Key events
I’m going to go grab a bite.
While you nibble on your lunch take a read of this exclusive from Matt Hughes.
The Hundred could become a bog-standard T20 competition but will keep it’s name. Confused? Take a gaze at this:
WICKET! S Joseph c Atkinson b Wood 29 (West Indies all-out for 457)
Wood finally gets one! The ball before Joseph was almost bowled as he swiped at a full ball from Wood. That prompted a talking to from Da Silva who told his number 11 to stay calm. But the next ball off a length found a leading edge that spooned to Atkinson at mid-on. Da Silva, on his haunches, remains not-out on 82. What a remarkable knock from him.
A 10th wicket stand of 71 takes the West Indies to a lead of 41.
That’ll be lunch.
111th over: West Indies 453-9 (Da Silva 82, S Joseph 29) 4,4,4,6! Da Silva takes Root to the cleaners to hammer the final four balls to the fence. The first boundary and the six off the last ball were lofted swats towards long-on. Between them two sweeps found acres of space backward of square. A 10th wicket stand now worth 67 has catapulted the tourists into a 37 run lead.
Couldn’t agree more. Stokes has made a mess of this.
110th over: West Indies 435-9 (Da Silva 64, S Joseph 29) Da Silva gets a single and then Joseph tickles Bashir’s arm ball fine on the leg side for four runs. The England spinner holds his head in his hands. What a dramatic shift in this game. England had a 30 run lead when the ninth wicket fell. They’re now trailing by 19.
109th over: West Indies 430-9 (Da Silva 63, S Joseph 25) Root’s first over is pretty innocuous. Just one run for Da Silva who will face Bahsir first up. This really has been a tremendous knock from Da Silva who calls for the baggy maroon cap with spin at both ends. A partnership of 44 now for the 10th wicket.
That was Tino Best with 95 in Birminghmam, btw.
T
We’ll play an extra half hour before taking lunch.
Or England will pick up the one wicket they need. Whichever comes first.
Joe Root into the attack. Maybe Stokes is reading the OBO?
108th over: West Indies 429-9 (Da Silva 62, S Joseph 25) Da Silva picks up three runs and keeps the strike for the next over. He gets two with a swat into the deep on the leg side that splits the two boundary riders. Then Stokes brings the field up and Da Silva slogs over the top. It’s an ugly stroke, but he got enough on it to clear the ring field.
“Any idea why Joe hasn’t been given the ball at all?”
It’s a good question, Evelyn Williames. I was starting to wonder why the front-line spinner, Shoaib Bashir, hadn’t got a go yet.
But he’s got his cap off and is twirling the ball between his fingers for a little crack before lunch.
Besides a slip in place, every other fielder is on the rope.
107th over: West Indies 426-9 (Da Silva 49, S Joseph 25) Shamar Jospeh, the West Indies number 11 with a first class average of 9.61, spanks two mighty sixes from outrageous pull shots against Atkinson. He’s into position so early and with a flashing blade crunches two of the best examples of the stroke you’ll ever see. Atkinson sticks with the short ball and Joseph catches a top edge that flies over Smith’s head for four. The West Indies have a 10 run lead!
106th over: West Indies 410-9 (Da Silva 59, S Joseph 9) Da Silva lets out a cry of frustration as he can’t find the gap to keep the strike off the final ball. He had opportunities to take the single earlier in the Wood over, but declined. Or maybe Shamar Jospeh declined. Who can blame him?
Do you have a strong opinion about gifting the number 11 a single to keep him on strike? What about giving the set batter a single to make sure he gets off strike?
Anthony Bradley has some thoughts on the matter:
Hi Daniel. Am I the only one who thinks “giving a single” to a batter is arse about face as we say in Yorkshire? When I bowled at a modest level of league cricket I didn’t want to give the bloody batter anything. The best way to curb the scoring is to get the batter back in the hut.
105th over: West Indies 410-9 (Da Silva 59, S Joseph 9) Woakes is out of the attack – not five-for for him (yet). Atkinson comes on and is immediately spanked by Shamar Jospeh who plays a textbook perfect hook shot, threading the gap between the deep backward square and fine leg. He then takes a single, as does Da Silva as the partnership swells to 24 and the deficit shrinks to just six.
104th over: West Indies 404-9 (Da Silva 58, S Joseph 4) Da Silva backs away and swipes at a lifting short ball from Wood. He gets enough bat on it and it sails up and over the rope behind the keeper for six. They all count. That brings up the 400 for the West Indies. What a wonderful response this has been. They couldn’t bat for 90 overs across both innings at Lord’s. Now they’re 12 runs away from England’s first innings score.
103rd over: West Indies 398-9 (Da Silva 52, S Joseph 4) Woakes is around the wicket to S Joseph as he searches for a five-for. But the number 11 is up to the task. His firmly struck cut shot is well fielded by the man at point but there’s no one on earth tall enough to grab his lofted drive down the ground. A lovely flow of the bat shows he’s no mug. What a way to get off the mark. Only 18 runs separates the sides. That was Woakes’ 10th over. Even though he’s chasing a milestone I think that might be that. One more maybe if Stokes is feeling generous.
102nd over: West Indies 394-9 (Da Silva 52, S Joseph 0) Da Silva turns down the easy single off the pen ultimate ball of this Wood over and then whacks the final delivery for six over extra cover to bring up his fifty. He backs away, clears the front foot and carves an outrageous stroke off the middle of the bat. This has been a fantastic innings from the ‘keeper. Deficit cut down to 22.
10st over: West Indies 388-9 (Da Silva 46, S Joseph 0) On they go. Joseph survives as he swishes at a full ball that squeezes between bat and stumps. Da Silva, ticking along, picks up a single which means he’ll face Wood. The deficit is down to just 28. File these runs under V for ‘Valuable’.
Can anyone top this in the age old debate?
100th over: West Indies 387-9 (Da Silva 45, S Joseph 0) Da Silva keeps the strike with a cut down to a wide deep third off the final ball of this Wood over. I think Stokes could have done more to avoid that happening with a tighter ring field. Da Silva is almost caught at a finer deep third after slashing at a fuller one, but it bounced just short of Root and ended with a dot ball after some confusion between the batters. Good result though for the tourists.
Six slips, a short leg and a man at midwicket. Can Woakes ge tthe five-for?
No! Because Shamar Joseph comes out of his crease and smothers the attempted yorker. Wonderful!
99th over: West Indies 386-9 (Da Silva 44, S Joseph 0)
WICKET! Seals b Woakes 0 (West Indies 386-9)
Woakes is on a hat-trick! Perfect to the new left hander. On a full length, angled back in through the gate and hitting the top of off. Lovely from Woakes.
WICKET! A Joseph c Smith b Woakes 10 (West Indies 386-8)
Woakes gets another! A loose drive gets a feather and is safely pouched by Smith diving forward to his right. A rash shot from Joseph who just lost his shape to the teasing wobble ball. Jospeh didn’t walk and instead waited for the Adrian Holstock’s finger. That annoyed Woakes, not sure why. Anyway, Woakes is rewarded for his hard work this morning.
Colum Fordham is following on from my favourite place in the world, a Greek beach!
Mate, I hope it’s delicious. Have a plate of crispy squid and an ice cold Mythos for me!
Morning Daniel,
Following the OBO from afar as this deliciously poised test match progresses. A lovely Greek beach and test cricket are as close to heaven as you can get, the only aesthetic diwnside being a Greek Trump doppelganger lounging in the water like an alligator with his hat on as Greeks are wont to do.
Woakes seems to be bringing his inner Hadlee to Trent Bridge and giving the Windies batsmen a fair few problems. Maybe time for Stokes to break this partnership with his own bowling?
Yes, I think Stokes could be a go here. Especially if it’s moving. One more at least from Woakes though.
98th over: West Indies 385-7 (Da Silva 43, Joseph 10) The end of the first hour and it’s drinks. Wood isn’t quite reaching the speeds he recorded yesterday but he is north of 90 mph. Smith concedes his first byes as a very full ball shoots through at ankle height and burst through he legs for four. Da Silva is not protecting his partner, taking a two off the first ball with a nudge off his hips and then a single past mid-on to a full ball. Joseph ducks under a menacing bouncer and looks comfortable for the rest of the set.
Wood into the attack!
Stephen Nicholson has this to say on the ‘best keeper versus the keeper-batter’ debate:
I mentioned on the first day of this test that the issue of the best wicket keeper v the best batter who could keep wicket was there in the 1960s with Jim Parks (who was the latter) and John Murray (who was the former). Reaching a few years further back into my childhood, can I offer you the Yorkshire wicket-keeper Jimmy Binks. Here are a couple of extracts from his entry in Wikipedia:
Although he was regarded by many as the best wicket-keeper of his generation, his limited batting ability restricted him to just two Test match appearances for England, both on the 1963-64 tour to India. Ironically, because of injuries to other players, he opened the batting in three of his four Test innings… Binks’ Yorkshire colleague Fred Trueman said that the “greatest injustice of all” (by the England selectors) was their limitation of Binks to only two Tests. In Trueman’s opinion, Binks was “far and away the best wicket-keeper in the country after Godfrey Evans“ and several of those selected ahead of him were “nowhere near as good”.
97th over: West Indies 378-7 (Da Silva 40, Joseph 10) Three more singles from this Woakes over. A bit of movement through the air when he pitches it up. Both batters are getting into a groove after those initial concerns around the fifth stump line.
96th over: West Indies 375-7 (Da Silva 38, Joseph 9) They’re ticking along, the West Indians, taking three off this Atkinson over. They’re not dominating the attack but I like the way they’re staying in the fight. One wide at the top of the over after Atkinson misdirects a bouncer and a pair of singles are added to the score. Tight lines from England. They need to stay patient here.
95th over: West Indies 372-7 (Da Silva 37, Joseph 8) A bit of uneven bounce and movement both ways, this is a very different proposition for the batters today. Woakes is looking to bring the ball back into Da Silva after a couple of away seamers. Da Silva leans into a drive and gets an inside edge onto his pad. A single apiece takes two off the deficit, bringing it down to 44.
94th over: West Indies 370-7 (Da Silva 36, Joseph 7) Stokes puts down a catch in the covers! It was a very tough chance. Atkinson landed a back of a length ball to Joseph who tried to work it with the angle into the leg side. He caught it with a leading edge which spooned into the covers. Stokes ran in and dived at it with one hand but couldn’t hold on as his arm hit the turf. A half chance, but one we now expect Stokes to take every time.
93rd over: West Indies 370-7 (Da Silva 36, Joseph 7) Woakes beats Da Silva’s edge twice in the over. How he hasn’t nicked one is beyond me. Woakes is angling in and straightening it off a good length. It really is terrific bowling. As a batter you just have to hope that you don’t get anything on it. He’s beaten again, but this time as he goes searching for a drive on the front foot. That’s five near misses for the Windies ‘keeper by my count.
Jamie Smith has been great behind the stumps.
Of course this means there’ll be plenty of discourse around his selection in the near future. As Tom V d Gucht points says:
Morning,
Great to see Jamie Smith starting so well. I must admit, I’d raised my eyebrows at his selection initially, but having watched the highlights, he looks impressive.
The only question now is who his wicket keeping nemesis will be in the eternal England duel between pure keeper and batsman keeper all-rounder. He joins the rich heritage including: Knot vs Taylor; Stewart vs Russell; Read / Foster vs Jones; Ambrose vs Prior; Bairstow vs Buttler; buttler vs Foakes; Bairstow vs Foakes…. I’m excited to see who picks up the mantle next.
92nd over: West Indies 369-7 (Da Silva 36, Joseph 6) Atkinson spins Da Silva like a top with a proper jaffa from short of a length, angling in and straightening off the deck. He goes fuller with the next delivery and beats the bat again. Top bowling. Joseph pickes up a single from an in-swinger that’s pushed towards square leg.
91st over: West Indies (Da Silva 36, Joseph 5) Alzarri Joseph clips his first ball for four through midwicket as if he were the second coming of Viv Richards. He played some gorgeous drives at Lord’s and that’s another delightful stroke. The fella can play! He’ll keep the strike with a single. Da Silva isn’t in farming mood yet as he ticks along with a single of his own.
WICKET! Sinclair c Brook b Atkinson 4 (West Indies 362-7)
A sharp grab in the cordon and the West Indies are teetering! Full from Atkinson from the final ball of the over, Sinclair couldn’t resist the width on offer. But he was playing from his crease so his head was nowhere near the ball. A thick edge flies towards Brook in a wide third slip position and he holds on well around head height.
90th over: West Indies 362-7 (Da Silva 35).
89th over: West Indies 360-6 (Da Silva 34, Sinclair 3) There’s a run-out chance as Sinclair’s swishing cut is mistimed into the covers. Pope scampers to field and throws at the stumps from his knees. By his reaction it was pretty close. Sinclair had already given up as he ambled towards the non-striker’s end. A single for Da Silva at the top of the over is a sign that he won’t be farming the strike just yet. He might do against Atkinson and Wood.
Krishna Moorthy is hedging his bets with these predictions:
Good morning Daniel
My take on who is the winner between day 1 and day 2
While WI scored 60 runs less, they managed to NOT lose an additional 5 wickets
All tge omens lead to a capitulation of England in the second innings and
1. WI winning the second test by knocking off the required runs by day 4
Or
2. WI implodes and give away a 2-0 lead.
88th over: West Indies 358-6 (Da Silva 33, Sinclair 2) Good pace from Atkinson. Unlike Wood he requires a few overs to get up to speed but he’s cranking it up. Sinclair picks up another single with a squirt past gully. Da Silva keeps the strike with a clip behind square.
87th over: West Indies 356-6 (Da Silva 32, Sinclair 1) Woakes has come under criticism this series but it’s his early wicket that has England up and running. Classic wobble seam on a good length. He makes it look simple when he gets it right. Sinclair, the new man in, gets off the mark with a single in the deep from a swiping pull shot.
WICKET! Holder c Smith b Woakes 27 (West Indies 355-6)
Got him! Woakes lands on one a good length, brings Holder forward and compels him to prod away from his body. It looks soft but one of those that either takes the edge or it doesn’t. This one does and Smith could have caught that with his eyes closed. Good start for England who are now into the bowlers.
86th over: West Indies 355-5 (Holder 27, Da Silva 32) Atkinson opens up the Stuart Broad end and begins with a maiden. The highlight from that over was a great take from Smith behind the stumps with the gloves on. he’s had a terrific start to his Test career. He’s yet to concede a bye.
Gary Naylor is at Trent Bridge, sitting in the front row of the media centre (which is a great place to watch cricket) and is in a reflective mood:
“Muggy and oppressive, this is the kind of morning that Hadlee and Rice would roll Essex for 80-odd. A first hour of 30-1 might suit England more than 30-4, as I’m not sure I’d want to be batting for too long before lunch. Ben needs to ask Joe about how to set negative fields.”
85th over: West Indies 355-5 (Holder 27, Da Silva 32) Woakes opens up the day and is angling into Holder. His final ball of the over is a half volley and the big unit leans forward and unfurls a gorgeous drive down the ground. Fifty partnership up for these two.
Right, here we go! Start of the third day. It looks muggy out there. Could help the bowlers.
For the second day in a row, Simon Dennis emerges as a hero, providing the TMS link for overseas listeners.
Hat tip to you Simon. You’re doing the Lord’s work.
We’ve got our first email of the morning and it’s from Martin O’Donovan-Wright:
Morning Daniel,
Yes, I’m going to be that guy, the ‘keeper of the flame’ test addict, but I feel it’s defensible because it doesn’t get much better than this: an even contest, with a guy firing down thunderbolts from one end, a tweaker probing from the other, against two well set bats who have to re-establish themselves at the start of a new day… I bloody love test cricket.
“I’ve got a wife and kids!”
How good is this from Kaven Hodge, the West Indian centurion who faced up the unreal heat delivered by Mark Wood.
93.9, 96.1, 95.2, 92.2, 96.5, 95.2.
Those are the speeds recorded by Mark Wood yesterday in a single over.
As Simon Burnton writes, “It was the fastest over bowled by an English bowler in this country since records began in 2006, a title it held for something in the region of 10 minutes, the time it took for him to bowl a second. That record survived until he bowled his third”
England are sweating over mark Wood’s fitness. He was sensational yesterday, delivering some of the fastest bowling I’ve ever seen, hurtling overs that didn’t include a ball slower than 90mph.
Hopefully he’s OK.
Preamble
Daniel Gallan
Sound the delicately poised klaxon, we’ve got a Test match on our hands!
And who’d have thought after the capitulation of the West Indian batters at Lord’s that we’d be here, at the start of day three of the second in the series, with the tourists trailing by a mere 65 runs with five wickets in hand on a great batting deck.
After England notched 416 on the first day, with Ollie Pope’s 121 leading the Bazball supercharge, the West Indies kicked off under brilliant blue skies in Nottingham and went to work.
Some soft dismissals curtailed their reply, but a controlled 175-run stand for the fourth wicket between the classy Alick Athanaze – dismissed for 82 – and the resolute Kavem Hodge – who peeled off a wonderful 120, his first ever Test ton – put the Islanders back in the game. It was a partnership built on gumption and guile as they repelled the searing heat of Mark Wood who reached blistering speeds of 97.5 mph.
Jason Holder (23*) and Joshua Da Silva (32*) survived some scares but will resume their union worth 46-runs. Reaching parity will be their primary aim. Do that and we could have an unlikely upset forming over the horizon.
I’m buzzing for this. If you are too then please feel free to drop me an email. I promise I read them all and welcome any thought you may have no matter how whacky or niche.
Play resumes at 11am BST. I’ll fill the blog with bits and bobs til then.