England collapse again as hosts seal series win
Moeen 60, Bairstow 52, Roach 4-30) & 132 (Holder 4-43, Roach 4-52) (Bravo 50) & 17-0
ENGLAND collapsed in dismal fashion yet again to lose the second Test by 10 wickets as West Indies sealed the series with a match to spare.
After West Indies were bowled out for 306, a lead of 119, the tourists slipped from 35-0 to 132 all out, with Kemar Roach and Jason Holder taking four wickets each in Antigua.
With West Indies chasing only 14, John Campbell wrapped up victory with a six.
A three-day victory gave them a 2-0 lead in the three-match series.
It is West Indies’ first Test series win over England since 2009 and their first against a side other than Bangladesh and Zimbabwe since 2012.
Holder’s impressive team have a chance to secure a whitewash when the third Test in St Lucia begins on 9 February.
This England side are not blessed with prodigious Test-match batsmen - only captain Joe Root and Ben Foakes average more than 40 and the latter has played just five matches.
But neither are West Indies, yet the hosts were able to adapt their game to eke out a vital lead on a challenging pitch, epitomised by Darren Bravo’s defiant 50 off 216 balls.
Bravo batted for 342 minutes, the third slowest fifty in Test history by time. England’s second innings lasted 211 minutes, the tourists having failed to learn from both their previous collapses in this series and the approach of their determined hosts.
Rory Burns cut a ball that was too close to him straight to third slip to depart for 16 and fellow opener Joe Denly - who was dropped on nought - was bowled for 17, leaving a delivery from Alzarri Joseph to end a nervy innings full of ill-advised shots.
Jonny Bairstow made 14 before he was bowled through the gate trying to drive Holder down the ground. He has been bowled in nine of his past 18 innings and 29 times this decade - the most of any batsmen in Tests.
In total, four England batsmen were bowled, Ben Stokes dragging on when playing too far away from his body and Moeen Ali missing an attempted drive down the ground off a very full delivery, both off Roach.
Of the recognised batsmen, only Root, Foakes and perhaps Jos Buttler were undone by fine deliveries. The rest were down to poor decision-making.
England had the better of the morning session, bowling well to take the last four West Indies wickets for 34 runs before Burns and Denly battled through to lunch.
With opening bowlers Shannon Gabriel and Roach dropping too short, Holder brought himself into the attack and struck with his first ball to remove Burns before dismissing Bairstow shortly after.
Joseph bowled beautifully in tandem with Holder, claiming 2-12 in a splendid sevenover spell, made all the more powerful given the 22-year-old was playing after his mother Sharon died in the early hours of Saturday.
Touching 90mph and finding sharp bounce, he knocked over Denly and had Root caught behind after Holder’s shrewd decision to call for a review, despite Joseph thinking it had only hit Root’s hip and not the glove as well.
Holder proved adept at using the decision review system again to help a revitalised Roach dismiss Foakes lbw for 13, a ball that ducked in appearing to be sliding down in real time but shown on ball-tracking to be hitting leg stump.
Roach then trapped Stuart Broad in front and Holder had James Anderson caught by a diving Joseph at mid-on before raising his arms and yelling in celebration.
Holder dedicated the victory to Joseph and his family, a unified, spirited West Indies hoping this stunning series win is the start of a welcome resurgence.
‘Our shot selection was well below par’ - reaction
England captain Joe Root: “We’ve been outperformed once again and that’s quite hard to take. Scoring under 200 isn’t going to win you many games of cricket.
“West Indies know these conditions well and they’ve exploited them to their advantage. They’ve played some really good stuff at times and made it very difficult. They’re fully deserving of winning the series.”
England coach Trevor Bayliss on Sky Sports: “Our batting has been poor. Some of our shot selection was well below par. The first two dismissals today were very loose shots. That doesn’t set a great example for guys coming in.
“We’ve got to be harder to get out. It’s a case of applying ourselves a little better. Our concentration and will to bat for a long period of time is the way forward.”
West Indies captain Jason Holder: “It’s difficult to describe my emotions.
“We wanted to do it for Alzarri’s mother. For him to come out, play and bowl the way he bowled, was a credit to him. This win is for him and his family.”
Man of the match Kemar Roach, who took 4-30 and 4-52: “It’s a special award. A series win at home against England, the third best team in the world, is fantastic. I’m proud of the guys.”
BBC cricket correspondent Jonathan Agnew on the BBC’s The Cricket Social: “This West Indies team is full of character - their resistance, the bravery, the stubbornness, the discipline to play for 131 overs compared to the way England went about their business. You couldn’t blame the pitch for many of England’s dismissals.” — BBC Sport