"I thought it was one of the best efforts I have seen in an England shirt in Test cricket. To go for 170 runs and take five wickets on a pitch that placid is a pretty good effort," says Paul Collingwood; interim England coach hopeful Mark Wood (elbow) will bowl in second innings
Friday 11 March 2022 16:05, UK
Paul Collingwood said England's bowling efforts on a docile pitch during day three of the first Test against West Indies were "one of the best I have seen" as he hailed "warrior" Ben Stokes.
Nkrumah Bonner's gritty 123 from 355 balls helped West Indies into a 62-run lead over England by stumps in Antigua, as the hosts closed on 373-9 in reply to their opponents' 311 all out.
But interim coach Collingwood could not fault his bowling attack, who were without paceman Mark Wood for much of the day due to an elbow problem.
With Wood off the field - Collingwood is hopeful that he will bowl in the second innings - Stokes took his tally of overs delivered to 28, far more than was expected with the all-rounder having suffered a side strain at the backend of England's dreadful Ashes campaign.
Collingwood said: "I thought it was one of the best efforts I have seen in an England shirt in Test cricket. To go for 170 runs and take five wickets on a pitch that placid is a pretty good effort.
"Sometimes you can look at the scoreboard and see you haven't bowled the other team out but I thought the fitness and attitude was exceptional right to the last ball.
"Certainly the game isn't out of our reach but I would say West Indies are slightly ahead. There are still two days to go and anything can happen if the pitch starts breaking up,
"It's fair to say that Ben declared himself fit to bowl in this first innings," Collingwood said. "None of us were expecting that many overs out of him.
"As much as you tell him not to bowl and to be careful, he's proven that the work that he's done over the last few weeks to get his body right has been exceptional.
"His attitude has been absolutely superb and he's shown what kind of warrior he is. He wants to put his body on the line all the time. He loves playing for England and wants to win games."
On Wood's right elbow issue, Collingwood added: "You need 90mph-plus guys who can reverse swing the ball. They are gold dust so it will be disappointing if he is not involved in the second innings
"He is pretty sore at the moment and it is going to be one of those ones where we assess him overnight and see if he is going to be available."
Collingwood also reserved praise for left-arm spinner Jack Leach, who has claimed 1-79 from 43 overs in Antigua, sending down 20 maidens and going at less than two runs an over.
The Somerset bowler endured a tough Ashes series as he was targeted by Australia but Collingwood says he is enjoying added responsibility.
On Leach, the interim coach added: "He went superbly. If Jack bowls like that on wickets that are more responsive then he's going to take wickets.
"He was accurate, he had dip on the ball, his energy, everything he gave was really good.
"The pitch was turning pretty much nil. On pitches that aren't doing anything you want him to do a holding role and he played that role really well.
"He's been great around the dressing room. We've tried to give people more responsibility and become leaders - he's had a voice and he's enjoyed that.
"He's got a smile on his face, he's enjoying his cricket and he's taken his performances out into the middle, so it's a really good start."
Sky Sports' Michael Atherton…
"Ultimately it was a disappointing day for England. They showed a lot of perspiration, bowled better than day two, but just lack a little bit of inspiration due to the nature of the attack that they have got. They were accurate but lacked cutting edge on a difficult pitch.
"Once they got Jason Holder early they would have fancied a first-innings lead of their own but in the end they come up against the rock, Bonner, who has put his team in a comfortable position. He has a watertight defence and played the situation.
"It was a slow old day, an attritional day, on a graveyard pitch. I would like to see a pitch with a bit more pace and bounce and maybe there will be something in it for the spinners on day four and five. It's a brave man that pipes up with England's second innings to come!"
Mark Butcher, speaking to BT Sport...
"England used the breeze and conditions well and Joe Root got most of the tactics right throughout the day.
England were faultless. They tried everything they possibly could. It was just unbelievably difficult to get anyone out.
"It was a long old slog for everybody - not least Bonner. It was nine hours of self-denial on a surface that didn't allow you to be expansive.
"Bonner had to call on all reserves of concentration to chisel out a lead for his side, which could be gold dust. Especially, as England have the propensity for a collapse."
West Indies and England will resume the first Test at 2pm UK time on Friday. Follow over-by-over text commentary from 1.45pm on skysports.com and the Sky Sports app.
