historic moment with a combination of celebration and relief at claiming the coveted record in his 100th Test, although England’s focus reverted swiftly to getting back to the business of claiming the last three wickets.
“My immediate emotion was that we had gotten back into a winning position by opening up one end,” was the record-breaking bowler’s immediate reflection on the moment after play. “We tried our hearts out but there just wasn’t anything in that pitch to give us any assistance today.”
It ultimately proved unsuccessful as tailender Kemar Roach solidly defended everything hurled at him to end unbeaten on 15 off 75 deliveries. He survived one scare when given out caught behind down the leg-side off Anderson only for umpire Billy Bowden’s decision to be reversed on referral by the batsman.
A swift afternoon capitulation appeared inevitable when the West Indies lost three important wickets in the morning, resuming at 98 for two.
Samuels’ dismissal for 23 after an hour’s play followed the demise just a few minutes earlier of the other overnight batsman, Devon Smith. Having restrained himself admirably in more than three hours at the crease, the left-handed opener miscued a lofted on-drive at James Tredwell to be caught by Gary Ballance at mid-on for 65.
Tredwell, who bowled unchanged for an hour-and-a-half in the morning session, should have snared Samuels shortly after but the batsman, deceived completely by a cleverly flighted delivery, was mis-stumped by wicketkeeper Jos Buttler.
However Samuels did not make the most of the escape and when Shivnarine Chanderpaul was palpably leg beore wicket to Joe Root, who had replaced the persevering frontline off-spinner Tredwell, 15 minutes from the interval, the English celebrated the dismissal of one of their most resolute adversaries as if the match itself had been won.
score Board
West Indies won toss
England 1st innings 399 all-out
West Indies 1st innings 295 all-out
England 2nd innings
*A N Cook c Benn b Taylor 13
I J L Trott c Ramdin b Taylor 4
G S Ballance c Blackwood b Benn 122
I R Bell run out 11
J E Root b Holder 59
B A Stokes st Ramdin b Benn 35
†J C Buttler not out 59
C J Jordan c Bravo b Roach 13
Extras (b 1, lb 6, w 5, nb 5) 17
Total (7 wickets dec; 86 overs) 333
Did not bat: S C J Broad, J C Tredwell, J M Anderson
Fall: 1-15, 2-20, 3-52, 4-166, 5-226, 6-281, 7-333
Bowling: Taylor 14-5-42-2; Roach 14-1-53-1 (2nb); Holder 17-5-63-1 (2nb, 1w); Benn 26-3-115-2 (1nb); Samuels 15-0-53-0
West Indies 2nd innings
K C Brathwaite c Root b Broad 5
D S Smith c Ballance b Tredwell 65
D M Bravo c Jordan b Root 32
M N Samuels c Tredwell b Anderson 23
S Chanderpaul lbw b Root 13
J Blackwood c Buttler b Jordan 31
*†D Ramdin c Cook b Anderson 57
J O Holder not out 103
K A J Roach not out 15
Extras (b 2, lb 2, nb 2) 6
Total (7 wickets; 129.4 overs) 350
Did not bat: J E Taylor, S J Benn
Fall: 1-7, 2-90, 3-119, 4-127, 5-155, 6-189, 7-294
Bowling: Anderson 24.4-3-72-2; Broad 21-5-61-1; Tredwell 40-14-93-1; Jordan 18-6-48-1 (2nb); Stokes 13-0-50-0; Root 13-6-22-2
Result: Match Drawn
Series: 3-match series level by 0-0
Man of the Match: J O Holder (West Indies)
Umpires: B F Bowden (New Zealand) and S J Davis (Australia). TV umpire: B N J Oxenford (Australia). Match referee: A J Pycroft (Zimbabwe)