West Indies cut England's lead in second Test to 219 runs by stumps on day three as Kraigg Brathwaite and Jermaine Blackwood score centuries; Blackwood saved by England non-review on nought and by Saqib Mahmood no-ball on 65 as home side close on 288-4 at Kensington Oval
Saturday 19 March 2022 14:26, UK
England were left to rue a costly non-review as West Indies cut their arrears in the second Test to 219 runs on day three thanks to centuries from captain Kraigg Brathwaite and Jermaine Blackwood.
Blackwood (102 off 215 balls) would been dismissed for nought, and West Indies reduced to 101-4, had England called for DRS when Ben Stokes pinned the batter on the pad during the morning session in Barbados.
Blackwood was also reprieved on 65 - Saqib Mahmood denied a first Test wicket after overstepping while smashing the stumps with a dipping yorker - as West Indies closed on 288-4 in reply to England's 507-9 declared.
Blackwood did fall before stumps, trapped lbw by part-time spinner Dan Lawrence as his fourth-wicket partnership with the unbeaten Brathwaite (109no off 337) ended on an assiduous 183 from 411 deliveries.
Brathwaite notched his 10th Test century, third against England and first on his home ground during an innings of immense concentration, with Blackwood sealing his third Test hundred and second against Root's men, against whom he now averages close to 46.
There were some mild positives for England with Jack Leach drawing appreciable turn at times - as well as bowling more erratically and unthreateningly at other stages - Matthew Fisher showing control and extracting bounce, and Mahmood finding reverse swing with the aging ball.
But the bowling was largely innocuous - Chris Woakes, in particular - as England took just three wickets all day on a gentle pitch, raising the questions of whether the tourists have the tools to take 20 wickets and whether leg-spinner Matt Parkinson would have been an asset.
It also highlighted the void left by the loss of the side's quickest bowler Mark Wood, who now faces an extended spell on the sidelines with a right elbow issue - the 32-year-old out of next week's third Test and also the IPL.
The morning session, which began with West Indies 71-1 and trailing by 436, was headlined by two lbw calls.
England's non-review against Blackwood followed Nkrumah Bonner (9) controversially being given out by the TV umpire despite UltraEdge suggesting an inside edge just as Stokes' ball hit his pad.
Bonner reviewed his on-field dismissal but Gregory Brathwaite decided there was no conclusive evidence that the Jamaican had nicked the ball, so Nigel Duguid's original verdict was upheld.
England benefited from that contentious decision to earn their second wicket of the day - Leach having earlier dismissed Shamarh Brooks (39), caught at point - but the visitors were regretting their non-use of DRS in Stokes' subsequent over, with the all-rounder's nip-backer set to clatter into Blackwood's leg stump after nailing the back pad.
Blackwood made the most of his let off, playing in disciplined fashion - something you cannot always say about him - with the Jamaican perhaps inspired by the resolve shown by captain Brathwaite.
Brathwaite's obdurate knock included him notching his slowest Test fifty, from 167 deliveries, a week after he had scored his quickest, from 62 balls.
The 29-year-old - who has now scored the last 10 Test centuries by a West Indies opener - has been out on the field for the entirety of the game, all 150.5 overs of England's first innings and now for all 117 of West Indies'.
Brathwaite reached three figures from 278 deliveries around an hour into the final session, with Blackwood passing the landmark from 207 balls with half an hour remaining in the day.
Blackwood's innings was restrained by his levels with the spiciest part of it a feisty exchange of words with Stokes.
The pitch, though, is offering little spice - England's efforts cannot be questioned but their potency can, with this Test now looking likely to end in a draw ahead of the final game in Grenada from March 24.
West Indies batter Jermaine Blackwood, speaking on BT Sport: "I have a lot of half-centuries, the coach Phil Simmons always stresses that to me, so there was a lot of pressure to go and score a hundred.
"This was a very special innings for me because the last game I didn't really score any runs. I love playing against Stokes, to be honest. It's good fun playing against him. I love the banter. It pushes me."
West Indies and England will resume the second Test at 2pm UK time on Saturday. Follow over-by-over text commentary from 1.45pm on skysports.com and the Sky Sports app.
