‌ENG vs WI | Twitter reacts to Gritty Windies push hosts on the back foot after Day 1

SportsCafe Desk

BySportsCafe Desk, SportsCafe Editor

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A solid opening stand coupled with a 109-run six-wicket stand between Jason Holder and Joshua Da Silva steered West Indies to 282 in the first innings. Lethal opening spell from Jayden Seales and Alzarri Joseph pushed England on the back foot as England trail by 244 runs with seven wickets in hand.

Following a couple of defeats in the three-match Test series, West Indies captain Kraigg Brathwaite’s decision to bat first panned out well with Mikyle Louis accompanying him in a fifty-plus opening stand. The pair withstood the moving new ball for the first hour before Gus Atkinson removed Louis in the 22nd over to draw the first blood. Right after, Mark Wood was summoned for a second burst and he nailed a pacy in-swinger to castle Kir McKenzie’s middle stump, followed by Atkinson cleaning up Alick Athanaze at the stroke of Lunch with West Indies’ score reading 97/3. 

The visitors incurred a couple of setbacks after the resumption of play with Brathwaite departing for 61 and Kavem Hodge making an error in judging the line of the ball to leave Windies strangled at 119/5 in 30 overs. However, Jason Holder and Joshua Da Silva soaked the sudden pressure and kept the scoreboard ticking with strike rotation and subtle strokes. Following their fifty-run stand, Holder’s approach to slog Shoaib Bashir for a six paved the way for Mark Wood’s barrage of bumpers from one end that the Windies pair negated calculatingly, steering the side to 194/5 at Tea.

Holder and Da Silva opted for an aggressive approach at the start of the third session, bringing up quick runs before Woakes drew the wicketkeeper-batter’s outside edge to break the 109-run sixth wicket stand. The pacer got his third scalp in the same spell as Alzarri Joseph was outskilled within the next six overs. In the next over, Holder was cleaned up by Gus Atkinson before Gudakesh Motie and Jayden Seales followed suit to end Windies tally at 282.

With 45 minutes left in the day, England’s positive approach was eclipsed by disciplined bowling from the visitor's fast bowling unit. Jayden Seales drew the first blood by removing Zak Crawley in the fourth over with Alzarri Joseph cleaning up Ben Duckett in the immediate next ball. The idea of Mark Wood as nightwatchman backfired for the hosts as Seales got his number before Joe Root and Ollie Pope withstood the last ten minutes of day’s play as England trail by 244 runs at Stumps, Day 1.



Widies of 80's

Best match bowler

No joke

Back to form

No idea

Finds outside

What a delivery

Peach

Got his first

Speed gun

 

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