Unbroken fifth-wicket partnerships 75-75 between Nkrumah Bonner and Jason Holder helped West Indies finish the day at 202-4 as a response to England’s first score of 311 on the 2nd day of the inaugural Test at Sir Vivian Richards Stadium in Antigua on Wednesday.
After being 127-4 after a brilliant opening standing of 83-83. The hosts who tried to take the lead were unsuccessful in the final session when the two opposite right-handers faced every challenge they met on a smooth surface.
READ MORE: Jonny Bairstow’s century lifts visitors following an early setback.
In a day that saw intermittent brief interruptions to rain, it was a quick shower that ended the day’s action by of the phlegmatic Bonner with 34 from 103 balls, with 3-4s, and Holder showing a little more emotional intent with 43 balls off 104.
His innings enriched through six 4s as well as a 6. That only a single volley across the boundary, which brought fifty-partnership.
Captain Kraigg Brathwaite struck 55 balls off 70, using seven fours and a six in an unusually vigorous effort to dominate the first stand.
Playing his first Test in almost an entire year, John Campbell was happy to be a support player.
When he fell for 35 in the mid-afternoon period and swung an attempt to pull Craig Overton for wicketkeeper Ben Foakes to finish the leg-side catch England was aware of the possibility of tremendous success and the brisk pace that was Mark Wood proving particularly unsettling.
Brathwaite was chasing a long delivery by the fast bowler. Overton made a tumbling catch at the back of the wicket before a leaden-footed prod from Shamarh Brooks to Ben Stokes resulted in an easy catch for England Captain Joe Root at first slip.
Jermaine Blackwood was fortunate that he could get away before he scored when Foakes could not keep hold of a dangerous chance after the vice-captain failed to control his speed towards Wood.
But there was no respite after a short time after an appeal to catch in the gully from Chris Woakes was upheld based on replays on television that revealed an inside edge on the pad on the thigh, as the ball was tucked into Overton’s safe hands on the timer of the tea break.
“We will need to get early wickets on the third morning because Holder and Bonner played well today in nullifying the reverse swing that we were starting to get,” Wood said. Wood in putting the day’s game in context.
“We were definitely operating to a plan of bowling straighter lines and trying as often as we could to bring the stumps into play, but every time we veered offline, we were punished. It’s about trying to be consistent and stick to our plans as best as we can.”
Then, the first-day batsman star Jonny Bairstow went out for 140. He was the one who contributed 31 of 43 scored by England from their initial position of 268-6.
Jayden Seales hit two times in just three balls and ended with the top bowling figures of four for the home team as the fast-bowler Alzarri Joe finally was successful in the final two wickets in the England first innings.
Bairstow’s shrewd effort was ended with a well-judged catch Holder returning from the slip to a short third-man while the right-hander cut an attempted throw to the side 30 minutes before lunch.
The six-and-a-half-hour job at the area illustrated 21 fours off 259 deliveries.
