WI pace exposes England soft centre once again

GROS-ISLET, Saint Lucia: England’s batsmen collapsed to West Indian pace yet again as they lost six wickets for 45 runs to be dismissed for 277 in their first innings just before lunch on the second day of the third and final Test at the Darren Sammy Stadium in St Lucia on Sunday.

Having already reclaimed the Wisden Trophy with comprehensive victories in the first two Tests, and seeking a first clean sweep of their opponents for 33 years, the home side will resume their reply at two without loss after the interval.

Wicketless on the first day when an unbroken fifth-wicket partnership of 124 between Jos Buttler and Ben Stokes lifted the tourists to 231 for four, Kemar Roach stole the spotlight in scything through the middle and lower order to finish with figures of four for 48. He now has 17 wickets in series.

It was Shannon Gabriel though who made the first strike of the morning by bowling Buttler on his overnight score of 67 with just one run added to the total.That was the trigger for the slide and a reinvigorated Roach quickly got involved by dismissing Stokes for the innings top score of 79 when the attacking left-hander miscued an attempted pull.

Jonny Bairstow laboured for 33 deliveries in managing just two runs before Roach breached the right-hander’s defence. It was then the turn for Alzarri Joseph to star with the ball and in the field.First he induced Moeen Ali to follow a delivery angled across him to offer a simple catch to Darren Bravo at first slip for his second wicket of the innings. Then he raced round the boundary’s edge at fine-leg to pouch a well-judged catch when Mark Wood top-edged a hook off Roach.

West Indies won toss

England 1st Innings

R J Burns lbw b Paul 29

K K Jennings c Bravo b Paul 8

J L Denly lbw b Gabriel 20

*J E Root c Dowrich b Joseph 15

J C Buttler b Gabriel 67

B A Stokes c Dowrich b Roach 79

†J M Bairstow b Roach 2

M M Ali c Bravo b Joseph 13

M A Wood c Joseph b Roach 6

S C J Broad not out 0

J M Anderson c Paul b Roach 0

Extras (b 5, lb 11, nb 6, w 8) 30

Total (all out; 101.5 overs) 277

Fall: 1-30, 2-69, 3-69, 4-107, 5-232, 6-256, 7-270, 8-275, 9-277, 10-277

Bowling: Roach 25.5-11-48-4 (w 1); Gabriel 24-6-49-2 (w 2); Joseph 17-2-61-2 (w 3, nb 1); Paul 21-7-58-2 (w 2, nb 5); Chase 10-0-40-0; Brathwaite 4-0-5-0

West Indies 1st Innings

*K C Brathwaite not out 2

J D Campbell not out 0

Extras 0

Total (0 wickets; 3 overs) 2

Yet to bat: S D Hope, D M Bravo, R L Chase, S O Hetmyer, †S O Dowrich, K M A Paul, K A J Roach, A S Joseph, S T Gabriel

Bowling: Anderson 2-1-1-0; Broad 1-0-1-0

Umpires: Rod Tucker (Australia) and Kumar Dharmasena (Sri Lanka). TV umpire: Chris Gaffaney (New Zealand). Match referee: Jeff Crowe (New Zealand)