Despite injury, illness and a host of missed chances, Brathwaite’s men just about stay in touch
Alan Gardner18-Jul-20240:55
Kevin Sinclair reassures fans on somersault celebration
Let’s start with what went right for West Indies. Kraigg Brathwaite called correctly at the toss (more on what he chose to do in a bit). Alzarri Joseph glided in from the newly christened Stuart Broad End and squared up Zak Crawley with the third ball of the match. Oh, and Kevin Sinclair properly nailed his roundoff backflip (hat tip for that technical term to Mel Jones on Sky Sports’ commentary) when celebrating the wicket of Harry Brook in mid-afternoon.There was also a useful cameo with the ball late in the day from Kavem Hodge, who claimed his first two wickets in Test cricket with his left-arm spin, as well as a solid display of character from the West Indies XI as a whole, as they shrugged off a number of mishaps to prevent England getting completely out of sight.In and around those moments, however, rather too much went wrong. Particularly for a side who you feel need as much to go their way as possible if they are to plot a route back into the series. The bare bones of the scorecard give an indication: England racking up 416 after being asked to bat under clear blue skies in Nottingham. Alzarri Joseph and Jayden Seales going at 6.32 and 6.00 respectively. Shamar Joseph once again sporting a lop-sided analysis of 11.3-2-44-1 after limping off the field – having looked, when he was able to bowl, far more incisive than during the first Test at Lord’s.Related
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West Indies’ day began to go awry before it had even started, with Gudakesh Motie having to be replaced by Sinclair after he woke up feeling unwell. In the event, Sinclair bowled tidily – but it added to the sense that the deck is stacked against Brathwaite on this tour. “Dealt nothing and bluffing hard, playing poker with a joker and some Uno cards,” as the Bloodhound Gang once sang.Was it a bluff to put England in, or a sign that Brathwaite feared what might happen to his side batting first again? Either way, it was instructive that he emphasised the need for his bowlers to be “a lot more disciplined” than at Lord’s after opting to put England in. Trent Bridge can be a little capricious – Broad famously thought it was a “bat-first pitch” in 2015, before taking 8 for 15 as Australia were routed for 60 – but it tends to be pretty hospitable for batting once the sun is out. Discipline with the ball would be important, no doubt.The initial signs were encouraging. Alzarri Joseph found a good line outside off to start with, surprised Crawley with some extra bounce to catch him on the body next ball, then located the outside edge. But by the end of the following over, in which Ben Duckett slammed his first four legitimate balls from Seales to the boundary, the wheel nuts were already beginning to look a little loose. In classical literature, the Greeks called such a reversal of fortunes . Kids today might prefer a meme: How it started vs How it’s going.How it went followed a rhythm of quick-quick-slow, quick-quick-slow. England, with Duckett hunting boundaries, raced away to 50 in 26 balls – the fastest by a team in Test history, where such data is available; Seales, pitching the ball up understandably in the search for swing, saw his first two overs creamed for 28. His seventh ball showed how small the margin for error was, fractionally missing his top-of-off line and allowing Duckett to thrash the ball away across an outfield like a billiards table.Shamar Joseph left the field mid-over with another bout of cramp•AFP/Getty ImagesEngland were 86 for 1 after 12 overs but the introduction of Shamar Joseph and Sinclair after drinks helped corral the scoring somewhat. West Indies, having bowled less a third of their deliveries on a good length (21 out of 72) in the first hour, pushed the number up towards 50% (41 out of 84) in the passage up to lunch. Shamar Joseph, in the process, claimed his first wicket of the series when he had Duckett taken at slip.That was not the harbinger of a sustained fightback, however. And though they bounced gamely off the ropes to keep landing punches on England throughout the day, their effort in the field was pockmarked with unforced errors. From the penultimate ball before lunch, West Indies saw the first of three big chances shelled: Alick Athanaze had taken a fine low catch to dismiss Crawley but could not react quickly enough as Pope slashed Seales to gully.The second session did begin with what appeared greater intensity in the field, regular encouragement ringing out across the ground. “In it to win it, lads, in it to win it.” A ball change brought an immediate change of fortune, Seales following up a pearler to beat Joe Root’s outside edge with a short one that was flubbed to mid-on. And then the reversal once again, Holder putting down a more straightforward chance at second slip to give Pope another life (Hodge might also have done better going for the rebound).Athanaze had his palms stung again as Brook cracked another cut off Alzarri Joseph straight to him in the gully – though Athanaze, to be fair, may have had self-preservation on his mind. Throw in some general sloppiness and the sight of Shamar Joseph hobbling off with his latest bout of cramp, and it was turning into a difficult day for West Indies. Mikyle Louis added a fourth drop to the list when spilling Mark Wood at backward point during the final half hour, with Wood also having survived a missed stumping by Joshua Da Silva. Are you spotting a pattern?That they kept going to eventually bowl England out was again testament to the heart of Brathwaite’s men. But if West Indies are anything like as shoddy with the bat, they will be fighting a losing battle.
