The West Indies were poor yesterday and England, specifically Cook and Root, took full advantage of this. England were on 348/3 at the start of the day and were in a prime position to kick on and post a huge total and chase personal milestones. For the West Indies, only an old-fashioned England Test collapse could really rescue any hope of winning this game.
Unfortunately for the West Indians, both teams continued in the morning session as they had played the day before. The bowling continued to be generous to the batsman, and England continued taking full advantage of that generosity. Cook and Dawid Malan batted through the whole first session adding another 101 runs before Malan edged part-time offspinner Roston Chase in the last over before Lunch. Malan’s 65 was clearly the best of England’s three new batsmen in this game, but he also did have by far the best conditions to bat in of the three so there probably won’t be a groundswell of support for him keeping his place on the back of this performance.
After Lunch, England’s lower order were faced with a completely alien situation for them: A sizeable platform built by the specialist batsmen. To put England’s 449/4 in perspective, it is their highest 4th wicket total since they played against India at the Oval in 2011. Between 2012 and 2017, it is only the second time they have posted a 400+ total for their 4th wicket. Between 2008 and 2011, in what we now must consider a golden age for England’s batting unit, they managed it 7 times.
Faced with something they hadn’t faced before, and perhaps with instructions to bat quickly and prepare for a declaration, England’s allrounders failed to do their customary trick of more than doubling England’s run total. Stokes and Ali both fell quickly to part-time spinner Chase, whilst Bairstow chopped on from Holder. Roston Chase managed to get Cook out LBW via a DRS appeal soon after, and England declared on 514/8. With Chase taking 4 wickets, there will probably be some questions about why the West Indies didn’t select a specialist spinner in their team.
Obviously our editorial policy at BOC is to slag off Alastair Cook at every possible opportunity, but even we have to concede that a score of 243 is impressive. The West Indies bowling attack might carry all the threat of a pink sparkly rubber knife, but the powers of endurance and concentration required to bat for 9 hours against any opposition must be admired. He might not be quite as good as he was earlier in his career, but England are lucky to have him and he would be sorely missed if he retired in the near future.
West Indies’ innings started poorly for the visitors, with Kraigg Brathwaite edging an Anderson outswinger to the wicketkeeper without any runs on the board. Three overs later, Kieran Powell was lucky to survive after Ben Stokes dropped what for him would be considered a regulation catch at gully from Broad. After that scare, the West Indian batsmen regrouped and managed to score 44 runs before the English weather brought the day to a premature end.
Just to remind everyone, play will start half an hour earlier tomorrow at 1.30pm (BST) due to the rain today. The West Indies will need to bat through all of tomorrow to have any hopes of saving the game, whilst England might have to rely on scoreboard pressure, funky captaincy and tight bowling to take wickets on a flat pitch with a largely unresponsive pink ball.
As always, please feel free to comment below.
Being Outside Cricket 
And here we go again – https://twitter.com/timessport/status/898626050569142272
Steve James has always been establishment but this is a joke
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Thought he deserved 250 tbh
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Aww, c’mon that 243 was at least worth 88 against Div2 bowlers…
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Probably the greatest 243 there has ever been! To go with the greatest 95 there has ever been, and my own personal favourite………one of the best twelves ever seen.
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Well, actually it is the second 243 ever in Test cricket. So there is not much competition there …
Eddie Paynter made the other one, in the 1939 Durban Test (the third Test, not the timeless one, which was the fifth Test of the series, also held in Durban). South Africa lost that one by an innings and 13 runs; England just lost 4 wickets in the entire Test, and batted for less than 89 overs. That Test was over in 3 days, but judging from the scorecard (NoInfo is not as useful with the “improvements” as it was before) weather may have played a role in that.
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To support editorial policy, Cook scored his runs at a slower rate than he did against the rather better Pakistan attack last summer. If his rate had been faster, there would have been no need for the all-rounders to belt out some quick runs.
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Thanks Benny, this is exactly the kind of criticism that all of the “inside cricket” journalists don’t dare publish…
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I think WI will do well when they bat tomorrow. Having seen chase, Blackwood, holder against India, I think they have batsmen good enough to cross 300. If only they had selected bishoo instead of the mandatory pace bowler alzarri Joseph who didn’t do well even in your matches. They would have had a better chance of scoring 300+.bishoo is a good batsman.
☺
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Who didn’t do well in tour matches
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Looks like they’ll do well to get to triple figures never mind 300. Can someone tell me which channel the shooting fish in a barrel is on?
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Jomesy, do get on with the programme – this is the modern incarnation of shooting fish in a barrel.
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Shiny Toy spots shiny thing.
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Ah, is that the Michael Vaughan who gets a commission for representing each England Test player, which is higher than half the actual Test players in the world make?
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Shiny Toy not going to go into this in depth, is he?
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What he doesn’t make clear is exactly how two divisons would help the situation and (more particulaly) who it would help. The second division teams? I don’t think so. Under the ICC’s tender care it would in fact likely hasten their extinction. As one of Harry Enfield’s characters used to say, “Is that what you want? Cos that’s what’ll happen!” And try telling Ireland, Afghanistan and Zimbabwe that there aren’t effectively two divisions now.
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You can include Bangladesh in that list as well. When is the last time they toured England, Australia, South Africa? Oh, and India have been extremely generous with one Test in India in 17 years or so as well. Think Pakistan may be underplaying the financial power houses as well.
Neither Ireland or Afghanistan have even played a Test, but it is always nice that the powers that be decide that there is no reason to bother with them.
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Because two divisions will bring us England v India. Three out of the last four series between the two have been dismal, noncompetitive and yet….
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From the scorecard, Ireland v Netherlands looks like a good match. Is anyone following that?
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Cricket reduced to a staged Coliseum event. Bread and circuses.
The result is not in doubt, the crowd go to be entertained. How will the Christians be finished off? Lion or Gladiator?
Everyone goes home happy.
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“It’s test cricket, Jim, but not as we know it…”
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Observation at the Guardian that Alastair Cook would have an innings victory by himself if he asked WI to bat again and they were bowled out for under 75…
Almost makes you pine for the halcyon days of E v B 2005.
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Did he copy, did they copy him, or is it in the air….
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It’s a sickness. A deep, deep sickness.
Whenever I think of having a little bit of sympathy for him or giving him a bit of praise the clown car media always remind me that I was right the first time to think he was complete pillock.
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Not even halfway through the day, and already 10 wickets gone.
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It’s never ending. Anderson has induced a regulation nick, it is easily pouched by Alastair Cook at first slip. Routine as routine gets.
“That’s a good catch by Alastair Cook. It went quickly”. A defensive edge, nice height, 81 mph ball. It was as simple as it gets. “That’s a good catch”. Before any credit to the bowler. Now I know, all slip catches are good catches, and I may be on the lookout for this sort of thing, but still.
This isn’t Cook’s fault. He can’t help it. I’m sure he’d be embarrassed. What happens to these people?
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Your becoming obsessed……;-)
I wouldn’t worry. Sky have Marcus Trescothick commentating on this match. Which shows you how seriously they are taking this dog and pony show.
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That was an “excellent” catch this time.
Better than Sky’s camera work.
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You’re not obsessed, you’re correct. It’s all the time. All. The. Time. Thank god TINA suddenly became TIAA so I don’t have Sky pumping out an image of St Ali looking to the heavens with his doey eyes, cherub cheeks and anvil chin on anything to do with cricket on sky.
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The West Indian no.4 – a position with some historical resonance, to say the least – has a Test average of 19.something.
Yeah Viv Talk Nah, or something.
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The fact they have two top order batsmen called “Hope” has a certain poignant irony to it…
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Pity neither of them has the first name Les.
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Wow, West Indies have lasted 408 balls now – 1 ball more than Cook (and they’re still a few runs shy of what Cook scored himself). Pity they lost 13 wickets in the process.
Today’s score thus far is a sobering 188/12, with two specialist batsmen dismissed twice in a day already. More to follow in all likelihood.
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It has been 200/13 since the start of play. Brathwaitte escaped the ignominy of being dismissed twice in a day. The only point of interest is whether Blackwood will score 100 undefeated runs in the day or not.
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So this could be over today then? Marvellous preparation for the Ashes day/nighter test to come. Inspired by Comma (as I am generally but here I mean by his brain wave to hold a day/night test in mid Aug). Glad I went to watch the Red Arrows instead. They’ve still got it. Bloody brilliant!
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Playing across the line against spin bowlers in the age of Hawkeye is the most dangerous shot you can play.
You miss….. Hawkeye hits. Another overturned LBW decision on replay.
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Oh this will be interesting…….
Gower to interview the Chief executive of WI cricket during the tea break.
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Well, if the interview lasts 20 minutes, that is longer than quite a few innings by the batsmen …
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There must be some factory outside Milton Keynes that produces these people. They all sound the same.
Oh great, they have an amnesty. That will solve all the problems. It’s cricket… not Butch Cassidy and the Sundance kid.
He just repeats talking points. Test cricket is the pinnacle Blah blah blah. The England tour is the pinnacle Blah blah blah… Lots of kids are playing cricket……. blah blah blah.
Earth to Jamaica……Earth to Jamaica…….what does Dave Cameron do all day?
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My guess would be a very nice lunch
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According to Wikipedia he has a BSc in Hotel Management, yet under his leadership WICB has become the Fawlty Towers of World cricket…
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19 wickets in the day, for 261 runs. Test cricket is in great shape.
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Agree. Disgraceful. But Broad overtook Botham so wait for the press.
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Becoming number two is a minor point really. Great for Broad who may be an arse, but he’s our arse, and he’s won us a number of tests.
The press know. The ECB know. They aren’t, even though we think they are, that stupid.
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Yes. Yes they are. The ECB are definitely that stupid, if not more so.
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Sorry, my point was more that tomorrow we’ll get press about how great (best?) team ENG is due to thumping WI. As proof/evidence we’ll get Broad. And I agree that at least he’s “our arse”…still an arse though.
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