England on top despite Blackwood fifty

Jermaine Blackwood’s half-century could not prevent England tightening their grip on the third Test as the West Indies struggled to 139 for seven at tea in reply to the visitors’ first innings total of 257 on Saturday.

After James Anderson mowed through the top order of the West Indies batting before lunch, four different bowlers contributed with a wicket each in the afternoon despite Blackwood’s stroke-filled defiance.

He resumes in the day’s final session on 67 off just 71 deliveries, having stroked nine fours and three sixes.

However with Veerasammy Permaul as his partner and the other two tailenders to follow, England will fancy their chances of earning a decent first innings lead on a pitch that is deteriorating rapidly.

Blackwood came to the crease within minutes of the restart after lunch as Moeen Ali’s off-spin drew a lazy stroke from Darren Bravo for Chris Jordan to take the first of two catches at slip.

His second was a much more spectacular effort, diving to his right after initially being wrong-footed to hold on to the chance offered by Shivnarine Chanderpaul off Joe Root after the veteran had got to 25 and featured in a 45-run fifth-wicket partnership with Blackwood.

Stuart Broad and Ben Stokes then accounted for West Indies captain Denesh Ramdin and all-rounder Jason Holder respectively, both to catches by wicketkeeper Jos Buttler.

Anderson was the last man out at the start of the day as England’s final three wickets added only 17 more runs to their overnight total.

Jerome Taylor made up for a wicketless first day by taking all three, including the last two off consecutive deliveries.

Then it was the turn of England’s most successful wicket-taker in Tests to steal the spotlight as the relentless tormentor of the Caribbean top-order, dispensing with both openers before adding the important scalp of second Test centurion Marlon Samuels in an outstanding opening spell of bowling.

Left with just over an hour to the lunch interval, West Indies started poorly with the all-Bajan opening pair of Kraigg Brathwaite and Shai Hope departing quickly to the despair of the home fans packed into the stands.

Anderson’s second ball of the innings was a perfect outswinger that peeled off Brathwaite’s bat for Jordan to take the catch at second slip before he had scored.

In his first Test innings, Hope was unable to cope with the wiles of Anderson, edging low to Alastair Cook who made no mistake in coming up with the catch millimetres from the ground.

His hands were less sure in the next over that granted Bravo a reprieve off the exasperated Broad, although Anderson needed no assistance in removing Samuels.

The classy right-hander, fed a succession of outswingers by England’s record Test wicket-taker, failed to pick an inswinger which trapped him palpably leg-before for nine.

England lead the three-match series 1-0 after winning the second Test in Grenada by nine wickets while the opening game in Antigua was drawn.
Source: AFP