SM
Man United vs. Bodo/Glimt: 16 hrs 36 mins
Upcoming predictions and previews

Jermaine Blackwood stars as West Indies edge towards victory over England

:Headline: Jermaine Blackwood stars as West Indies edge towards victory over England: ID:406243: from db_amp
Jermaine Blackwood was 65 not out heading into the final session.

Jermaine Blackwood took advantage of costly errors in the field as he moved the West Indies within sight of a day-five victory over England in the first #raisethebat Test.

The tourists were 143 for four at tea chasing 200 at the Ageas Bowl, with some invigorating fast bowling from Jofra Archer looking like it would not be enough for the hosts.

Blackwood was 65 not out heading into the final session, but was let off on five by England captain Ben Stokes and again on 20 by his deputy Jos Buttler.

England had been favourites at lunch with the tourists 35 for three, Archer blowing away Kraigg Brathwaite and Shamarh Brooks as well as forcing John Campbell to retire hurt. A stand of 73 between Blackwood and Roston Chase (37) reversed the picture to seemingly tee up a fine win.

Jofra Archer contributed 23 with the bat for England (Adrian Dennis/NMC Pool/PA)

The day began with England adding 29 for their last two wickets, both of which fell to Shannon Gabriel to complete his five-for.

Archer had batted with bravado for 23 but his primary job is to wreak havoc with the ball and he duly did so.

His first delivery yielded a partial but important success, thumping Campbell's front foot with fast yorker and eventually forcing him from the field in search of ice treatment. A more tangible breakthrough followed, Brathwaite deflecting a full inswinger into his stumps.

West Indies' Kraigg Brathwaite was dismissed for just four (Adrian Dennis/NMC Pool/PA)

Brathwaite had been described by head coach Phil Simmons as "the glue" of the tourists' batting line-up but here he had come unstuck for just four.

Brooks proved even simpler prey for the 25-year-old, trapped on the crease and deceived through the air for a five-ball duck. Archer was tearing into his celebrations before the lbw was even confirmed.

At 12 for two and with Campbell in pain in the dressing room, things were firmly in England's favour.

Wood picked up the baton after five heady overs and promptly increased the pressure, flattening Shai Hope's off stump with his fourth ball via a flick off the pad.

Chase and Blackwood made it to lunch but at that stage 165 runs seemed a mountainous ask. Yet when play returned the tone shifted, with swing suddenly a thing of the past and England beginning to fray in the field.

Dom Bess should have had Blackwood for five but in anticipating the intended cut shot rather than the thick edge which arrived, Stokes left himself in the wrong position at slip. He flung out a hand to try and rescue the situation but got fingertip contact.

The first 10 overs of the afternoon brought 33 runs, all but doubling the score, and when Blackwood gloved Stokes down leg he had a second slice of luck as Buttler grassed the chance one-handed. A leg-bye was signalled but Stokes' reaction suggested a review would have followed.

The 50 stand ticked by in 93 balls and England's error count continued – Zak Crawley fumbling a possible run-out chance and Rory Burns failing to put a hand on Blackwood's next slash through gully.

Worse still Stokes had over-stepped and the ball zipped away to take four more off the target. Chase saw his side to exactly halfway when Archer conjured an unplayable ball bouncer to end 24 overs of frustration.

It climbed at high speed, followed the batsman and flicked glove and helmet before looping through to Buttler. New man Shane Dowrich almost fell to a similarly fierce delivery but England's joy was cooled when replays confirmed it struck flesh rather than wood.

Three boundaries then followed in five balls, Dowrich taking care of a full toss before Blackwood edged James Anderson to third man and flicked through midwicket.

amp_article__406243 : Database Data restored...  : 
last updated article - 2020-07-12 15:27:28:
html db last update - 2020-07-12 15:27:28 :

ex - 7200 : read : read cache amp html
Share this article now:
Recommended Next on SM
Premier League Table
TeamPWDLFAGDPTS
1Liverpool1210112481631
2Manchester CityMan City127232217523
3Chelsea126422314922
4Arsenal126422112922
5Brighton & Hove AlbionBrighton126422116522
6Tottenham HotspurSpurs1261527131419
7Nottingham ForestNott'm Forest125431513219
8Aston Villa125431919019
9Fulham125341717018
10Newcastle UnitedNewcastle125341313018
11Brentford125252222017
12Manchester UnitedMan Utd124441313016
13Bournemouth124351617-115
14West Ham UnitedWest Ham124351519-415
15Everton122551017-711
16Leicester CityLeicester122461523-810
17Wolverhampton WanderersWolves122372028-89
18Ipswich TownIpswich121651323-109
19Crystal Palace121561017-78
20Southampton121110924-154
Scroll for more - Tap for full version


Sports Mole provides in-depth previews and predictions for every match from the biggest leagues and competitions in world football.
AL
Sign up for our FREE daily preview newsletter direct to your inbox!

Loading ...

Failed to load data.



. . . . . . . . . . . . . . .