NORTH SOUND: England's fourth-wicket pair of Ian Bell and Joe Root dominated the second session of the first Test against the West Indies to lift the tourists to 167 for three at tea on the opening day at the Sir Vivian Richards Stadium in Antigua on Monday.
Bell resumes after the interval on 69 alongside Root (61 not out), the pair having put on 133 at a run-a-minute, rescuing their side from the considerable discomfort of 34 for three in the morning after West Indies captain Denesh Ramdin decided to bowl first on winning the toss.
In stark contrast to the struggles of their teammates at the top of the order, both batsmen played fluently on a pitch offering little assistance to the bowlers, all of whom struggled to capture the discipline and purpose of the first two hours' play.
England's woes started in the very first over as Jonathan Trott, in his 50th Test, edged a delivery from Jerome Taylor before he had scored for Darren Bravo to take a regulation catch at first slip.
It was Trott's first appearance for the senior England side since leaving the Ashes tour of Australia 17 months earlier at the end of the first Test for what was believed to be a stress-related illness.
This pitch though, bears no relation whatsoever to the green, fast bowler's track in Brisbane where Trott and all the England batsmen struggled to cope with the raw pace of Mitchell Johnson.
Here in Antigua, the issues were more about faulty technique and lapses in concentration, apart from the sustained effort of the West Indies bowlers in maintaining a steady line under the watchful eye of new head coach Phil Simmons.
Trott's opening partner, Alastair Cook, lasted just another half-an-hour before a tentative forward prod resulted in an inside-edge off Roach onto his stumps. Gary Ballance was England's other casualty of the morning, the attacking left-hander drawn to chase a wide delivery from Holder for Bravo to take his second catch, on this occasion high to his left.
West Indies opted for a lone specialist spinner in Sulieman Benn ahead of leg-spinner Devendra Bishoo, who was hoping to play his first Test match for three years following a prolific domestic season for his native Guyana.
England's frontline seamer, James Anderson, is playing in his 100th Test, the 13th England cricketer to reach the landmark. He needs four more wickets to surpass Sir Ian Botham's record of 383 wickets as the most by an Englishman.
Comments
Comments are closed.