Gritty knocks from openers Dom Sibley and Rory Burns helped England to reduce the West Indies’ lead to 35 as the hosts reached 79-1 at lunch on the fourth day of the first Test at Southampton’s Ageas Bowl yesterday.
Resuming their second innings on 15-0, Sibley and Burns saw off a testing opening burst from West Indies pacers Shannon Gabriel and Kemar Roach before settling into their stride.
Burns, the more aggressive of the two openers, brought up England’s 50 in the 20th over with a crisp cut through backward point off the bowling of West Indies skipper Jason Holder.
Photo: Reuters
However, he had departed for 42 shortly before lunch, slicing a short-pitched delivery from Roston Chase straight to John Campbell at backward point and bringing an end to England’s longest opening partnership since the start of 2017.
Joe Denly (1 not out) survived a testing spell from Alzarri Joseph and, alongside Sibley (31 not out), saw England through to lunch.
The home side would have been looking to capitalize on their solid foundation and build a lead in the second session, which was ongoing at press time last night.
Photo: AP
On Friday, Shane Dowrich steered the West Indies into a commanding lead.
Dowrich made 61 after opener Kraigg Brathwaite had top-scored with 65 in a total of 318 all out.
Ben Stokes led England’s attack with 4-49 to follow his top score of 43 in the hosts’ 204.
However, that left the West Indies 114 runs ahead on first innings and they were still 99 runs in front after Burns and Sibley survived a tricky 10 overs to take England to stumps.
“England bowled well and it was really challenging throughout the day, always aggressive,” Brathwaite told reporters. “So I think Dowrich and I did a good job for the team.”
Stokes’ haul included the wicket of West Indies captain Jason Holder for just 5, with the England talisman having fallen to his rival all-rounder during the towering seamer’s Test-best 6-42 on Thursday.
However, wicketkeeper Dowrich held firm with a fine half-century until a 115-ball innings featuring eight boundaries ended when he was caught down the legside by opposing gloveman Jos Buttler off Stokes.
It was not the first time Dowrich had proved a thorn in England’s side.
Last year he made 116 and shared a huge stand of 295 with Holder when his fellow Barbadian made an unbeaten 202 during the West Indies’ 381-run win over England in the first Test at their Kensington Oval home ground.
That victory helped West Indies regain the Wisden Trophy, but it is 32 years since they last won a Test series in England.
England dropped veteran paceman Stuart Broad for this match to play express quicks Jofra Archer and Mark Wood together for the first time in a Test, but they struggled to make an impression.
They took just one wicket between them in a combined 44 overs — and that was only when Wood bowled last man Gabriel.
James Anderson, already England’s all-time leading Test wicket-taker with Broad in second place, took 3-62.
“I think the West Indies have had the best of the first few days certainly, we are up against it,” Anderson told reporters.
However, he sympathized with Archer, who bowled Shai Hope off a no-ball, and Wood.
“I thought they bowled really well... You have days like this in Test cricket when things don’t quite go your way,” Anderson said.
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