West Indies batsman Kavem Hodge reacts after his dismissal.
(Photos: Alex Davidson/Getty Images/Skysports)
The chances of West Indies bettering England in their three-match Test series were always slim, and Wednesday’s opening day of the first encounter at Lord’s again justified why the host are overwhelmingly favoured.
No doubt the Caribbean side went into the contest confident that they can secure a Test series win in England for the first time since 1988, but their batting display was a far cry from a team hoping to achieve that feat.
They collapsed from 88-3 to 121 all out, as England’s attack, led by debutant Gus Atkinson, was quick, vicious and left West Indies in a tailspin with no response to the onslaught.
Debutant Mikyle Louis (27), Alick Athanaze (23), Kavem Hodge (24), Alzarri Joseph (17), and Gudakesh Motie, with an unbeaten 14, were the only scores in double figures. Atkinson bagged 7-45, the second best by an England bowler on Test debut behind Dominic Cork.
England in response were 189-3 at close, as they opened up a 68-run lead courtesy of half-centuries from Zak Crawley (76) and Ollie Pope (57). Joe Root, on 15, and Harry Brook, on 25, will resume batting on Thursday’s second day.
Scores: West Indies 121 all out (41.4 overs); England 189-3 (40 overs)
Gus Atkinson bask in the admiration of his teammates.
West Indies assistant coach Jimmy Adams narrowed their opening day performance to England’s quality bowling and inexperience batting from his team.
“I think it was fairly bowling friendly conditions, and added to that England exploited the conditions really well. They had quality swing and they didn’t give us much freedom, and maybe a little bit of experience on our part as well. So I think a combination of those issues,” Adams said in a post-day conference.
Despite their current position, Adams remains optimistic his men can get back into the contest, provided they apply themselves accordingly.
“All of England’s bowlers are world class, so we can try (to comeback), but it is going to be difficult. But this is what Test cricket is all about, you have a bad day, you think about it, roll your sleeves up and come back on day two and try and work your way back into the match. We have seven wickets to get first of all and then hopefully we can bat for a day or two and see where we go from there,” he added.
After losing their top order in the opening session with just 44 runs on the board, Hodge and Athanaze attempted to rebuild the West Indies inning from 61-3 at lunch, but having already inflicted the wound, Atkinson duly obliged and finished what he started.
Louis, the first player to represent West Indies from St Kitts and Nevis, showed promise in a 34-run opening stand with captain Kraigg Brathwaite. Both seemed set for a positive knock before Brathwaite (six) dragged a wide delivery from Atkinson onto the stumps, while Jamaican Kirk McKenzie lasted only 14 deliveries, as he too was sent back by Atkinson for a solitary run.
Mikyle Louis receives his cap from West Indies legend Sir Viv Richards.
Louis then followed, as he edged one from England’s captain Ben Stokes, which Harry Brook collected low down at third slip.
When Athanaze edged to Joe Root, it sparked a typical West Indies collapse, as Jason Holder and Joshua da Silva came and went without scoring, while Hodge served up a catch off Chris Woakes to Ollie Pope, who took it in dazzling fashion.
Alzarri Joseph attempted a counter as he slashed four boundaries in a nine-ball cameo, before he became Atkinson’s sixth victim, and Shamar Joseph (zero), the seamer’s seventh. Motie then contributed 14 runs to push the visitors past the 120-run mark, as James Anderson, playing in his final Test series, accounted for Jayden Seales.
England in their turn at bat, lost Ben Duckett (three), who knicked a Jayden Seales delivery to da Silva. However, Crawley, who rode his luck, and Pope quickly steadied things as both scored at a decent tempo, before the latter was trapped in front by Holder.
Crawley’s luck ran out soon after and he was removed by an inswinging yorker from Seales, as West Indies briefly harboured hopes of clawing their way back into the contest, but Root and Brook kept them at bay for the remainder of the day.
Seales has 2-31 so far.
Sherdon Cowan is a five-time award-winning journalist with 10 years' experience covering sports.
Greaves’ maiden century powers Windies to control on day two as Bangladesh reeling at 40-2
West Indies took firm control of their opening Test match against Bangladesh as Justin Greaves’ maiden century piloted the Caribbean side to a mammoth first innings total of 450-9 declared at the Sir Viv Richards Stadium in Antigua on Saturday.
The hosts then restricted Bangladesh to 40-2 at the close of day two, leaving the visitors with a steep challenge ahead as they look to recover from a poor start.
Mominul Haque, not out on 7, and Shahadat Hossain, unbeaten on 10, will resume on Sunday with Bangladesh at 40-2, still trailing by 410 runs.
Greaves, who enjoyed sublime form in the Super50 Cup with three consecutive centuries, continued that rich vein of form with an unbeaten 115 that anchored West Indies’ innings and ensured a daunting total on the board.
The 30-year-old’s knock, which lasted just over six hours, had only four boundaries and was crucial in reviving the innings after a mid-session slump.
Scores: West Indies 450-9 dec; Bangladesh 40-2
West Indies resumed the day at 250-5 with Greaves on 11, and Joshua da Silva, 14, looking to consolidate their position. However, early breakthroughs from Bangladesh’s Hasan Mahmud threatened to derail the West Indies’ momentum.
Mahmud struck in the first session, removing da Silva without addition to his overnight score, and Alzarri Joseph (four), who also fell cheaply to leave West Indies at a precarious 261-7.
At that point, the Bangladesh bowlers seemed poised to bowl the Caribbean side down for a score under 300, but Greaves and veteran pacer Kemar Roach had other ideas.
The two Barbadians countered the pressure with patience, building a partnership of 140 runs for the eighth wicket that pushed West Indies past the 400-run mark.
Roach, who had previously struggled with the bat in Tests, made 47—his highest Test score in his 15-year career. He batted for over four hours, frustrating the Bangladesh bowlers with steady defence and timely strokes.
Together, Roach and Greaves weathered the storm, forcing Bangladesh to toil longer and harder than expected. Greaves, in particular, looked in complete control, while Roach’s composed knock provided vital support.
West Indies then made quick inroads in Bangladesh’s reply and reduced the visitors to 2-21, with both openers back in the pavilion cheaply. Alzarri Joseph was the first to strike, removing Mahmudul Hasan Joy for just five runs before Jayden Seales cleaned up Zakir Hasan for 15.
With Bangladesh struggling at 2-21, it seemed as though West Indies were on the brink of another quick domination as they sought to dismiss the Bangladesh top-order cheaply. However, Mominul Haque and Shahadat Hossain managed to negotiate the remainder of the day without further loss.
Australia have 'serious work to do' against India, McSweeney concedes
Nathan McSweeney conceded Australia have "serious work to do" if they are to get back into the first Test against India.
The Baggy Greens trail by 218 runs heading into day three in Perth after an unbroken century partnership of Yashasvi Jaiswal (90) and KL Rahul (62) put the tourists well in control at 172-0 at stumps.
Though they resumed at 67-7, Australia could only add another 37 runs and were bowled out for 104.
McSweeney acknowledged the hosts must improve, and quickly.
"It definitely hasn't gone to plan in the past couple of days," he told ABC. "We've got some serious work to do to get back into this Test. It looks like it is getting easier to bat, so hopefully we get early wickets tomorrow and get batting.
"It is definitely a new-ball wicket. All the damage was done before we could get through to the 35-40-over mark with the bat, so the trick will be nullifying the new ball and having batters in for the 40-80-over mark."
Former Australia head coach Darren Lehmann added: "It was a tough day, but hats off to the two Indian batters. They were excellent today and weathered the storm, and they got to the stage where they could take the game on.
"India are well ahead of the game. The wicket has settled down a little bit, but that is more because the Australia bowlers were tired from the first innings and having to bat two hours today."
Matthews, Molineux propel Renegades to WBBL summit after dominant nine-wicket win over Thunder
West Indies captain Hayley Matthews put on a batting masterclass, smashing an unbeaten 60 off just 37 balls to power the Melbourne Renegades to a commanding nine-wicket victory over the Sydney Thunder at Melbourne's Junction Oval on Friday.
The win catapulted the Renegades to the top of the Women’s Big Bash League (WBBL) standings and once again highlighted their title ambitions as they continue to enjoy fairly decent form. In fact, they required only 14.2 overs to easily get to 137-1, surpassing the Thunders modest total of 133.
Another West Indies star, Deandra Dottin, also played a pivotal role in the victory, chipping in with a tidy spell of 2-24 in 3.1 overs to help restrict the Thunder, with Renegades spinner Sophie Molineux delivering a standout performance by claiming 4-23. Georgia Wareham (2-20) also shared in the wickets.
Scores: Melbourne Renegades 137-1 (14.2 overs); Sydney Thunder 133 (19.1 overs)
Chasing 134 for victory, the Renegades’ duo of Matthews and Molineux made light work of the target. Matthews, who was in imperious form, smashed seven boundaries and two sixes in her unbeaten knock, which displayed her full array of strokes against a Thunder attack that had no answers.
Molineux capped her all-round brilliance with an unbeaten 29-ball 42, including seven boundaries and one six, as she added a steadying hand to Matthews’ aggression.
The pair took the hapless Thunder bowlers to task in an unbroken 95-run second wicket stand that ensured the Renegades raced to victory with 34 balls to spare.
Matthews’ dazzling innings, after losing opening partner Courtney Webb (24), marked yet another high point in her WBBL campaign, demonstrating why she is considered one of the best in the world.
Earlier, the Thunder’s innings never gained sustained momentum, as they lost openers Georgia Voll (11) and Chamari Athapaththu (11) with a mere 26 runs on the board.
Captain Phoebe Litchfield, batting at number three, top-scored with a quick-fire 17-ball 30 that had six boundaries. However, their batting lineup faltered dramatically and collapsed from 95-4 in the 12th over to lose their last seven wickets for just 38 runs.
Tahlia Wilson (27) was the Thunder’s next best scorer, while Sammy-Jo Johnson offered a late cameo with 21 from 19 deliveries, leaving them with a subpar total that was always going to be a challenge for their bowlers to defend.
The Renegades now sit atop the WBBL table with 14 points, relegating Thunder (13 points) to second, with Brisbane Heat (12 points) in third, and needing a massive win against the Sydney Sixers in their final match of the regular season on Sunday to leapfrog the Renegades and secure the coveted hosting rights for the grand final.
Meanwhile, the race for fourth place remains wide open. The Perth Scorchers (nine points) will take on the fifth-placed Hobart Hurricanes (eight points) on Saturday in a must-win clash. The Sydney Sixers, in sixth place with eight points, still have a mathematical chance of advancing if they upset the Heat.
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