The West Indies seized six wickets after tea to bowl out England in the second Test of the Richards-Botham Trophy Series, despite a powerful batting display led by Ollie Pope.
The English batsman scored his sixth Test century, propelling the hosts to 416 runs in their first innings before being dismissed about half an hour past the scheduled close on the first day at Trent Bridge on Thursday.
Pope’s innings of 121 was the cornerstone of England’s innings, which saw contributions from several batsmen. Ben Duckett scored 71, captain Ben Stokes added 69, Chris Woakes chipped in with 37, and both Harry Brook and Jamie Smith contributed 36 runs each.
Sharing five wickets
Alzarri Joseph and Jayden Seales were pivotal for the West Indies, sharing five wickets between them, but their inconsistent bowling initially undermined the visitors’ efforts. Joseph ended the day with figures of 3 for 98 from 15.3 overs, while Seales took 2 for 90 from 15 overs. Their erratic spells allowed England to amass their highest first-day total on home soil since World War II.
The day began on a high note for the West Indies when Joseph dismissed Zak Crawley for a duck with the third ball of the match. However, the celebration was short-lived as Seales conceded 19 runs in his first over, forcing him out of the attack early. England capitalized on this shaky start, reaching 134 for two at lunch.
Duckett, who reached his 50 from only 32 balls, was eventually dismissed by Shamar Joseph after a flurry of boundaries. Despite this, Pope continued to anchor the innings, reaching his century from 143 balls with his 15th four. He survived a dropped catch by Alick Athanaze on 47 and another missed opportunity by Jason Holder at second slip.
Stem the flow of runs between lunch and tea
The West Indies managed to stem the flow of runs between lunch and tea, with Seales dismissing Joe Root for 14 and Sinclair getting Brook out for 36. After tea, Joseph removed Pope, but Stokes continued to build England’s total, reaching his 50 from 71 balls.
Part-time spinner Kavem Hodge took two crucial wickets, including Stokes, to curtail England’s momentum. Sinclair and captain Kraigg Brathwaite utilized the second new ball effectively, taking the final two wickets and wrapping up England’s innings.
The West Indies, trailing 1-0 in the three-match series after a heavy defeat in the first Test at Lord’s, will look to build on their late-day resurgence as they prepare to bat. With a strong local and overseas player contingent, they aim to put up a substantial reply and challenge England’s formidable first-innings total.
