When Kraigg Brathwaite won the toss and elected to bat first just after 10.30am on day one of the third Test at Edgbaston, the general consensus was that it was an easy decision for the West Indies captain.
Eight hours and 13 wickets in the day’s play later, with the West Indies being bowled out for 282 and England stumbling to 38-3 in Birmingham, the early expectations have been well and truly confounded.
Gus Atkinson did most of the damage for the hosts with the ball, taking 4-67 to continue his impressive start to his Test career, and fellow seamer Chris Woakes, who chipped in with 3-69 on home soil, relieved England alike. can make the most of it when the ball is swinging.
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Chris Woakes dismissed Joshua Da Silva to destroy his strong partnership with Jason Holder as West Indies took on England
“When we beat them I was really happy,” Warwickshire bowler Woakes said Sky Sports. “Obviously losing three in the afternoon session is not good, it’s not a perfect ending.
“We have to be happy with what we did, after losing the toss and being asked to bowl first, and bowling on a good pitch is a good day.
It turned out to be a day for the bowlers on day one of the third Test between England and West Indies
“Dukes balls took some time to get the lacquer off before they swing, but they had a swing from the start and there was a big wind coming from the right ground that helped away the swing from the far end for right-handed batters.
“Except for the ploy through the middle when we went short for a while, if we got the ball again it was still in good condition and moved in the air a little bit all day. If it had not been so small, it would have been a more difficult day.”
Although there were many wickets to fall on the first day, they tended to come in clusters in isolated periods when there was some swing for the bowlers layer rather than regularly throughout the day, with the West Indies pair of Jason Holder and Joshua Da Silva dominating the most. of the afternoon by putting on 109 for the sixth wicket.
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Joe Root took a miracle to remove Gudakesh Motie and move England one wicket away from bowling out West Indies in the first innings.
Brathwaite and Mikyle Louis had also made an opening stand with 76 before Ben Stokes’ side took wickets either side of lunch to leave the tourists 115-5 before Holder and Da Silva came on together, and former England seamer Stuart Broad felt there was some factor in that. play at that time.
“Mark Wood bowled a jaffa to Kirk McKenzie, the rest was just a batter’s mistake and a switch-off mentality – that’s very frustrating when you’re in the dressing room when that happens,” Broad said. Sky Sports.
Gus Atkinson claimed four wickets for England on the first day at Edgbaston
“At the end of the day, you have to give credit to the bowling unit for applying pressure. It’s not all about bowling to take wickets, sometimes it’s the lead to take wickets that gets you there.
“That’s 350 minimum (pitches) for you to make the most of winning the toss.”
Any hopes that England had enjoyed a better time with the bat were quickly checked because they lost three wickets in the final 35 minutes of the first day after the West Indies bowling came out, with Jayden Seales accounting for Zak Crawley and nightwatchman Mark Wood, and Alzarri Joseph took. Ben Duckett came out around the goal to the left.
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West Indies stunned England by dismissing openers Zak Crawley and Ben Duckett early
It means vice-captain Ollie Pope and former captain Joe Root have something of a rebuilding job in hand at the start of day two after life to close, although Woakes remains confident the situation still favors the batting team despite the odd first day.
“You want to get it, at least, to the same level,” Woakes said. “We still feel it’s a good batting surface.
“You want overs on the legs from the opposition bowlers and hopefully there are times where you can cash in, build a big partnership with some of the middle-order players, and then go down to be key.
“Obviously we’re still trying to get ahead.”
England vs West Indies Test Series
Watch the second day of the third Test between England and the West Indies, from Edgbaston, live on Sky Sports Cricket from 10.15 a.m. (first ball bowled at 11am).
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