West Indies

A trio of quick wickets from the paceman, who was left out of the first game at Southampton, saw West Indies lose all their momentum, marking the beginning of the tourists' decline from 242-4 to 287 all out.

Broad made no effort to disguise the fact he was unhappy to miss the opener in the three-match series, which West Indies went on to win by four wickets.

The 34-year-old was not the only England bowler to give the Windies plenty to think about on Sunday, with Sam Curran (2-70) lively and Chris Woakes (3-42) particularly effective when mopping up the tail.

But it was a vintage Broad onslaught, the sort that batting line-ups across the world have frequently found unplayable, that turned this match on its head, from one that was meandering towards a draw to one that could deliver a special fifth day.

Armed with a first-innings lead of 182, England even sent out Jos Buttler with first-innings centurion Ben Stokes to open their batting second time around, hoping to club some quick runs before the close.

That plan backfired when Buttler was bowled for a third-ball duck by Kemar Roach, who then also removed Zak Crawley, but England were nevertheless back in with a sniff of a series-levelling victory, 37-2 overnight, leading by 219.

Dom Bess had made a morning breakthrough when his off-spin accounted for Alzarri Joseph, who prodded to short-leg fielder Ollie Pope.

An unusual moment just before lunch saw Dom Sibley polish the ball with saliva, only to realise that was not allowed under coronavirus restrictions, leading the umpires to perform a clean-up job with disinfectant wipes.

Curran had Shai Hope caught behind, before Stokes, bowling around the wicket, kept up a persistent, nagging line that brought a big breakthrough when he had opener Kraigg Brathwaite caught and bowled for 75.

The Broad show followed, as he pinned Shamarh Brooks lbw for 68, then bowled Jermaine Blackwood and trapped Shane Dowrich leg before, both for ducks. Woakes accounted for Roston Chase (51) as he polished off the innings.

Old-stagers for old stages

England might have decided Broad was not the man for the task in Southampton, at one of Test cricket's newer grounds, but he rose to the occasion at one of the sport's great amphitheatres in Manchester. It may not have been as imperious a performance as when he took 6-25 against India at Old Trafford back in 2014, but it was a timely reminder of his match-turning qualities, just in case, at the age of 34, they were becoming at all forgotten.

Set up for Stokes

Twelve months ago, Stokes had just played the leading role in England's World Cup triumph and was weeks away from being a Headingley hero. He already has a century from this match, but Monday could be another of those special summer days for the Durham all-rounder, with bat and ball. He and Joe Root will return in the morning, look to build that lead, and give themselves as much of the day as possible to take 10 West Indies wickets, with the possibility of two new balls.

Brathwaite shows Windies the way

Patient batting at the top of the order from Brathwaite looked like being rewarded with a century on Sunday, only for Stokes to strike. England will know he could frustrate them on the final day, when it promises to be a race against the clock.

The seamer was once fancied as a player who could make big contributions with bat and ball for his country, but it has been chiefly as a world-class paceman that he has shone.

On Saturday, Broad thrashed a priceless 62 to fend off a West Indies fightback at Old Trafford, helping England to post 369 in their first innings.

Broad then took 2-17 in 10 overs as the tourists were reduced to 137-6 at the close, with James Anderson also taking 2-17 from 11 overs, the veteran pacemen on mesmerising form on an overcast afternoon in Manchester. 

It meant West Indies trailed by 232 runs at the end of the second day of the series decider, needing to find lower-order runs on Sunday to stave off the threat of a possible follow-on.

The day ended well for England, albeit early due to fading light, but it had begun in dispiriting fashion for Joe Root's troops.

Ollie Pope failed to add to his overnight 91, bowled by Shannon Gabriel to trigger a collapse from 262-4 to 280-8, and it took Broad's lusty hitting to salvage pride and switch momentum back England's way.

Amid the collapse, Kemar Roach (4-72) reached 200 Test wickets when he removed Chris Woakes, and there was frustration for Jos Buttler, whose hopes of a second Test century were quashed when he fell for 67, Gabriel striking for the second time before lunch.

But Broad stood tall. In a cavalier 45-ball innings, England's number 10 cracked nine fours and a six, dominating a 76-run partnership for the ninth wicket with Dom Bess before attempting one big hit too many, caught in the deep by Jermaine Blackwood off Roston Chase.

West Indies' problems soon went from bad to worse. Broad had Kraigg Brathwaite caught at first slip by Root and later accounted for Chase, pinned plum lbw.

Jofra Archer struck with a dynamite delivery, the ball arrowing towards the ribs of John Campbell, who had looked good in reaching 32 but could only paddle away a snorter of a ball to Rory Burns at gully.

Anderson, at his home ground, was typically probing and drew edges to account for Shai Hope and Shamarh Brooks, before Woakes bowled Blackwood.

The Hurricanes openers posted the highest first-wicket partnership of the tournament so far, after Kieran Powell and Ross Powell had a slow but steady start of 152 in 31 overs.

Ross Powell made 61, which included eight fours, but became the first victim of left-arm spinner Gudakesh Motie, who took 4-45 and won the CG Insurance Man-of-the-Match award.

Kieran Powell looked well set to reach triple figures, but on 94 he smacked a drive to Johnson, at extra cover, to give Motie his second wicket. The knock came off just 97 deliveries, with four fours and four sixes.

There was little resistance left as the Leewards Hurricanes finished their 50 overs on 244-9. Motie was the pick of the Jaguars bowlers, while seamer Nial Smith had 3-47 also from 9 overs.

Assad Fudadin and Chanderpaul Hemraj started a cautious run-chase, as they posted 45 before Hemraj was dismissed for 24 off 22 balls. Shimron Hetmyer was run out for nine from a brilliant diving throw-in from Hayden Walsh Jr at point.

But it was the partnership of the most experienced players, captain Johnson and Chris Barnwell that took the game away from the Hurricanes. Barnwell was the aggressor, striking three sixes and a boundary on his way to a valiant 49 before Sheeno Berridge caught him slashing behind.

Johnson soldiered on despite battling cramps. He eventually brought up his second List A century in style with a drive to mid-off for a boundary. With Romario Shepherd at the other end, the pair rotated the strike to lead the Jaguars to the second victory of the tournament with 2.1 overs remaining.

Broad was England's leading wicket-taker in the 2019-20 series victory in South Africa and the drawn Ashes series with Australia last year.

There was no place in the side for the 34-year-old in the first of three Tests versus the Windies, though, as James Anderson, Jofra Archer and Mark Wood got the nod.

England's second-highest Test wicket-taker is at a loss to understand why he was left out in Southampton, missing out on a home Test for the first time since 2012.

He told Sky Sports: "I'm not a particularly emotional person but I've found the last couple of days quite tough.

"To say I was disappointed would be an understatement; you're disappointed if you drop your phone and the screen breaks.

"I'm frustrated, angry and gutted. It's difficult to understand. I've probably bowled the best I've ever bowled the last couple of years, I felt it was my shirt. I was in the team for the Ashes and going to South Africa and winning there.

Broad revealed he had asked national selector Ed Smith why he was not included.

He added: "I spoke to Ed Smith last night, he said he was involved in picking the 13 and this side was picked purely for this pitch. I wanted clarification on my future and I was given pretty positive feedback going forward.

"So yes, I was frustrated in the fact that I felt like I deserved a spot in the team."

Broad knows his omission shows the strength in depth England can call upon.

"You can't argue the bowlers walking on that field don't deserve to play," Broad said. "Everyone deserves to play. Chris Woakes, Sam Curran were bowling really well and probably deserve to be in the XI.

"It's just annoying when it's not you that's in that XI. Very rarely do you get guys fit and available for each Test match. That's where selection has been tricky.

"It's great to see strength and depth in the fast bowling ranks. It's the only way that England cricket moves forward and gets better. And with high competition in squads it keeps the standard high. Everyone is under pressure for their spots."

The seamer trapped West Indies opener Kraigg Brathwaite lbw early on the final day of the third Test to become just the seventh player to reach the notable milestone.

Only long-time new-ball partner James Anderson – who had also dismissed Brathwaite to reach 500 in his career back in 2017 – has managed more wickets for England in the longest format.

Broad claimed another later during Monday's play to move to 501, finishing the innings with figures of 4-36 to give him 10 in the match.

In the three-match series, he picked up 16 wickets at an average of just 10.93 - numbers made even more impressive when taking into consideration he was left out for the opener in Southampton.

The 34-year-old's fine form since his recall sees him climb in the Test player rankings, with only Australia paceman Pat Cummins and New Zealand left-armer Neil Wagner bettering his new rating of 823.

"It's special to get the 500, amazing, and what makes it extra special is taking it in a Test match which has led to a win and Test series win," Broad told Sky Sports after play at Old Trafford.

"I think you always remember moments as a player when winning games. Winning Test matches is what it's all about."

England are back in Test action next week, as the first of three matches against Pakistan gets under way on August 5.

England's all-time leading Test wicket-takers Broad and Anderson have been left out of the squad for next month's tour after a dismal Ashes series led to the departure of head coach Chris Silverwood.

Interim managing director of cricket Andrew Strauss, interim coach Paul Collingwood, and head scout James Taylor made up a three-man selection committee ahead of the series, which begins in Antigua on March 8, and have settled on a 16-man squad that does not include either of the seamers.

Despite Strauss contending that there was a way back for both bowlers, who have taken 1,177 Test wickets between them, Broad has used his newspaper column to hit out at the decision.

"I have to confess that I wasn't expecting the phone call I received from Andrew Strauss on Tuesday that started with him saying: 'I've got some bad news'," Broad wrote in the Daily Mail.

"I am waking up more confused and angrier with each passing day. I feel gutted. 

"Do I need to prove myself again? In my mind, I've nothing to prove. I am a proven performer, so it is now about the English cricketing summer and targeting the home series against New Zealand in June."

The 35-year-old pace bowler, whose tally of 73 career Test wickets against the West Indies is only beaten by Anderson's 87 amongst active players, also moved to defend his recent England performances and denied that any behind-the-scenes unrest had contributed to the decision.

"I could take being dropped if I had let my standards slip but being overlooked when they haven't is another thing," Broad's column continued.

"I am struggling to put things into context. It's hard to do so when all you've had is a five-minute phone call.

"If I had spoken to one person who had said they agreed with the decision to leave myself and Jimmy out, I could perhaps begin to understand. 

"Do I believe I warrant a place in England's best team? Of course, I do.

"People will ask if there has therefore been some fall-out behind the scenes, a bit of a rumble during the Ashes, but I can categorically say that is not the case. Hence, neither Jimmy nor I saw this coming. We were blindsided."

England's last series win in the West Indies came back in 2003-04.

The seamer trapped opener Brathwaite lbw for 19 in the morning session to aid England's push for victory at Old Trafford, the hosts having been frustrated by bad weather on Monday as play was washed out.

Broad is the seventh bowler to make it to the notable landmark, doing so in his 140th appearance in the longest format of the game. 

The 34-year-old was surprisingly left out by the hosts for the opener in Southampton – a game West Indies won by four wickets – but marked his recall with match figures of 6-108 in the second Test in Manchester. 

He continued his impressive form with a six-wicket haul in the first innings of the series finale, putting his side in complete control having also contributed 62 with the bat.  

Only long-time new-ball partner James Anderson – who also dismissed Brathwaite to reach 500 in 2017 – has managed more wickets for England, while Broad has West Indies legend Courtney Walsh (519) in his sights. 

Glenn McGrath is the leading fast bowler with 563 wickets, but the top three on the prestigious list are all spinners. Anil Kumble managed 619, Shane Warne sits second with 708 and Muttiah Muralitharan is top of the pile by a distance, the Sri Lankan ending his career on exactly 800.

Broad started day five needing just one wicket to become the seventh player to reach the landmark and achieved the feat by removing Kraigg Brathwaite, the same batsman James Anderson dismissed to join the 500 club in 2017.

Pace great Broad, dropped for the first Test in Southampton, then took the series-clinching wicket to finish with 4-36 after the brilliant Woakes claimed 5-50 to bowl the tourists out for only 129.

Broad, who took match figures of 10-67 and smashed a half-century, and Woakes sat out a first match of the series that the Windies won at the Rose Bowl, but showed what England were missing in Manchester.

The Windies head home on Wednesday, still without a Test series win in England since 1988 after losing a contest to be renamed the Richards-Botham Trophy when they next do battle. 

Shai Hope and Brathwaite got the Windies off to an encouraging start after resuming on 10-2 following a day-four washout, but Broad ended a 39-run stand by trapping the opener bang in front to join the 500 club after a rain delay.

Broad remained in the thick of the action, running in from mid-off to catch Hope (31) and Sharmah Brooks edged behind (22) to become Woakes' second victim.

Rain ensured early lunch was taken with the Windies in deep trouble on 84-5 and Dom Bess - who did not bowl a ball in the match - ran Roston Chase out before another shower took the players off again.

Captain Jason Holder, Shane Dowrich - who took a nasty blow to the face while wicketkeeper - and Rahkeem Cornwall were snared lbw in a devastating spell from Woakes.

Broad fittingly finished it off, Jos Buttler taking an excellent catch down the leg side to dismiss Jermaine Blackwood and give England's man of the moment 10 wickets in a Test for the third time.

Broad goes from seething in Southampton to main man in Manchester

Broad was furious after being left out for the first match of the series and could only watch on as the Windies took a 1-0 lead in Southampton.

The paceman has let his performances do the talking in the remainder of the series, playing a major part in England's turnaround with bat and ball.

His dismissal of Brathwaite saw him become the fourth seamer - and the second-youngest bowler behind Muttiah Muralitharan - to claim 500 Test scalps and he put the icing on the cake by taking the last wicket with his first ball of a new spell.

Hope fails to live up to expectations

It was an all too familiar story for Hope on the last day of what has been a poor tour for a batsman who has not shown what he is capable of.

Hope played positively as he made his highest score of the series, hitting six boundaries before throwing his wicket away attempting to dispatch Woakes for a seventh.

The number three heads home without making a half-century three years after making a century in both innings at Headingley. He has not reached three figures in a Test since that famous win in Leeds.

Woakes makes his mark

Woakes was also omitted for the defeat at the Rose Bowl and has responded impressively. 

He took five wickets in the second Test and added another in the first innings this week before ending the series on a high note.

The all-rounder was on the money on the final day, rewarded for consistently bowling on a probing line and length with a fourth five-wicket Test haul.

The return of international cricket, put on hold since March because of the coronavirus pandemic, was further delayed by rain in Southampton on Wednesday.

However, conditions eventually allowed for the two captains - Ben Stokes and Jason Holder - to emerge for the coin toss, which England won with Stokes electing to bat.

Stand-in captain Stokes, taking the place of Joe Root - missing the match to attend the birth of his second child - confirmed the omission of seam bowler Broad for the first of three behind-closed-doors Tests.

All-rounder Chris Woakes was also left out, with England opting for the pace of Jofra Archer and Mark Wood alongside the swing of James Anderson.

"Very, very tough decision with [leaving out] Broad and Woakes but we feel with Woody and Jofra's pace it adds another dimension," Broad said. 

"There was a lot of disappointment around but they took it like champions."

Holder, meanwhile, elected to go with four pace bowlers, with Alzarri Joseph, Kemar Roach and Shannon Gabriel joining the all-rounder in the attack.

Rahkeem Cornwall missed out, Holder picking Roston Chase as his spin option.

The start of play was rescheduled for 2:00pm (local time).

Fast bowler Broad has been a batting enigma at international level, boasting a top score of 169 and now 13 half-centuries, but there have also been 35 ducks and abundant single-figure scores across his 205 innings.

His 62 on Saturday was bludgeoned from just 45 balls, allowing England to recover after collapsing from 262-4 to 280-8 in their first innings, the hosts eventually posting 369 all out.

West Indies were in trouble on 137-6 at stumps in response, with Broad and James Anderson both returning figures of 2-17, leading to talk of a possible follow-on.

Broad said England "had a great day", but he had an exceptional day.

"Batting is such a frustrating, weird thing," Broad told Sky Sports.

"If you'd told me this morning I'd get 10, I'd have been pretty happy to shake your hand and take it. You end up getting 60 and end up kicking the ground you've not got 70.

"It's the weirdest thing in the world. It's great to get 60, but I'm annoyed I hit a full toss straight down deep mid-wicket's throat now."

The 34-year-old revealed how former England head coach Peter Moores, now at Nottinghamshire, had provided several useful pointers towards Broad becoming a better batsman.

"He came to me in June and said about looking at how Shane Warne played, particularly in the 2005 Ashes when he scored some really useful runs," Broad said.

"It was quite unorthodox and opening up different parts of the field. I looked at that, did a bit research at how he went about it and decided that was quite a good way for me to go, to open up the off side as I look scoring through there. To try and keep my head out of falling over.

"It's really hard to tell in the nets – you need match practice at it – but I felt really comfortable today. The situation helped – it was not one of those to hang around for two hours and see where we went, it was one of those to try and take attack to the bowlers."

Broad succeeded where many colleagues failed on the second morning of the match, before a pace onslaught from England left West Indies in deep trouble.

Having the option to make the tourists follow on in the series decider would be a dream scenario for England, and West Indies will require 33 more runs to avoid that possible fate.

"That's definitely something we will be hunting for, especially with some weather around," Broad said.

"You don't want to read too much into the forecast, but if we got the chance to enforce the follow-on, it would be a serious consideration because we are desperate to win this series.

"If that gives us the best chance to do that, the bowlers will be fresh and ready to go."

Jason Holder won a delayed toss and, under heavy skies in Manchester, opted to bowl first as West Indies chase a series-clinching victory.

While the tourists are unsurprisingly unchanged after their four-wicket triumph in Southampton last week, England have made four alterations to their team.

Joe Root - who missed the previous game due to the birth of his second child - returns to captain this side in place of Joe Denly, but England are without Jofra Archer, who was excluded from the squad following a breach of bio-secure protocols.

The pace bowler is to isolate for five days, during which he will undertake two COVID-19 tests. Both results need to be negative before his period of self-isolation is lifted.

Archer's absence was only confirmed on the morning of the Test, England having already announced on Wednesday that fellow pace bowlers James Anderson and Mark Wood would be rested at Old Trafford.

The uncapped Ollie Robinson misses out as Broad, Curran and Woakes get the nod.

"A statement has gone out this morning and as a side we've got to look at the next five days and put in a good performance to bounce back from last week," Root told Sky Sports after the toss.

The England skipper also confirmed that despite Archer being ruled out, there was no consideration to adding either Anderson or Wood to the 12-man squad.

"With both of those, having come back from two serious injuries, it seemed very high risk to play them in this game," Root added. "This is a must-win game for us, but we have to look after them."

The futures of skipper Jos Buttler and head coach Matthew Mott are up in the air after England's failure to successfully defend their 50-over and T20 World Cup titles.

Brook, who has risen to third in the ICC Test batting rankings, a place behind his team-mate Joe Root, is a possible candidate to take on the captaincy.

The 25-year-old starred in England's win over the West Indies last week, scoring a fifth Test century at Trent Bridge from 139 balls in their 241-run triumph. 

Brook is due to lead Northern Superchargers in the 100-ball tournament under coach Andrew Flintoff, who was England’s assistant coach at the T20 World Cup in June.

"This is my first captaincy role with the Superchargers," Brook said. "We'll see how that goes and then maybe I'll have a different answer in a couple of months.

"I don't see anything happening any time soon, so I'll just stay in the moment and focus on Test cricket."

Brook will join up with the Superchargers following England's third and final Test against West Indies at Edgbaston, which begins on Friday. 

England’s schedule makes it difficult for Brook or any other Test regular to captain the white-ball team. The first T20 against Australia is the day after the Test series against Sri Lanka finishes.

The ODI series later that month ends a couple of days before England fly to Pakistan to play Tests. That series finishes on October 28, with an ODI series in the Caribbean beginning three days later.

"I want to play every Test match I can for England," said Brook. 

"Test cricket is my priority. I don't want to think too far ahead. The Ashes is a long way away and we have a lot of Test cricket before then. My main focus is to stay in the moment and not get ahead of myself."

Rassie van der Dussen (56 not out) and wicketkeeper Quinton de Kock (37) helped the Proteas post a modest 160-6 as Fabian Allen (2-18) finished the pick of the West Indies bowlers.

A blistering assault from Lewis laid the foundations for the win as he and opening partner Andre Fletcher (30) put on 85 for the first wicket in seven overs.

Tabraiz Shamsi (1-27) claimed the wicket of Lewis, but Chris Gayle (32 not out) and skipper Andre Russell (23 not out) saw West Indies home with 30 balls to spare.

South Africa thrashed West Indies in their recent two-Test series, but these five T20 matches look set to go the other way based on this one-sided game.

West Indies, the reigning T20 world champions, won the toss and elected to bowl first at the National Stadium in St George's and kept South Africa's batsmen in check.

Left-arm spinner Allen bowled particularly impressively as he accounted for the wickets of Reeza Hendricks (17) and skipper Temba Bavuma (22) before veteran Dwayne Bravo (2-30) closed out the innings.

South Africa's attack were no match for the brutal hitting of the West Indies batsmen with Lewis, who shrugged off a blow to the midriff, reaching his half-century off 22 balls.

Lewis had whacked seven sixes and four fours by the time he sliced Shamsi's left-arm wrist spin into the hands of David Miller at long-off, but Gayle and Russell continued to pepper the boundary in a convincing win.

Lewis gives flashes of batting guru

With West Indies team-mate Gayle as his batting mentor, it should be no surprise the left-handed Lewis deals in maximums, and this innings was reminiscent of the six-machine at his pomp.

Too short from Ngidi

South Africa paceman Lungi Ngidi bowled with aggression but should have used his head. He bowled way too much short stuff, was promptly dispatched to the stands, and finished with 0-46 from three overs.

Dehring, who was CEO of the ICC World Cup held in the Caribbean in 2007, visually and performance-wise the current West Indies teams, just don’t look the part.

“There is no West Indies team that when they step out onto the field, they don’t look like the athlete of the day,” Dehring argued while speaking on the popular Mason and Guest sports talk show in Barbados on Tuesday.

“That is from a visual aesthetic perspective. We were the athletes, we were the thing people would pay to come and see. And when you look at the West Indies team now at the Test level or even at the recent T20 World Cup, it’s shocking, a jarring visual to see how athletic the Bangladeshis are, the Indians, the Australians, the Pakistanis; we are rotund, overweight, looking unfit.”

Dehring called into question the much-ballyhooed fitness tests that the West Indies selectors often use as criteria for selecting players for international duty.

“I don’t care what fitness test they tell me some of these guys pass, I don’t believe it. I’m sorry. Can you imagine a Viv Richards in his day walking out with a paunch?”

Dehring said it was very disheartening to see how low the West Indies have fallen notwithstanding the talent that some of the players possess.

“Of course, they have some talent and every once in a while they will perform but it can’t be sustained because they are not professional. They are not even professionals as individuals much less to try and have a professional cricket team.”

England are in a good position, having ended the day on 258-4, a far cry from the 122-4 they were in when Buttler came to the crease.

Before that, Kemar Roach had removed second-Test century-maker, Dom Sibley, for a duck, trapping him leg before wicket in the first over of the day.

Then came the run out of Joe Root for 17, Roston Chase clipping the bales.

Ben Stokes and opener Rory Burns tried to fashion a recovery before the latter was pushed back with some short deliveries before being bowled by Roach for 20.

The West Indies were looking good with England at 92-3, and when Burns was caught brilliantly at slip by Rahkeem Cornwall off the bowling of Roston Chase for 57, the West Indies were in great shape with two new batsmen and England teetering at 122-4.

But that’s where it ended as Pope, 91, and Buttler, 56, saw out the day in relative comfort, their partnership now worth 136.  

“I thought we started very well. Obviously Buttler and Pope had a good partnership, they batted well and so we know we have some hard work come tomorrow,” said Brathwaite in a press conference following stumps.

While Pope and Buttler have rescued England from a precarious position, Brathwaite does not believe the game has gotten away from the West Indies and tomorrow brings a fresh opportunity.

“We had a plan and obviously to bowl first but it’s been a pretty even day and obviously good from the two at the crease but I think tomorrow we have to start well and look to limit them to as few as possible,” said Brathwaite.

While tomorrow’s morning session is important, Brathwaite says the West Indies won’t panic and will stick to their plans and be patient.

“We have to start well and by that I mean we don’t have to rush wickets. I think if we build pressure by bowling a lot of dot balls and no boundary balls, that will create pressure to bring wickets. We don’t have to rush it in the morning session, I believe once we keep it tight, the tightness will bring wickets,” he said.

On Thursday, Fletcher smashed a brutal 89 for just 49 balls to underpin the Melbourne Stars massive 111 run win over Adelaide Strikers.  The knock was timely for Fletcher as he had not passed 18 in his first nine BBL encounters.

The 33-year-old had previously also performed below expectations in a low-scoring Caribbean Premier League (CPL), where he scored 211 from 12 games despite his team St Lucia Zouks making it to the final.  As it turns out, it was a call from the legendary West Indian batsman, who is on commentary duty at the BBL, which proved critical in helping Fletcher turn around that recent run of bad form.

"He called me, and I was surprised, to be honest," Fletcher said following his explosive performance.

"He was telling me that, looking from the outside, I've been striking the ball cleanly and he just told me to give myself that opportunity. Giving myself that chance and playing each ball on its merits,” he added.

"I'm an aggressive player so there's no need to go out there and look to [over] power the ball. To be honest, that's what I did today.

"I've met him before. He's a great guy. I told him over the phone, after what he told me I was like, 'So Brian, now I understand the reason you were so great'.

"He told me, feel free to call him any time I wish to, he's there, he's open for anything and willing to give me advice."

The 35-year-old swashbuckling batsman has been named as captain of the MI Emirates, the team owned by the executives of Mumbai Indians, ahead of the start of the competition on January 10. 

Pollard, who played for over a decade with Mumbai in the IPL before retiring last year, will bring plenty of experience to the position having, among other things, lifted 5 titles with the IPL franchise.

Having played for many years at Mumbai with Pollard, Yadav is confident that MI Emirates could not be in safer hands.

“I feel as a leader Pollard has been very calm, composed and gives everyone a chance to express themselves on the field whether the team is under the pump or even if we are on top,” Yadav explained.

“We felt very comfortable when he led MI and I am sure he will do the same thing for the MI Emirates,” he added.

In addition to Pollard and Yadav, the team will be boosted by the likes of the West Indian duo of Dwayne Bravo and Nicholas Pooran, who himself stepped down as captain of the West Indies white-ball teams late last year.

Batting a second time, in pursuit of the Harpy Eagles' massive 584, the Scorpions ended the day on 271 for 6.  At the top of the order, Campbell staged a brave resistance, putting on 105 for the first wicket with Leroy Lugg.  Lugg added 67 before being bowled by Permaul.

Campbell then formed partnerships with Jermaine Blackwood and Oraine Williams but neither lasted long, both falling victim to Gudkesh Motie.  Campbell himself saw his innings brought to an end, just two runs shy of triple digits, by Permaul, who trapped him lbw off a length delivery.

Paul Palmer and Alwyn Williams put together a 5^th wicket partnership of 41 with both sides agreeing to a draw soon after the pair were dismissed.  Overall, Permaul ended with figures of 3 for 61, while Motie took 2 for 73.

The first Apex Test will be played at the Sir Vivian Richards Stadium from March 8-12, following the warm-up match at the Coolidge Cricket Ground (CCG) from March 1-4.

In the West Indies Test squad, there is a maiden call-up for fast bowler Anderson Phillip and a recall for opener John Campbell. Both players were impressive in the first two rounds of the current West Indies Championship, with 25-year-old Phillip from Trinidad & Tobago Red Force, taking 12 wickets at an average of 14.25 per wicket, with best figures of 5-82 against Jamaica Scorpions and 28-year-old Campbell from Jamaica Scorpions hitting 213 runs at an average of 53.25, including 127 against Barbados Pride.

The West Indies squad will assemble in Antigua from February 25 for a training camp ahead of the Apex Test Series.

Shane Dowrich, the experienced wicketkeeper/batsman has been named as captain of the CWI President’s XI with Raymon Reifer, the left-handed allrounder as the vice-captain.

“Anderson Phillip bowled extremely well and was very impressive in the first two rounds of the West Indies Championship and we decided to give him an opportunity in the Test squad to face England. He has been around the squad before in white-ball cricket, so he has some experience at the international level,” lead selector Desmond Haynes said.

“I expect us to be very competitive against England. This should be a very exciting series, with a lot of players who are out to make their mark. We have a squad that has some experienced players, as well as some exciting young players and we expect them to equip themselves well and do the job,” he added.

West Indies Test Squad: Kraigg Brathwaite (Captain), Jermaine Blackwood (Vice-Captain), Nkrumah Bonner, Shamarh Brooks, John Campbell, Joshua Da Silva, Jason Holder, Alzarri Joseph, Kyle Mayers, Veerasammy Permaul, Anderson Phillip, Kemar Roach, Jayden Seales

CWI President’s XI Squad: Shane Dowrich (Captain), Raymon Reifer (Vice-Captain), Colin Archibald, Alick Athanaze, Keacy Carty, Bryan Charles, Shermon Lewis, Preston McSween, Shayne Moseley, Jeremy Solozano, Shamar Springer, Devon Thomas

In a game that featured several swings in momentum, England seemed on course for victory after Sophie Ecclestone and Kate Cross combined to put on 61 for the ninth wicket.

In the last three overs, England needed just nine runs for victory and still had two wickets in hand.  In the 48^th over Eccelstone went after Mohammed who missed a return catch but inadvertently run out Cross at the non-striker's end.  The experienced Anya Shrubsole was then bowled by the spinner to leave England all out on 218 and set off jubilant celebrations.

In their turn at the crease, the West Indies were off to an excellent start and seemed set for a big target with openers Hayley Matthews (45) and Deandra Dottin (31) putting 81 on the board, with 58 of those runs coming during the opening powerplay.

England spinner Ecclestone, however, was introduced into the attack with great effect and turned the match on its head during an eventful 21st over as the West Indies lost three wickets in five deliveries.

Matthews was the first to go after edging Ecclestone to Anya Shrubsole and Dottin was run out three balls later, courtesy of some excellent fielding from the experienced Danni Wyatt.

The West Indies then lost skipper Stafanie Taylor first ball as Ecclestone gave England the ascendancy, but Campbelle and Chedean Nation (49*) launched a furious fightback with an impressive 123-run stand for the fifth wicket.  

Campbelle eventually fell to Nat Sciver in the penultimate over, but the West Indies had recovered sufficiently from a mid-innings collapse eventually ending with a score of 225 for 6.  Ecclestone ended with figures of 3 for 20.

The win moved the Caribbean team up to second in the table, while England will have plenty of work to do if they are to repeat their 2017 heroics.