NEW DELHI:
Ollie Pope
capitalized on his good fortune, scoring 121 runs to propel England to a formidable 416 all out on the opening day of the second Test against West Indies at Trent Bridge on Thursday.
Despite being dropped twice, on 46 and 54, Pope crafted his sixth Test century, building upon Ben Duckett's scintillating 71 in the morning session, as the hosts established a commanding position.
England, having been put in to bat, suffered an early setback when
Zak Crawley
was caught at slip by Alick Athanaze off Alzarri Joseph on the third delivery of the match.
However, Duckett responded emphatically, striking four consecutive boundaries to kickstart his innings and raced to his half-century off just 32 balls.
Duckett appeared to be on track for his fourth Test century, but his innings was cut short when he pushed at a full delivery from Shamar Joseph, edging a low catch to Jason Holder at second slip.
Athanaze, positioned at gully, had a chance to dismiss Pope just before the lunch break but failed to hold on to the catch. In the following session, Holder also had an opportunity to send Pope back to the pavilion, but the chance went begging.
Joe Root was on 14 when he mistimed a pull shot off Jayden Seales' delivery. The ball ballooned up in the air, and Alzarri Joseph safely pouched the catch.
Harry Brook
looked in fine touch, swiftly reaching 36, which included a six over backward point. However, his innings came to an end when he attempted a paddle sweep against spinner Kevin Sinclair.
The ball took the edge and landed in the hands of Kirk McKenzie at short leg. Sinclair, elated with the wicket, celebrated by performing a backward somersault.
Pope's confidence surged as he progressed towards his century, reaching the milestone with a well-timed shot that raced to the boundary at square leg. Upon achieving this feat, he removed his helmet and acknowledged the applause from the spectators by raising his bat.
However, Pope's innings came to an end when he nicked a delivery from Alzarri Joseph, presenting a catch to Kavem Hodge. England's skipper
Ben Stokes
found his form with the willow, striking eight boundaries en route to a valuable 69 before falling victim to the part-time spin of Hodge.
Contributions from Jamie Smith (36) and
Chris Woakes
(37) further bolstered England's total in the latter stages of the innings. With this strong start, the hosts will be optimistic about their chances of securing a 2-0 lead in the series, having already triumphed by an innings in the opening Test at Lord's.
English (US) ·