hutch before umpire Holdstock’s finger was up.
Wood got his second wicket of the innings when he got one to come back in and knock Alzarri Joseph’s middle stump out of the ground. Kavem Hodge who was starved of the strike after lunch prodded at a fullish ball from Wood edged and gave Jamie Smith an easy catch.
Wood hit Jayden Seales on the helmet and his next ball sent Seales’ off stump cartwheeling out of the ground. Shamar Joseph drove Wood to the cover boundary but steared the next ball to Harry Brook at third slip.
The West Indies scorecard included two 50’s, two batsmen scored 12 and there were 12 extras. Mikyle Louis, the darling of the Hollies stand on Saturday, top scored with 57.
Needing 82 to win, Ben Stokes opened England’s second innings in place of Zak Crawley,who had gone to hospital for a scan after injuring his finger when he dropped a catch, and hit three consecutive boundaries off Alzarri Joseph’s first over. He was a man in a hurry as he hit two consecutive boundaries off Seales first over.
England’s 50 came up in the fifth over. He pulled Shamar Joseph for a six over mid wicket to take him to 50 from 24 balls, the fastest 50 by an England player. With two runs needed to win, West Indies captain Kraig Brathwaite brought himself on. Stokes hit a full toss round the corner for a six to win the match.
Stokes said: “Needing only 82 to win,I opened because I wanted everyone to bat in the same position. The spell from Wood was phenomenal but I still think that he hasn’t got the rewards that he should have. It was one of the best reverse swing performances that I have seen in a long time. It was just awesome.
I think that Gus Atkinson and Smith have both been phenomenal and performed above what people expected. Smith has put in some unbelievable performances with the bat and has shown his ability to read a game. He seems to have everything and I love seeing players do well.
We go out to win every single game.”
At lunch there was no expectation of the carnage to come later. In the morning session it looked like the West Indies would take the match into the evening session. In the sixth over of the day Alick Athanaze on seven cut Wood and the ball flew to Brook at third slip who put his hands up but it wouldn’t stick. In the next over Athanaze tried to sweep Shoaib Basher but missed the ball and umpire Nintin Menon had no hesitation in firing him out.
Wood kept angling the ball in and squared Hodge up who edged Wood for streaky four to the third man boundary. In Wood’s next over Hodge pulled him off hips in a typical Caribbean manner reminiscent of Gordon Greenidge and he stroked the next ball gracefully to the extra cover boundary.
Louis drove Stokes to the extra cover boundary to take him into 40’s for the first time in the series. Maybe Hodge and Louis would take the West Indies to tea with a lead that would test England.
The West Indies wiped out the deficit in the first hour for the loss of Athanaze.
Louis reached his first Test 50 in the grand style by launching Shoaib Basher for a straight six. His 50 came off 85 balls with four fours and that six. In Shoaib Basher’s next over, Louis repeated the same shot with the same result this over long-on.
Stokes said: “I said to Hodge that by hitting those sixes that Louis and caused the ball to reverse swing.”
Louis gave Crawley at second slip some catching practice off Stokes which Crawley gratefully accepted. With Hodge he added 72 in 13 overs and hit four fours and those two sixes off 95 balls.
Hodge squeezed a yorker from Stokes to the cover boundary. He reached his second 50 of the series and his third Test 50 in all when he dabbed Chris Woakes out on the onside and called Jason Holder for a quick one. His 50 came from 56 balls with seven fours.The next ball umpire Menon at the City end gave Holder out when Atkinson jagged one back in at him and hit him on the knee roll. Holder reviewed it immeadiately but the replay showed it to be clipping the leg stump.
Earlier Holder flicked Woakes to the mid wicket boundary. On 12 he poked at Stokes edged him but Crawley at second slip moving to his right dropped a comfortable slip catch. But that was where his luck ran out.
West Indies head coach Andre Coley said: “Having taken three wickets on the first day our plan was to get England out for less than 300 so that was a missed opportunity. We have competed better and showed a lot of effort in the last two Tests. De Silva and Holder showed some good form. Results are important but the focus for us going forward are the processes because you are not going to get good performances every day. This tour has been good preparation for the series against South Africa.
Louis has shown good intent on the front foot.but by his own admission it exploits his game. This tour has been an eye opener for him and the other players.
I think without doubt that Wood is the fastest bowler we have faced. It was a step learning curve for the batters.”