Key events
63rd over: West Indies 272-4 (Hodge 91, Holder 8) Wood, back in the attack, is square driven delightfully for four by Hodge, who moves into the nineties for the first time in Tests.
Fair to say Holder doesn’t look quite so comfortable against the pace of Wood, certainly not at the start of an innings. He’s beaten by successive deliveries, groping more in hope than expectation at each.
“Reference to THAT innings by Jonny Bairstow at Trent Bridge in 2022 reminded me that the NZ first innings was over 550!” says Brian Withington. “England followed with a brisk 538, bowled them out for 284 before Jonny ‘blew the bloody doors off’ in a five-wicket winning romp. Makes 416 look well under par, although as I write Stokes has just grabbed a much needed wicket.”
I guess the clue to the merit of yesterday’s score was in all those filthy dismissals. They can’t get it right all the time.
62nd over: West Indies 267-4 (Hodge 86, Holder 8) Jason Holder, the new batter, glides his first ball deliberately for four. Nicely played. But not so nicely played later in the over: he edges on the bounce to slip then plays a uppish drive just over Duckett’s head for four. Duckett, in the covers, didn’t jump to try to take the catch so maybe he lost sight of it.
“Stokes is looking svelte as a sighthound – and his pace is well up on the last couple of years,” says Jack Martin. “Any intel on a change of regimen? After a week in Berlin, I’ve a few currywurst needing burnt off, so that’d be most appreciated.”
Stokes is back in shape because of a knee operation, which would be a fairly extreme measure to take if yours hasn’t been giving you gyp for a few years.
WICKET! West Indies 259-4 (Athanaze c Brook b Stokes 82)
Ben Stokes snaps his head back and roars with delight after making a crucial breakthrough. Athanaze snicked a drive towards gully, where Harry Brook took a very sharp catch to his left. He has become such a brilliant fielder.
No maiden hundred for Athanaze, but with his talent he shouldn’t have to wait too long.
61st over: West Indies 259-3 (Athanaze 82, Hodge 86) England’s lead is about to drop below 150. What started as an impressively defiant partnership is turning into something more problematic for England. You’d expect the pitch to deteriorate, especially in this heat, so if West Indies can get a lead of 100 they’ll fancy their chances of another famous victory.
60th over: West Indies 255-3 (Athanaze 79, Hodge 83)
59th over: West Indies 249-3 (Athanaze 75, Hodge 83) Athanaze is beaten by succeessive deliveries from Bashir, the second of which dipped beautifully after tempting him into the drive. But then he drops fractionally short to Hodge, who savages another pull for four. Hodge has scored 23 from his last 18 balls.
58th over: West Indies 244-3 (Athanaze 74, Hodge 79) A false stroke! Hodge pushes tentatively outside off stump and is beaten. A couple of the slips thought there was a nick; Stokes, Smith, the umpire and UltraEdge all disagreed.
57th over: West Indies 241-3 (Athanaze 72, Hodge 78) Hodge is racing towards a maiden hundred. He late cuts Bashir for four to move past his previous Test best, then skids back to crack another cut to the fence. Super batting.
56th over: West Indies 233-3 (Athanaze 72, Hodge 70) Another accurate over from Stokes, though this time it includes two no-balls. England are starting to show a few signs of frustration.
55th over: West Indies 229-3 (Athanaze 71, Hodge 69) Hodge jumps all over a short ball from Bashir, pulling it fiercely for four. He’s particularly good square of the wicket.
54.2 over: West Indies 223-3 (Athanaze 70, Hodge 64) Hodge skips down the track to clump Bashir back over his head for four. He’s closing in on the highest score of his short Test career, the 71 he made in that magical win at the Gabba.
Hodge hit the ball so hard that the ball has gone out of shape and needs to be changed.
54th over: West Indies 218-3 (Athanaze 69, Hodge 60) Stokes continues the spell he began before tea, and you’d expect him to settle in at that end. He’s one of the few bowlers in world cricket who occasionally books in for bed and breakfast.
England would have hoped for some reverse swing on such a sweltering day but there’s no sign of that. Stokes bowls a decent over, targetting the stumps, and concedes just a couple of singles.
“Appreciate I’m straying into if and buts territory, but, are this Windies team not too far from being pretty handy, if the mistakes can be ironed out?” says Chris Boyle. “May be blinded by hope of them being truly competitive again though. Interested in yours (& the OBO hive mind) take?
It feels like we’ve said that a few times in the last 20 years, only for the optimism to quietly evaporate. They have a handful of very promising players but there are so many ob$tacle$ to them becoming a truly competitive Test team. That’s my slightly depressing take, anyway.
53rd over: West Indies 216-3 (Athanaze 68, Hodge 59) Bashir’s first ball after tea is tickled for three by Athanaze. He’ll learn a lot from days like this, when the only things going for him are his talent and imagination.
“I don’t know about you, but to me this match seems like a mix of Edgbaston 2005 and Edgbaston 2023,” writes Digvijay Yadav. “The former for the insertion and 400 being scored in a day’s play. The latter for the feeling that runs were left out there, the team batting second being 70 odd for 3 etc. Let’s hope for a suitably great finish.”
“Congratulations on responding to Krish without mentioning ‘Adelaide’ or descending into a gibbering heap,” says Nick Parish. “Does that mean the worst of the pain is already over?”
I may not have mentioned the A-word but you shouldn’t make assumptions about gibbering heaps. There’s a reason we don’t have an OBOcam.
“Welcome back Test cricket,” says Gary Naylor. “It’s been a while.”
And West Indies are scoring at 4.07 per over!
Tea: West Indies trail by 204 runs
52nd over: West Indies 212-3 (Athanaze 65, Hodge 54) Before play Ben Duckett said today’s action would show how well (or otherwise) England batted yesterday. And so it has. Hodge turns Stokes to fine leg for four, the last runs of an outstanding session for West Indies: 26 overs, 123 runs, no wickets.
Stokes went up for LBW against Hodge off the last ball but it looked high and Jamie Smith counselled against a review.
“The nature of cricket is fickle,” says Krishnamoorthy V. “West Indies are reaching nearly 200, and I wonder, ‘How many teams have lost a test match after scoring 400+ in the first innings?’ Am I alone?”
Krish, this is no time for existential questions. As for the cricket bit, a first-innings score of 400 provides nothing like the insurance it once did. I’d need to check the figures but I’m pretty sure that in the first 110 years of Test cricket, only 12 teams lost after scoring 400+. Since then there have been 36 instances in 26 years. And West Indies have a chance of making it 37.
51st over: West Indies 208-3 (Athanaze 65, Hodge 54) Bashir returns and is slog-swept handsomely into the crowd at midwicket by Athanaze. This is a helluvan opportunity for him, and Hodge for that matter, to score a maiden Test century.
50th over: West Indies 201-3 (Athanaze 59, Hodge 53) Ben Stokes brings himself on for the first time, with two slips in place for Hodge. He hits a good length straight away, signalling the end of the rough stuff at this end.
Hodge deflects a single into the leg side, then Athanaze drives stylishly through mid-off for three. He’s a lovely player to watch.
49th over: West Indies 196-3 (Athanaze 56, Hodge 52) Hodge pulls Atkinson for four; I feel like I’ve typed that a few times in the last half hour. Atkinson goes round the wicket and is no-balled, either for height or for bowling too many bumpers. England are overdoing this, though I guess it only takes a minute girl one false stroke to make it all worthwhile.
No sign of a wicket at the moment. Hodge back cuts expertly for four more to reach a defiant half-century from 85 balls; he’s played really well.
“Can it really be (47th over) that a batting partnership contains sympathetic reactions from the non-struck player?” says John Starbuck. “If so, maybe it should be dignified with a name, such as Hodge’s Syndrome.”
48th over: West Indies 185-3 (Athanaze 55, Hodge 43) Wood steels himself for one last over and almost strikes with his first two deliveries. Hodge survives an LBW appeal after being hit in front by attempted yorker from round the wicket, then hooks fractionally short of Brook at fine leg. The LBW appeal pitched outside leg.
Athanaze glides a no-ball for four to bring up the hundred partnership. Wood looks shattered – and mystified that he hasn’t taken a wicket. His figures are 9-1-40-0.
“I’m not sure if there’s much of a crossover between modern cricketers and 1950s fighter jets,” says Rob Durbin. “But if such a thing exists, it’s definitely Mark Wood who resembles the English Electric Lightning. Extremely fast but a limited range. Wouldn’t have it any other way though!”
In his defence, I think that’s the way Stokes has asked him to bowl today. He showed plenty of range against Australia last summer.
47th over: West Indies 178-3 (Athanaze 50, Hodge 42) Hodge pulls Atkinson for another boundary. I’m not sure these are the best tactics to him, not on a pitch as good as this. This, as Stuart Broad points out on Sky, is where Jonny Bairstow hooked sixes galore against New Zealand two years ago. That was the start of the greatest purple patch I’ve ever seen from an England batsman.
Athanaze works two off the pads to reach a classy fifty, his first in Test cricket, from 67 balls. You can never be sure in cricket but he looks a keeper.
Athanaze is being checked but everything seems fine. Somehow he managed to stay on his feet after being hit by Wood; in fact I think Hodge was closer to hitting the deck at the non-striker’s end.
46th over: West Indies 170-3 (Athanaze 48, Hodge 37) Wood switches round the wicket to Hodge, who shapes to pull a short ball, realises it’s an exceptionally bad idea and ducks awkwardly underneath.
Hodge whirls the next ball round the corner for a single, though it would have been a four but for a terrific diving stop from Harry Brook.
The over ends with Wood hitting Athanaze nastily on the helmet. He seems okay but there will be a concussion check. There was a great reaction from Hodge, who put his hand to his face and turned round as if he’d been struck himself.
45th over: West Indies 168-3 (Athanaze 47, Hodge 36) Gus Atkinson replaces Shoaib Bashir, who bowled a long spell of 17-0-61-2. Hodge takes him on too, swivel-pulling with authority for four. For a 31-year-old with a first-class batting average in the twenties, Hodge looks an excellent player.
As does Athanaze, who flicks a single to equal the highest score of his fledgling Test career. Atkinson was also no-balled in that over for bowling too many bouncers.
44th over: West Indies 161-3 (Athanaze 46, Hodge 31) Hodge jumps back in his crease to take a quick single off Wood. From front-on he looked close to standing on his stumps but the side-on angle showed he was fine.
Hodge isn’t afraid to take Wood on, particularly when he drops short, and later in the over he gloves a pull down the leg side for four. It was in the air but wide of the flying Jamie Smith. Wood will probably have one more over in this spell.
43rd over: West Indies 154-3 (Athanaze 45, Hodge 25) Thanks Daniel, hello everyone. As I ease into the chair, Athanaze skips down the track to drive Bashir over mid-on for four. Then Hodge gets down on one knee to pull a shortish delivery for four more.
This has been a fine partnership, with excellent shot selection from both players. All five batters have got a start; it’s up to one of both of Athanaze and Hodge to kick on.
42nd over: West Indies 144-3 (Athanaze 40, Hodge 20) A decent over from Wood which should have included a wicket. If only Root didn’t put down a goober at first slip. The over ends with a prodded pull for four from Hodge and also brings an end to my shift.
Thanks for hanging. I hand over to the brilliant Rob Smyth. Enjoy!
Put down at first slip! Wood fired a fuller ball to Hodge who was stuck on his crease and found a thick edge. Root puts down a sitter. He really should have taken that.
41st over: West Indies 140-3 (Athanaze 40, Hodge 16) Bashir continues. The left-right combination is proving a challenge as he can’t keep either batter on strike for more than three balls. Both Hodge and Athanaze take singles into gaps before Bashir drags down and is creamed by Hodge on the pull. But there’s a man sweeping so it’s just another single. Stokes warming up.
We’re not quite ready to get going again (did I say that I find ball changes annoying?)
Til then, get a load of this:
There’s a ball change. Grrrr. They’re so annoying, aren’t they.
While they take a drinks break between overs, Andy Flintoff (no, not that one he assures me) writes:
“I think (and I emphasise that word) that the front-foot no-ball is now adjudicated by the third umpire. I know there was a trial to do this (and it makes sense as the third umpire has the side-on cameras to check in real time), but I don’t know if it has continued. It was ludicrous that the front foot was only checked by the third umpire if a wicket was taken, but this did mean that unless it was by a long way no-balls were being missed.”
40th over: West Indies 137-3 (Athanaze 39, Hodge 14) Wood into the attack. This should be tasty. His second ball is a bumper that Hodge takes on but doesn’t time. That saves him as there are two men in the deep. Just the single. Athanaze has a different approach, his lack of footwork means he’ll have to trust his hands and he unfurls them into a gorgeous cover drive for four. It was uppish though. Then Athanaze brings up the 50 partnership between the two with a neat flick to midwicket for four.
39th over: West Indies 128-3 (Athanaze 31, Hodge 13) Three runs off that over, one as a result of a no-ball as Bashir oversteps by some distance.
And speaking of no-balls, Pete Salmon writes in:
“Hi Daniel. Just in from a spot of lawnmowing and watched some of the videos on the ECB site. To my eye both the Woods 97 mph ball and especially the ball that McKenzie played his terrible shot to were no balls. Aren’t they checked in-play? And did anyone mention it at the time? Odd if not.”
I didn’t clock the Wood no-ball but I felt that the Bashir one was OK. Tight, but just about on the right side of the line for me. Though I see the argument that it should have been called back.
38th over: West Indies 125-3 (Athanaze 30, Hodge 12) Woakes’ first ball shapes through the air and there’s hope that maybe he’s found a bit of rhythm. But three balls later he floats a tame half-volley wide of the off stump and Hodge can free his arms and slash it for four backward of point. I think that’ll be Woakes’ spell. He’s just not been at his best today.
Martin O’Donovan-Wright is speaking for a few of us here:
“Whilst I am far from a fan of England’s current selection decisions being based on their utility for Ashes prep, that has been the selectors’ clearly expressed logic. As such, I don’t understand why you would pick Woakes* as your opening seam attack, as it is questionable at best whether he makes the trip to Oz, and if he does, he won’t be in the first choice XI… *I love Woakes, and he should be picked on merit for most home tests. I’m just testing the selectors’ logic here.”
I personally don’t mind the selection. And I get why he took the new ball. Maybe they didn’t expect the pitch to be as flat?
37th over: West Indies 121-3 (Athanaze 30, Hodge 8) Bashir gets away with one as his drag down only costs a single as Hodge picks out the sweeper on the pull. But that brings Athanaze on strike who wants to get forward. One unconvincing swipe down the ground gives him four past mid-on and one very convincing punch gives him four more towards the mid-off boundary.
36th over: 112-3 (Athanaze 22, Hodge 7) A maiden, but apart from one ball that jagged back as Hodge shouldered arms, it was pretty pedestrian from Woakes. He’s got a man catching at a short point so he dangles a couple of teasers outside off stump that Hodge lets go. When Woakes brings it back into the body, Hodge tucks a single to midwicket and keeps the strike, to the annoyance of Bashir, I bet.
Guy Hornsby has titled his email ‘The English quandary’ which is too tempting to ignore:
“Afternoon Dan, to this pleasing slow-burner of a Test match. Like England yesterday, it feels like WI can’t resist throwing the bat at the wrong time. England had nigh-on nine lives yesterday and Louis and McKenzie seem to be trying to outdo each other with needless swipes, but Bashir has built pressure with suffocating fields. He’s a true tinkerer. But I’d really like the visitors to dig in, especially Athenaze. I realise this could give him the OBO kiss of death but he is the one everyone seems to think will kick on.”
These two are in it for the long haul. Louis and McKenzie will be fuming (and I bet their teammates are fuming at them). Testing passage for both sides. Game of patience right now.
35th over: West Indies 111-3 (Athanaze 22, Hodge 6) Hodge works a single which brings Athanaze on strike for Bashir. Round the wicket, he has three men catching on the leg side. But the lefty stays away from them, pressing forward and playing the ball from whence it came. Wood is getting loose.
34th over: West Indies 110-3 (Athanaze 22, Hodge 5) Woakes is looking to take the ball across Athenaze and gets the ball into the cordon, but it’s off the face of the blade and from soft hands. Then the lefty wafts a drive. Looked streaky but I reckon he had that under control. He certainly gets enough wood on it as it bobbles to the cover-point fence.
Trent Bridge is gorgeous, but I bet Rob Douglas’ view is even better:
“Both of these young men come from nature’s jewel in the Caribbean- Dominica… from where I am nervously following your excellent OBO.”