NEW DELHI:
Ben Duckett
,
Ollie Pope
, and
Harry Brook
each scored half centuries to propel England to a commanding position of 248-3, establishing a lead of 207 runs over West Indies on day three of the second Test at Trent Bridge on Saturday.
Duckett contributed 76 runs, Pope added 51, and Brook remained unbeaten on 71 as England mounted a strong comeback after West Indies secured a first-innings lead of 41, largely due to an entertaining 71-run last-wicket stand between Joshua Da Silva and Shamar Joseph.
England suffered an early setback when opener
Zak Crawley
was dismissed for three, unfortunately run out at the non-striker's end after Duckett's drive was deflected onto the stumps by bowler Jayden Seales' hand.
Duckett's innings featured 11 boundaries before he fell lbw to
Alzarri Joseph
, while Pope, following his first-innings century, was caught at gully by Kevin Sinclair off Joseph's bowling.
Brook and Joe Root navigated through a challenging period, forging an unbroken partnership of 108 runs. At the end of the day's play, Root remained undefeated on 37.
Earlier in the day, England's bowlers made inroads, capturing four wickets during the morning session. However, Joshua Da Silva and Shamar Joseph's resilient batting helped West Indies reach a total of 457 before being dismissed. This left the match evenly balanced.
Da Silva showcased his batting prowess, remaining not out on 82, which included three sixes. Joseph also displayed his hitting ability, smashing two maximums, with one of them smashing tiles on the pavilion roof. He contributed 33 valuable runs before Gus Atkinson caught him off the bowling of Mark Wood.
After West Indies had resumed on 351-5, Jason Holder's innings came to an end when Jamie Smith, the wicketkeeper, caught him off Chris Woakes' bowling for 27. Sinclair, on the other hand, slashed a delivery from Atkinson straight to gully, where Brook showcased his agility by taking a sharp catch.
Woakes continued his impressive spell, inducing an edge from Alzarri Joseph, which was comfortably taken by Smith for 10. The experienced England seamer then clean bowled Seales with a superb first-ball delivery, putting himself on a hat-trick.
However, Shamar Joseph successfully negotiated the hat-trick ball, while Da Silva displayed resilience, reaching his fifth Test half-century. The pair's partnership added another intriguing twist to the already fluctuating game.
The first match of the three-Test series, played at Lord's, saw England emerge victorious by a commanding margin of an innings and 114 runs.
English (US) ·