Key events
70th over: England 341-5 (Smith 20, Stokes 68) Hodge varies his pace nicely bowling to Stokes, though the batter picks up two with a strong cut off the back foot. Shamar Joseph is on the field, by the way, having been forced off earlier with cramp. Hodge ruins a fine over with a long-hop Smith swats away for six. Time for drinks.
69th over: England 332-5 (Smith 14, Stokes 65) Stokes has enjoyed the short ball in this innings, and he relishes it once again, pulling Holder for four. The West Indies all-rounder doesn’t have the pace to threaten with his bumper.
68th over: England 325-5 (Smith 14, Stokes 58) Kavem Hodge gets the nod from his skipper to bowl some of his left-arm tweak. Stokes decides to nurdle him for now, putting away the slog sweep.
67th over: England 322-5 (Smith 13, Stokes 56) Stokes finally decides to break loose: he runs down the pitch to Holder and swings hard, though doesn’t middle it. The ball lands safely in the off-side to bring him two.
66th over: England 319-5 (Smith 13, Stokes 53) These are early days, and he’s only on 13 in this innings, but Smith already looks so comfortable in this environment.
65th over: England 317-5 (Smith 12, Stokes 52) Holder returns and gets some lift and nip off the surface outside off to nearly get an outside edge off Stokes. They sneak through a quick single after an inside edge from the England captain; Sinclair took down the stumps at the striker’s end but Smith was quick off his mark and safely in.
64th over: England 315-5 (Smith 11, Stokes 51) Sinclair’s stump-to-stump mantra keeps Stokes quiet … but a maiden is disrupted by a no ball. The left-hander cuts for one to close the over. There’s some confusion if Sinclair’s actually bowled his whole over … but the umpires are eventually happy that the set is done.
Simon McMahon writes:
Some parallels, on the scorecard at least, with Edgbaston in 2005, where England made 400 in 80 overs on Day One. Duckett as Trescothick, Brook Pietersen, and Stokes Flintoff. If it ends up half as thrilling as that Ashes Test, it’ll be a cracker, but my guess is that England will win by more than two runs.
Half-century for Ben Stokes!
63rd over: England 313-5 (Smith 11, Stokes 50) Smith gets the arms working again with a drive through cover point for three. A single gets Stokes a half-century, his first in Tests since the opening match of the India series. He’s had it tough with the bat lately but this has been an innings of calm and control, recognising the requirement when he came out at 201-4, a good but not dominant position.
62nd over: England 309-5 (Smith 8, Stokes 49) So it’s not a break for Sinclair, just a change of ends. He runs through his work quickly, conceding just two.
61st over: England 307-5 (Smith 7, Stokes 48) Sinclair gets a rest as Seales sprints in from around the wicket … and he gets Stokes in an awkward mess against the short ball, the edge flying over the slips for four. Smith closes the over with a staggering stroke, pulling away with those long arms for four. There’s something more enjoyable about watching a taller man tuck into the bouncer.
60th over: England 296-5 (Smith 3, Stokes 41) Alzarri Joseph surprises everyone by finding some late swing, bringing the ball back into Stokes. Smith delivers an early on-drive, the universally acknowledged signal that he’s in good touch.
59th over: England 293-5 (Stokes 40, Smith 1) Sinclair continues his decent hold-an-end job, though he goes too straight to Stokes, allowing the left-hander to flick down the leg-side for another boundary.
58th over: England 288-5 (Smith 1, Stokes 35) Again, this is not a bad scoreboard for West Indies, as Stuart Broad reiterates on commentary. Jamie Smith is out in the middle and in form, but he’s still just a young man playing only his second Test – the fielding side have to take advantage of that. Stokes responds to the wicket with a delightful pull shot for four.
WICKET! Pope c Hodge b A Joseph 121 (England 281-5)
Out of nowhere! Joseph angles the ball into Pope, who goes driving and gets an outside edge. It flies high and fast to the left of slip, but Hodge does brilliantly to hold on – something West Indies haven’t been all that great at today. Pope departs to handshakes from the opposition.
57th over: England 281-4 (Pope 121, Stokes 30) Sinclair isn’t getting any turn, but he doesn’t offer any flight or width for Stokes to get under for a big shot.
56th over: England 279-4 (Pope 120, Stokes 29) Stokes’ thickish outside edge brings him four behind point but he’s more authoritative at the end of the over, punching through the off side for one.
55th over: England 273-4 (Pope 120, Stokes 24) Sinclair will continue after the break with a change of ends, though Pope doesn’t mind; he leans into a drive through cover for his 15th four today. Batting looks rather comfortable at the moment.
54th over: England 267-4 (Pope 115, Stokes 23) Alzarri Joseph is back in the attack after an expensive first 10 overs … and Stokes drives him through point for four second ball. A lovely pull shot follows, Stokes swivelling nicely to run into the 20s.
On Harry Brook … I don’t want him to stop playing the odd silly shot. From a neutral audience perspective, he’s just too much fun; I’d hate to see him grow up get all responsible.
Pope’s hundred was the highlight of that session, his sixth in Test cricket. All six have come against different sides, which is impressive but also highlights how he’s still waiting to completely dominate a series.
TEA: England 259-4
53rd over: England 259-4 (Pope 115, Stokes 15) Shamar Joseph returns to the attack and gets the seam wobbling from around the wicket to catch Stokes off guard, producing an outside edge … but the ball doesn’t carry to the cordon. Joseph is stretching out his leg; he was doing plenty of that in the first Test too.
The physio walks, doesn’t sprint on, as it’s unclear how serious it is. Well, it’s bad enough for Joseph to abandon his over as he’s clutching his left hamstring. Frustrating for Joseph, West Indies and all of us keen to keep watching him bowl. Kraigg Brathwaite’s very funky offies are called in to finish the over, and he closes out the session, too. Time for tea.
52nd over: England 255-4 (Pope 113, Stokes 13) “Oh yes, Sincy boy, well bowled,” comes the shout from one of the off-spinner’s teammates. Pope and Stokes are happy to take him for ones at the moment.
51st over: England 251-4 (Pope 111, Stokes 11) Stokes is on the move now, pulling and clipping through the leg-side as Seales gives him some bumper treatment. All of a sudden, this is a 50-run partnership, accomplished without any real risk from the two England batters.
Gareth Wilson writes:
If you win the toss and insert the opposition, and they score 5 an over, reaching 250 with 4 down, I’d say you’re pretty obviously behind.
Kind of reminds me of the 2005 Ashes test when England made 400 all out on day one, and the question was who’s winning!
50th over: England 246-4 (Pope 111, Stokes 6) Pope’s footwork is sharp off Sinclair as he picks up a couple of twos, cutting hard both times.
49th over: England 242-4 (Pope 107, Stokes 6) Shamar Joseph pulls off a cracking stop at backward point to deny Stokes a first boundary. The batter finally gets one away with the penultimate ball of the over, punching Seales off the back foot past Joseph, all the way to the rope.
48th over: England 238-4 (Pope 107, Stokes 2) Sinclair is the key bowler for the tourists at the moment, darting in his off-breaks to Stokes … but a misfield relieves some pressure to give the left-hander a single at the end of the over.
47th over: England 234-4 (Pope 104, Stokes 1) Martin O’Donovan-Wright writes in:
Am I alone in thinking that although it might have felt as though England were almost toying with the West Indies through much of today, that the scoreboard currently shows that right now it is just about even-stevens? A strange day…
It really is a weird one to call. As expensive as West Indies have been, they ought to keep reminding themselves that they’re not in a bad position at all.
Century for Ollie Pope!
And there it is! Oh no, it’s just leg byes for four as Pope grins away. And then it comes as he pulls Jayden Seales, not entirely convincingly, through the leg side for yet another boundary to bring up his sixth Test hundred. He’s had some fortune but that will mean a lot after his post-century struggles in India earlier this year.
46th over: England 225-4 (Pope 99, Stokes 1) Pope plays a reverse-sweep against Sinclair where he brings his head down, seemingly ducking away from the ball. A more conventional sweep gives him four later in the over, taking him to 98, and a single off the final ball moves him to 99 …
45th over: England 216-4 (Pope 90, Stokes 1) Holder goes too floaty and wide, and Pope eases into his drive through the covers. A clip through mid-wicket follows for three, with Alzarri Joseph pulling off a decent stop. Stokes continues to just get his eye in, leaving the ball alone outside off.
44th over: England 209-4 (Pope 83, Stokes 1) This Stokes v Sinclair battle should be enticing: I can see the England captain trying to go big against the off-spinner. For now, Stokes is kept quiet, playing out five dots.
43rd over: England 208-4 (Pope 82, Stokes 1) Pope receives a present from Holder: straight on the pads and whipped away for four to move the Surrey man into the 80s. He later laces a cover drive … but its beauty is limited as it finds the fielder.
42nd over: England 203-4 (Pope 77, Stokes 1) Out comes the skipper with his side in a strange position: knocking it about freely but waiting for a genuinely substantial partnership in this innings.
WICKET! Brook c McKenzie b Sinclair 36 (England 201-4)
And the mini-passage of pressure works as Brook gets himself out! He tries to play a cute paddle sweep off Sinclair but gets the toe-end of the bat, the ball travelling forward, not behind the keeper, with short leg taking the simplest of catches. Sinclair celebrates with a wonderful somersault. Love it.
41st over: England 201-3 (Pope 76, Brook 36) Pope’s gone a bit quiet in the last few overs, and Holder keeps him that way with a tight line to produce five dots. It’s good work from the visitors straight after the break.
Taha Hashim
40th over: England 200-3 (Pope 76, Brook 35) Afternoon, everyone. England are running away at five an over, loving life. In comes Kevin Sinclair with his tidy off-breaks and he races through his first four deliverie before Pope clips a single to mid-on. Brook ends the over with a punch through the offside to bring up 200 off just 40 overs.
39th over: England 198-3 (Pope 75, Brook 34) It’s five overs since Pope scored, and I bet the returning holder would prefer to have him on strike than Brook, who takes two to cover thanks in part to a misfield. Another misfield then helps him add two more before Louis – responsible for the second of those – redeems himself with a good stop. That’s drinks, which means Taha Hahim is here to coax you through the rest of the day. Peace out!
“If Pope can give the Windies attack three easy chances,” says Andrew Hill, he’s really got to do some work to survive at number three in Australia.”
I mean that’s a tough gig, but i think he might like the truth of the bounce, and sport isn’t always like that: doing well has loads to do with mentality, form and life-situation, none of whuch have much to do with the opposition, never mind 17 months from now.
38th over: England 194-3 (Pope 75, Brook 30) Sensibly, Pope is now occupying, letting Brook get on with smiting and playing out a maiden from Shamar.
37th over: England 194-3 (Pope 75, Brook 34) Chezza Brook is just an absurd individual. Alzarri offers him width and he accepts, playing what’s essentially a shoulder-high drive to send the ball over third man for six! That was neither deflection nor scoop nor flick, rather a Proper Cricket ShotTM, played from an improbably position. England score no more runs from the over, but they don’t really need to.
36th over: England 188-3 (Pope 75, Brook 28) It’s Joseph from both ends now, Shamar on for Seales, and he sends down five dots befoee offering Brook pad-filth, and he doesn’t miss out, turning four away behind square on the on-side. He’s similar to Root in that he scores quickly from the off, and dissimilar in that when you look at the scoreboard to see how many he’s got, it’s no kind of surprise and you know exactly how he’s done it/
35th over: England 184-3 (Pope 71, Brook 24) I say forcing, but Stindies have bowled poorly the last 20 minutes or so; I’m a little surprised we’ve not seen Holder restored to the attack in the hope he can restore some control. Alzarri, though, responds well, sending down four dots before Brook again cuts to gully, and this time, Athanaze has to dive, again unable to hold on. He was really close and it came really hard, but that’s the third drop of the innings, not something his side can afford. Maiden.
34th over: England 184-3 (Pope 71, Brook 24) Three dots, then Pope goes at an outswinger that straightens, edging four … then smites the next ball through cover for four more. England are forcing themselves back into the ascendancy.
33rd over: England 176-3 (Pope 63, Brook 24) Single to Pope, then Brook plays down into the off-side and Sinclair dives, missing with his arm but saving the boundary with his forehead. No matter, the next ball is jazzed to the cover fence for four, the one after timed to midwicket, and the one after that clumped to deep third. Brook is in, but that was poor bowling, fully meriting the 15 pillaged from the over.