Wood grabs five, England on top
GROS-ISLET (SAINT LUCIA): England further solidified their commanding position against West Indies on day three of the third Test in St Lucia on Monday, building an overall lead of 231 runs at lunch.
England were 108 for two in their second innings in Gros Islet, with Joe Denly on 45 and captain Joe Root on 18.
West Indies have already won the series, 2-0 up, but their chances of a sweep went from slim to almost none amid a flurry of England runs.
The morning sessions started well enough for West Indies when Rory Burns clipped the first ball of the day to square leg, straight into the hands of Alzarri Joseph, sending the opener packing for 10. Keemo Paul picked up the wicket but his morning turned sour when he later incurred what appeared to be a thigh injury. He left the oval on a stretcher.
Keaton Jennings was the only other England batsman dismissed in the first session, by Joseph. Jennings’ wretched tour continued when he allowed an innocuous delivery to hit his thigh pads before the ball trickled onto the stumps so softly that it barely dislodged a bail.
Earlier, Mark Wood answered West Indian pace with fearsome heat of his own as the pacer claimed his first Test five-wicket innings and put England in control on the second day.
Playing his first match of the series, Wood tore through the heart of the home side’s batting to finish with five for 41 as West Indies, replying to England’s first innings total of 277, crashed from 57 without loss in mid-afternoon to 154 all out an hour before the close of play. Wood’s raw speed unsettled the West Indies middleorder batsmen after Moeen Ali ended another half-century opening partnership by accounting for stand-in captain Kraigg Brathwaite and partner John Campbell off consecutive deliveries. Ali supported Wood’s hostility with subtle variations to finish with figures of four for 36.
However it was the introduction of Wood, who came on as the fourth bowler in the England armoury, which had the greatest impact on an eventful day.
Brief scores (Day 3, lunch): England 277 (B Stokes 79, J Buttler 67, K Roach 4/48) & 108/2 (J Denly 45*) West Indies 154 all out in 47.2 ovs (M Wood 5/41, M Ali 4/36).