Image Credit- Getty
First, let’s discuss the positive aspects of the West Indies. At the toss, Kraigg Brathwaite called the right play (more on his decision in a moment). Using the third ball of the encounter, Alzarri Joseph squared up Zak Crawley after gliding in from the recently dubbed Stuart Broad End. And Kevin Sinclair did his roundoff backflip flawlessly, too.
Late in the day, Kavem Hodge made a helpful cameo with the ball, using his left-arm spin to take his first two wickets in Test cricket. The West Indies XI as a whole also showed great fortitude as they overcame several setbacks to keep England from completely disappearing from view.
But far too much went wrong during and after those times. especially for a side that, in order to plot a return to the series, you feel needs everything to go their way as much as possible. The scorecard’s basic elements provide a clue.
In Nottingham, England amassed 416 runs after being challenged to bat under bright, beautiful sky. Jayden Seales and Alzarri Joseph are running at 6.32 and 6.00 mph, respectively. After hobbling off the pitch, Shamar Joseph once again displayed a lopsided analysis of 11.3-2-44-1. However, when he was able to bowl, he appeared much more incisive than he had in the first Test at Lord’s.
Before the day had even begun, everything went wrong for West Indies, when Gudakesh Motie had to be replaced by Sinclair after he awoke feeling ill. Sinclair did bowl neatly in the end, but that only served to highlight how unfair the deck is for Brathwaite throughout this tour.
Was Brathwaite’s move to put England in to bat first a bluff or an indication that he was afraid of what might happen if they bat first again? In any case, it was instructive that, having chosen to put England in, he underlined the need for his bowlers to be “a lot more disciplined” than at Lord’s.
The early indicators were positive. Alzarri Joseph started off with a terrific line outside off, caught Crawley off guard with a little extra bounce to catch him on the following ball on the body, and then hit the outside edge. However, the wheel nuts were looking a touch loose by the end of the next over, when Ben Duckett hammered his first four valid balls from Seales to the boundary.
The flow of events was characterized by rapid, rapid, slow, rapid, rapid, slow. Duckett hunting boundaries helped England reach 50 in 26 balls, the fastest score by a team in Test history where such data is available. Seales, who was obviously pitching up in an attempt to get swing, was dismissed for 28 runs in his opening two overs.
After 12 overs, England were 86 for 1, but Shamar Joseph and Sinclair, who had had a few drinks, helped contain the scoring a little. In the process, Joseph got Duckett caught at slip, earning him his first series wicket.
But that was not a sign of a long-term counterattack. Moreover, despite their courageous bounce off the ropes to continue hitting England all day, their fielding effort was marred by careless mistakes.
The pitch did seem to be more intense at the start of the second session, with constant support resounding around the area. “In it to win it, lads, in it to win it.” Immediately after a ball change, things went wrong for Seales, who followed up a brilliant stroke to beat Joe Root’s outside edge with a short one that was misplayed to mid-on. Then there was another turnaround, with Holder giving Pope another life by making a simpler shot at second slip.
As Brook cut off Alzarri Joseph in the gully, Athanaze’s palms hurt once more. To be fair, though, Athanaze might have been thinking about saving himself. A challenging day was ahead for the West Indies, especially with Shamar Joseph hobbling out due to his latest cramp and overall negligence.
The fact that they persisted and eventually bowled England out was another evidence of Brathwaite’s men’s heart. However, West Indies will be losing the war if their batting is even half as bad.