West Indies dig in against England to cut deficit to 109 runs in first Test after day two in Antigua
England recovered from loose start with the ball to reduce West Indies to 127-4 - only for Jason Holder and Nkrumah Bonner's half-century stand to lead the hosts to 202-4 and cut deficit to 109 runs; Chris Woakes expensive after England pass 300 in a Test for the first time in 13 attempts
Thursday 10 March 2022 06:13, UK
West Indies' Jason Holder and Nkrumah Bonner dug in to frustrate England on day two of the first Test after Joe Root's side followed a wayward start with the ball with a quick four-wicket burst.
Loose bowling, particularly from Chris Woakes (1-54), who was handed the new ball in the controversial absences of James Anderson and Stuart Broad from this tour, saw West Indies race to 83-0 inside 20 overs in reply to England's Jonny Bairstow-inspired 311 all out in Antigua.
The hosts subsequently slipped to 127-4 with Woakes taking a confidence-boosting wicket after fellow seamers Mark Wood, Ben Stokes and Craig Overton had also struck on a day of brief rain showers.
However, Holder (43no off 104 balls) and Bonner (34no off 103) battled their way to an unbroken fifth-wicket stand of 75 from 190 balls as West Indies closed on 202-4 to trail by 109 and leave the game evenly poised.
Bonner and Holder saw off a tricky spell of reverse swing from Wood (1-24), Stokes (1-20) and Overton (1-58) as well as some probing deliveries from left-arm spinner Jack Leach (0-29), who bowled seven successive maidens on an unresponsive surface at Sir Vivian Richards Stadium.
England, led by Bairstow's 140 from 259 deliveries, had earlier passed 300 for the first time in 13 Test innings - it was their best total since hitting 432 in an innings victory over India at Headingley in August - but they added just 43 runs to their overnight 268-6.
West Indies start quickly as Woakes toils
West Indies piled on 44 runs from their 10 overs before lunch with the omissions of Anderson and Broad, England's two highest Test wicket-takers of all time with a combined 1,177 scalps, looking keenly felt by the tourists as Woakes leaked runs.
The 33-year-old's initial spell of three overs went for an eye-watering 23 runs as his travails away from home continued - Woakes's home bowling average of 22.63 is better than that of both Broad (25.78) and Anderson (24.20) but his away average is over 50.
Woakes' inability to find a consistent line and length emboldened West Indies openers Kraigg Brathwaite (55 off 70) and John Campbell (35 off 63), with Brathwaite racing to the fastest of his 24 Test fifties, from 62 balls.
England rattle Windies with clatter of wickets
Woakes' difficult day improved on the stroke of tea when he had Jermaine Blackwood (11) caught at gully after a successful review - that dismissal ensuring West Indies had lost four wickets for 44 runs in under 10 overs.
Overton triggered the collapse when he had Campbell pouched down the leg-side by wicketkeeper Ben Foakes off a bouncer, before he was the catcher at gully when Brathwaite slashed at a pacey ball from Wood.
Stokes then took the third wicket - Shamarh Brooks (18) snicking through to Root at slip after playing away from his body - and when Woakes accounted for Blackwood, West Indies were four down and 184 runs in arrears, only for Bonner and Holder to remedy the situation.
Bairstow's century propels England past 300
England were in the mire when Bairstow strode out at 48-4 on day one but the Yorkshireman revived his side with his eighth Test ton and second in as many matches, during which he shared half-century stands with Stokes (36), Foakes (42) and Woakes (28).
Bairstow was the last man out having resumed day two on 109 - Holder with the excellent swirling catch at backward point midway through the 101st over to dismiss a player he had dropped off his own bowling on 126 earlier in the session.
Holder (2-24 from 21 overs) was the most economical of the West Indies bowlers but Jayden Seales (4-79 from 22) was the most prolific, removing Woakes and Overton (0) with fine short balls in the 93rd over to add to his day-one dismissals of Stokes and Zak Crawley
Kemar Roach (2-86 from 21) and Alzarri Joseph (2-70 from 20.3) were the other Windies bowlers to strike - both of Joseph's wickets coming on day two as he had Wood (1) caught on the pull and then ended Bairstow's superb innings around 55 minutes before the lunch interval.
Wood: We have to dig deep
England fast bowler Mark Wood, speaking to BT Sport: "I think the way we stuck around and our attitude in the field was really good.
"We fielded with purpose and intensity, so I was really pleased about that, but I think we could have started better. We've got to try to get a couple of early wickets to really get into this West Indies line-up.
"The way Bonner and Holder took hold of that, they played really well and nullified that reverse-swing period where we were looking to take a couple of wickets. Now we've got to dig deep again and start again."
West Indies and England will resume the first Test at 2pm UK time on Thursday. Follow over-by-over text commentary from 1.30pm on skysports.com and the Sky Sports app.
