Stuard Broad's six-for not enough to enforce West Indies follow-on

The West Indies escaped the follow-on in the final Test against England despite veteran pacer Stuart Broad picking up six wickets at Old Trafford, Manchester on Sunday.

Broad’s haul of 6-31 in 14 overs helped the home side bundle out the tourists for 197 in reply to England’s first-innings 369 that featured his dashing 62.

He took all the West Indies wickets to fall on Sunday in a burst of 4-11 in 22 balls before England reached 10-0 in their second innings at lunch on the third day.

West Indies captain Jason Holder had left the field before the interval, after an edge by Rory Burns dropped just short of the towering all-rounder at second slip and struck him a painful blow on the thumb.

Earlier, England captain Joe Root, perhaps remembering how Shane Dowrich had struggled against the short ball in the hosts’ 113-run win in the second Test, first deployed pacemen Jofra Archer and Chris Woakes.

But Dowrich made a useful 37 before he was last man out to give Broad his 497th Test wicket.

West Indies, looking to retain the Wisden Trophy they won in the Caribbean last year, resumed still needing 33 more runs to avoid the follow-on at 137-6.

Holder was 24 not out and Dowrich unbeaten on 10.

The pair had shared an unbroken stand of 295 during the West Indies’ 381-run win in the first Test in their native Barbados last year.

They batted positively on Sunday, with wicketkeeper Dowrich confidently pulling Woakes for four.

Holder appeared to be out for 38 when, with West Indies needing four more to make England bat again, he clipped Woakes to midwicket, where a diving Ollie Pope held a brilliant catch.

But a replay check by the umpires revealed Woakes had bowled a marginal no-ball.

Holder then ensured the follow-on was avoided by pulling Woakes for four.

But a stand of 68 ended when Holder was lbw to Broad, bowling a full length, for 46.

Rahkeem Cornwall went the same way before Broad, controversially omitted from West Indies’ four-wicket win in the first Test at Southampton, had Kemar Roach caught by first slip Root for a duck.

Dowrich cover-drove Broad for a superb back-foot four before he holed out.

The only pacemen to have taken more Test wickets than the 34-year-old Broad are his longtime England new-ball colleague James Anderson (589) and the retired pair of Australia’s Glenn McGrath (563) and West Indies’ Courtney Walsh (519).