At Edgbaston, England seized management on the second day of the third Take a look at towards the West Indies, due to a formidable efficiency by Jamie Smith. The wicket-keeper-batter scored a commendable 95 off 109 balls, narrowly lacking out on his maiden century in simply his third Take a look at look.
In pursuit of the Windies’ first-innings whole of 282, England confronted a shaky begin. Early wickets noticed Ollie Pope (10) and Harry Brook (two) fall shortly, leaving the hosts at a precarious 54-5. Nevertheless, Joe Root (87) and Ben Stokes (54) steadied the innings with an important 115-run partnership. Smith’s near-century, mixed with Chris Woakes’ 62, propelled England to a complete of 376, giving them a 94-run lead.
The West Indies’ reply was instantly hindered when Chris Woakes dismissed skipper Kraigg Braithwaite for a duck within the first over. Gus Atkinson then claimed Kirk McKenzie (eight), whereas opener Mikyle Louis had a fortunate escape when Stokes dropped a easy catch. At stumps, the guests have been 33-2, with Louis on 18 and Alick Athanaze on 5. The Caribbean facet is now 61 runs behind with eight wickets in hand, needing a strong efficiency on the third day to remain in rivalry.
Lucky to outlive an in depth lbw attraction
Joe Root as soon as once more delivered a stellar batting show for England. He was lucky to outlive an in depth lbw attraction early in his innings, which the Windies didn’t evaluate. Capitalizing on his reprieve, Root scored 87, surpassing 12,000 Take a look at runs and changing into solely the second England participant to attain this milestone after Alastair Cook dinner. Although he narrowly missed out on his thirty third Take a look at century, Root’s innings helped him surpass Brian Lara to assert the seventh spot on the all-time main Take a look at run-scorers listing.
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Because the third day approaches, the West Indies will want a decided effort to claw again into the match and stop England from extending their dominance in this crucial Test.
