BRIDGETOWN: Ben Stokes was again in the thick of the action as England plucked out two more West Indies wickets and could have had a third with the home side reaching lunch at 114 for three in their first innings on the third day of the second Test at Kensington Oval in Barbados on Friday.
After the talismanic all-rounder’s entertaining 120 helped lift the tourists to a first innings total of 507 for nine declared on day two, Stokes claimed the important wicket of Nkrumah Bonner in the morning session and would have also accounted for Jermaine Blackwood had England opted for a review of a not out umpire’s verdict to an lbw appeal.
Struggling to cope with the late inswing of England’s seamers, Blackwood survived to the interval on seven while at the other end, West Indies captain Kraigg Brathwaite looked far more composed at 44 not out.
Brathwaite had started the day in partnership with Shamarh Brooks with the home side at 71 for one.
However he lost his fellow Barbadian after half-hour’s play when Brooks, on 39, attempted a cut at off spinner Jack Leach and Chris Woakes held the catch at backward-point.
Bonner, Man of the Match in the first Test when his patient first innings hundred and defiant second innings contribution ensured a draw in Antigua, fell to Stokes for just nine, adjudged leg-before.
Blackwood would have also been an lbw victim to Stokes before he had scored when trapped on the back foot by a full-length delivery.
While the decision by the umpire on the field was not out, and even the bowler’s reaction suggested that he believed the ball would have missed the stumps, television replays showed the ball hitting leg-stump.
Had England captain Joe Root opted to review the decision, it would have been overturned in favour of the visitors.
Blackwood later survived another close lbw decision and was no doubt happy to see lunch roll around.
It was a real captain’s innings by Brathwaite, who took few unnecessary risks and scored only 16 runs in the morning session, painfully slow progress but exactly what was required under the circumstances.
On Thursday, Stokes followed captain Joe Root with a century before West Indies opener John Campbell gave Matthew Fisher a wicket with the second ball of his Test career. Root improved from 119 overnight to 153, but played second fiddle to Stokes, who dominated their stand of 129 as he bludgeoned six sixes and 11 fours in his 128-ball knock.
Scoreboard
ENGLAND (1st innings):
A. Lees lbw Permaul 30
Z. Crawley c da Silva b Seales 0
J. Root lbw Roach 153
D. Lawrence c Brathwaite b Holder 91
B. Stokes c Brooks b Brathwaite 120
J. Bairstow c Bonner b Joseph 20
B. Foakes st Foakes b Permaul 33
C. Woakes c Seales b Roach 41
M. Fisher not out 0
J. Leach st da Silva b Permaul 4
EXTRAS (B-5, LB-6, NB-3, W-1) 15
TOTAL (for nine wkts decl, 150.5 overs) 507
FALL OF WICKETS: 1-4 (Crawley), 2-80 (Lees), 3-244 (Lawrence), 4-373 (Root), 5-410 (Bairstow), 6-424 (Stokes), 7-499 (Foakes), 8-503 (Woakes), 9-507 (Leach).
DID NOT BAT: Saqib Mahmood.
BOWLING: Roach 27-5-68-2, Seales 24-4-55-1 (1w), Joseph 23-1-109-1 (2nb), Permaul 35.5-1-126-3, Holder 28-4-76-1, Bonner 1-0-3-0, Brathwaite 12-0-59-1.
WEST INDIES (1st innings; overnight 71-1):
K. Brathwaite not out 44
J. Campbell c Foakes b Fisher 4
S. Brooks c Woakes b Leach 39
N. Bonner lbw b Stokes 9
J. Blackwood not out 7
EXTRAS (B-6, LB-2, NB-3) 11
TOTAL (for three wickets, 54 overs) 114
FALL OF WICKETS: 1-14 (Campbell), 2-83 (Brooks), 3-101 (Bonner)
TO BAT: J. Holder, J. Da Silva, A. Joseph, K. Roach, V. Permaul, J. Seales
BOWLING: Woakes 9-6-24-0, Fisher 9-2-20-1, Leach 18-7-41-1, Stokes 9-4-11-1 (1nb), Saqib 8-3-7-0 (2nb), Lawrence 1-0-3-0.
