Key events
56th over: West Indies 209-5 (Holder 48, Da Silva 44) Lovely bowling from Bashir, who induces a loose stroke across the line from Da Silva. The ball loops off a leading edge and lands safely in the covers.
55th over: West Indies 207-5 (Holder 47, Da Silva 43) Wood continues peppering the batters from round the wicket. There are fielders at leg slip, short leg and long leg, but Da Silva is assured enough to work the ball fine for four. Nicely played.
Holder’s approach is different; later in the over he clears his front leg and clouts Wood over midwicket for four. One wicket is all England need to validate this approach. For now, West Indies are picking up runs with relative ease.
54th over: West Indies 195-5 (Holder 42, Da Silva 36) Bashir almost strikes in the first over after tea. Da Silva, surprised by a bit of extra bounce, turns the ball just short of Pope at leg slip and through his legs for a single.
Interesting to note that Stokes has pushed mid-on and midwicket back for Holder, who gave Bashir a bit of tap before tea. There’s an argument he wouldn’t have done that a year ago.
“Not sure I would pair a claret with a chicken TM,” says Andrew Cosgrove. “I would favour a punchy white like an NZ riesling.”
I’ve never understood this culture of pairing food and wine. Isn’t it all just booze?
(I jest. Not even I’m that much of a heathen. Now pass me the Monster Munch and Lambrini.)
Teatime reading
This is really good, and the book is even better.
Tea
That’s an impressive recovery from West Indies, who were facing another clip of the Giant from Twin Peaks when they slipped for 76 for 0 to 115 for 5. But the level-headed pair of Jason Holder and Joshua Da Silva regrouped, first patiently and then punchily when Shoaib Bashir came into the attack.
They’ve added 79 in 23.1 overs; the challenge now is to double that, and then some, in the 27 overs before England can take the second new ball.
53rd over: West Indies 194-5 (Holder 42, Da Silva 35) Wood gets his line and length just right, hitting Holder on the glove from round the wicket. There’s no pace in this pitch, though sometimes that can make the short ball even more awkward to play.
Wood continues to flog the dead pitch and is safely pulled for three singles. That’s tea.
“I always thought World Series Cricket was the high-water mark of hirsute cricketers,” says Gary Naylor, “but this photo suggests not. However, what a photo!”
52nd over: West Indies 191-5 (Holder 41, Da Silva 33) A worried Holder snaps his head round after inside-edging Holder past leg stump. He continues to attack Bashir when the ball is tossed up; this time he clatters a lofted drive over mid-off for four. Bashir’s five overs have cost 35.
“I has been planning to spend a day in the Hollies Stand on Monday in character as my alter ego the Bishop of Blatherwycke & Glapthorn, but as it looks as though the game will be over in three days could you let OBO readers know that the Bishop will instead be available to perform his usual Monday morning exorcisms in the church car park in Blatherwycke, at the normal flat rate of £250 cash and a chicken tikka masala and bottle of claret,” says Kim Thonger. “Punters should form an orderly queue and not park on the grass verge. Most kind.”
I must confess: when I replied to Wisden Cricket Monthly’s work experience advert 25 years ago, I didn’t envisage it leading to Blatherwycke, a chicken tikka masala and an unspecified bottle of claret.
51st over: West Indies 183-5 (Holder 36, Da Silva 30) Atkinson off, Wood on. He starts with a slower bouncer that beats Da Silva’s attempted pull; I think it got stuck in the pitch. Wood moves around the wicket and is easily milked for a couple of singles.
At this precise moment in time, at least three and possibly all five of the West Indies’ top order are giving themselves a brollocking: they’ve left a lot of runs out there.
“Unlike John Starbuck, I don’t know where I stand on the the hirsutometer,” writes Ant. “My teenage daughter took one look at my admittedly awful beard yesterday and told me I look like a toddler who’s been allowed to play with loose leaf tea and a Pritt Stick. God – I love her.”
50th over: West Indies 181-5 (Holder 35, Da Silva 29) Holder accepts Ben Stokes’ invitation and drives successive Bashir deliveries over mid-on for four and six. Good game, good game.
49th over: West Indies 170-5 (Holder 25, Da Silva 28) Atkinson’s surprise fuller is driven for three by Holder, with a couple more singles making it a good over for West Indies. This partnership has been a lesson in taking it one ball at a time. The match situation doesn’t look great for West Indies – but right here, right now, there are runs to be scored out there.
“All the talk about Wood hitting 100mph reminded me that Wood’s 100 used to be a notoriously strong rum they sold in my village pub as a teenager, The Old White Bear,” writes Tom. “They also used to brew their own beer that was £1.25 a pint when I first visited in 1996. From my paper round, I could afford four pints and a packet of Pork Scratchings after scouts before heading home to watch Eurotrash – great days.”
48th over: West Indies 165-5 (Holder 22, Da Silva 26) Holder laps Bashir deftly for four to bring up a patient, clear-headed fifty partnership. England will have to work hard to break this partnership as batting looks very comfortable now.
47th over: West Indies 158-5 (Holder 16, Da Silva 25) A-ha, Gus Atkinson has changed ends to replace Stokes. His remit, with the old ball no longer swinging, is to bowl a bit of rough stuff. For now West Indies are resisting whatever temptation England offer them and it’s another low-key over.
“On TMS they’ve just mentioned ‘the beardless Smith’,” notes John Starbuck. “Is this because they want him to become fully hirsute and constitute a majority in the team? The Australians used to be extremely hairy, I recollect, back in the day. Rather like me.”
46th over: West Indies 156-5 (Holder 15, Da Silva 24) Just a couple of singles in Bashir’s second over. Stokes has mid-off and mid-on up as always, inviting the lofted straight drive.
45th over: West Indies 154-5 (Holder 14, Da Silva 23) Da Silva, who is inadvertently monopolising the strike, works Stokes’ fourth ball for a single to bring up the 150. Holder makes up for lost balls by cuffing a poor delivery through point for four.
44th over: West Indies 149-5 (Holder 10, Da Silva 22) Ben Stokes has had enough of the stalemate: he’s bringing on Shoaib Bashir for Gus Atkinson, who bowled only a couple of overs in that spell. Da Silva slaps his first ball over midwicket for four, a nice statement of intent and the first deliberately played boundary in 13 overs.
43rd over: West Indies 142-5 (Holder 10, Da Silva 15) Stokes has a couple of strangled shouts for LBW against Da Silva. Both were too high, though the second was closer. A single off the last ball makes it 23 from the last 13 overs.
42nd over: West Indies 141-5 (Holder 10, Da Silva 14) Groundhog over: Da Silva takes a single, Holder defends the rest.
41st over: West Indies 140-5 (Holder 10, Da Silva 13) Another good over from Stokes. England are using discipline and accuracy as their weapons, making West Indies play at almost everything. There have been only 11 runs from the last seven overs, and four of those came off the inside-edge.
40th over: West Indies 139-5 (Holder 10, Da Silva 12) Cheers Taha, hello everyone. Gus Atkinson is back in place of Woakes, hunting his 19th wicket of the series. Nobody else has more than ten.
A textbook yorker is dug out by Holder, who then hits mid-off with a handsome drive. One from the over.
Taha Hashim
39th over: West Indies 138-5 (Holder 10, Da Silva 11) Stokes hoops an inswinger into Da Silva that nearly chops the batter into two. This Dukes ball refuses to stop misbehaving; next up is an outswinger that beats the bat. That’ll be drinks and the end of my stint. Say hello to Rob Smyth.
38th over: West Indies 137-5 (Holder 10, Da Silva 10) Out of nowhere, Woakes delivers a slower ball to try and flummox Da Silva. Always love seeing white-ball variations come into the Test game; I’ve never understood why we don’t see more of them.
37th over: West Indies 136-5 (Holder 10, Da Silva 9) Holder has some luck as an inside edge off Stokes evades the stumps and runs away for four. Stokes finishes the over by slapping Holder’s pads … the umpire says no. England review, but I reckon there may have been an inside edge. Once again, I am completely right.
36th over: West Indies 132-5 (Holder 6, Da Silva 9) Woakes’ inswinger is too straight, going down the leg side. He thuds the next ball into Da Silva’s pads, prompting a big shout. Looked to me like it was going down leg … England review it. Call me Umps: the ball is shown to be missing the stumps.
35th over: West Indies 130-5 (Holder 5, Da Silva 8) Wood is granted a well-deserved breather as Stokes returns for another spell. The England captain oversteps for a no-ball but otherwise doesn’t give Holder any room to attack.
34th over: West Indies 129-5 (Holder 5, Da Silva 8) Holder drives Woakes straight … but hits the stumps. A punch through point gives him three.
33rd over: West Indies 125-5 (Holder 2, Da Silva 7) Wood’s toil continues as West Indies pick up a couple more, Da Silva and Holder just trying to calm things down after the collapse.
32nd over: West Indies 123-5 (Holder 1, Da Silva 7) Da Silva, who’d probably be higher up the order if he wasn’t a gloveman, whips away to bring Holder on to strike. A Woakes inswinger nearly sneaks through Holder’s defence before the blade, resembling an autograph bat in the big man’s hands, gets down at the last second.
31st over: West Indies 119-5 (Holder 0, Da Silva 4) Wood pitches the ball up and lets it swing against Holder, who is resolute in defence.
30th over: West Indies 119-5 (Holder 0, Da Silva 4) Da Silva, the keeper, is positive, advancing down the pitch to punch Woakes through point for a boundary.
WICKET! Hodge b Woakes 13 (West Indies 115-5)
Another one! Hodge leaves the ball from Woakes alone and watches it thud into off stump. Poorly judged: he expected it to jag away but it kept on going, sending another batter back to the changing room.
29th over: West Indies 115-4 (Holder 0, Hodge 13) Now, we can safely say, West Indies are in trouble, having lost four wickets for 39 runs.
WICKET! Brathwaite c Smith b Wood 61 (West Indies 115-4)
Quite something to watch Wood, at his pace, still find such exaggerated movement through the air. Hodge squirts an edge through third man for a boundary and is looking positive alongside his captain, with West Indies’ run rate above four.
Hodge pulls away for one before Brathwaite departs! It’s the short ball that tangles him up, with the captain throwing his bat at it, the flick down the leg-side gathered, eventually, by Smith.
28th over: West Indies 110-3 (Brathwaite 61, Hodge 8) Woakes is a little too floaty, allowing Hodge to push the ball through cover point for three. Brathwaite is provided with width and cuts away for four, over point.
27th over: West Indies 103-3 (Brathwaite 57, Hodge 5) Hodge begins like a man with a Test hundred, swivelling a Wood delivery that didn’t lift all that high away through the leg side for four. There’s still plenty of swing on offer for Wood as he shapes one away, which means he doesn’t need to go hell for leather with the short ball.
Right then, the players are heading back out there. Kavem Hodge, centurion in the second Test, will join his skipper out in the middle.
Elsewhere in the game:
LUNCH: West Indies 97-3
The session belongs to England despite a 76-run opening stand between Brathwaite and Louis. Atkinson found the edge of the latter before Wood steamrolled through McKenzie. Athanaze’s stay was even shorter, but the visitors will cling on to the efforts of their captain, who has batted bravely for his half-century, just about managing to survive against Wood’s bouncer barrage.
WICKET! Athanaze b Atkinson 2 (West Indies 97-3)
Athanaze clips Atkinson for a couple. The left-hander batted well at Trent Bridge, getting a Test-best of 82, and his first task is simple: get his side through to lunch without any further damage … and he fails. With the final ball of Atkinson’s over, Athanaze tries to pull but just drags the ball on to his stumps. That’s incredibly disappointing for West Indies, their efforts of the first hour damaged by three wickets in the second.
26th over: West Indies 97-3 (Brathwaite 56)
25th over: West Indies 93-2 (Brathwaite 55, Athanaze 0) Athanaze flicks Wood on to Pope’s boot at short leg. It’d be mean to call that a chance.
WICKET! McKenzie b Wood 12 (West Indies 93-2)
Wonderful from Wood. McKenzie’s stay is enterprising but short as England’s fastest bowler delivers a staggering inswinger that uproots middle stump. Just reward for the man who has caused West Indies plenty of trouble this morning.
24th over: West Indies 92-1 (Brathwaite 54, McKenzie 12) Why hello, Kirk McKenzie. He wallops through the off side to begin Atkinson’s over with consecutive boundaries. After a dot he unfurls another stunner, a cross-bat punch through extra cover for four.
23rd over: West Indies 80-1 (Brathwaite 54, McKenzie 0) Wood returns as Stokes sniffs an opportunity, and an unplayable outswinger sneaks past Brathwaite. The next ball thuds into, um, Braithwaite’s box. My thoughts are with the West Indies captain. He eventually summons the strength to resume, and prods the ball to the third-man rope for four.
22nd over: West Indies 76-1 (Brathwaite 50, McKenzie 0) Louis did the hard work, getting through that tricky first half hour where he couldn’t find a single run … alas, it’s another unconverted start for the promising opener.
