Windies build healthy lead as England toil

THE West Indies built up a considerable lead of 118 runs as their stubborn resistence left England frustrated at the half-way point of the first £raisethebat Test at the Ageas Bowl.

Responding to 204 all out they were all out for 318 all out with Shane Dowrich, who had been dropped on 25 by Somerset’s Devon-born spinner Dom Bess, top scoring with 61.

Dom Bess took two of the four wickets to fall earlier in the day, carrying more than his share in the most batsman-friendly conditions of the match to date. But it was again left to Ben Stokes to haul England back into the contest as he ripped through the tail to finish with figures of 4-49.

The West Indies began on 57 for one, 147 short of England’s mark, with Kraigg Brathwaite and Shai Hope chipping another 42 off the deficit in the first hour of play.

Hope earned a reprieve just before the drinks break, an Archer lbw chalked off after the paceman overstepped for a no-ball. England were not made to pay for that error, with Hope aiming a big drive at Bess just a few deliveries later and sending a sharp slip catch in Stokes’ direction.

The arrival of Shamarh Brooks lifted the run-rate, with the new batsman helping himself as Archer and Bess offered some loose fare.

Brathwaite was looking resolute at the other end, but his hopes of progressing towards three figures ended when Stokes pushed him on the back foot and rapped him high on the knee roll.

He was given out for 65 by umpire Richard Kettleborough and when he called for the review the dismissal was upheld on two counts of ‘umpire’s call’.

While that was enough to justify the decision, the West Indies would be forgiven for harbouring frustration at the number of tight calls that have gone against them in this match - the first since the International Cricket Council relaxed its rules on the use of ‘home’ officials.

An inside edge off Chase’s bat took the score within 50 of England by lunch.

The brakes were successfully applied at the start of the afternoon session as Anderson and Bess built up pressure with dot balls. It took nine overs to build to a head but when it did Brooks wafted at Anderson and nicked to Jos Buttler for a useful 39.

England kept the squeeze on and it did not take long to exhaust Jermaine Blackwood’s notoriously small reserves of patience. The number six swung hard at Bess as he wheeled away, hacking to Anderson at mid-off to make it 186 for five.

Chase slowed to a crawl to reach 27 not out in 115 deliveries but Dowrich kept things moving, going after Bess with three boundaries down the ground, to begin the job of taking the game away.

England took the new ball straight after tea but rather than turning their fortunes around it began to disappear to the boundary. Anderson beat the bat a handful of times but also offered a couple of wayward balls, while Archer struggled to get his length right.

Eventually, after 45 concerning minutes, Anderson busted through Chase’s defence to have him lbw for 47. Again, DRS was needed to get the right decision and end the highest stand of the match at 81.

Jason Holder, fresh from his careerbest six for 42, arrived at the crease at 267 for six.

Dowrich brought up the second half-century of the match off 91 balls as the final session approached the drinks break, an important knock for a player who managed an aggregate of 24 in six innings on these shores three years ago.

Holder has publicly challenged himself to following his bowling exploits with a century but fell 95 short of that mark, taking on Stokes with an ambitious pull and picking out Archer. Stokes was levelling the score with Holder, having been dismissed by his opposite number in the first innings.

Stokes appeared in discomfort but summoned enough energy to rally his side, clean bowling Alzarri Joseph and having Dowrich caught down the legside for 61. That gave him four wickets and left the West Indies 313 for nine.

Wood ended the innings at 318 - a sizeable advantage of 114 - smashing Shannon Gabriel’s stumps for his first success of a hard day.

Stu Forster > Ben Stokes had terrific figures of 4-49 as England toiled against West Indies