On the first day of the second Test against the West Indies, England was bowled out for 416.
On Thursday, July 18, the second Test of England and the West Indies’ three-match series got underway at Trent Bridge, Nottingham. Following the toss, the West Indies chose to bowl first, and England’s batting performance was spectacular, led by Ollie Pope, Ben Duckett, and Ben Stokes.
On the third ball of the game, Alzarri Joseph got rid of Zak Crawley, giving the tourists the perfect start. But when Duckett and Pope got together, they helped England surpass their own record for the fastest team fifty in Test cricket—they reached the mark in a just 26 balls. With just 112 balls used in a 105-run partnership, the southpaw batted with greater aggression.
In the Test arena, Duckett achieved the fastest half-century for an England opener in just 32 balls. He hit fourteen boundaries before being out for a 59-ball 71. Nonetheless, Pope continued to demonstrate his extensive skill set and mentioned his century during the second session. Alzarri concluded his brilliant 121 off 167 deliveries.
While Harry Brook played a brisk 36-run knock off 34 balls, Root was removed cheaply. Before being removed by Kavem Hodge after smashing a 104-ball 69, Stokes made a good contribution. Chris Woakes and Jamie Smith both started but left the game at 36(54) and 37(48), respectively.
It appeared that England would not be dismissed below 400 runs after taking a dominant 281/4, but when they fell to 370/8, it appeared otherwise. But before they were bowled out in the penultimate over of the day, Woakes’ contribution allowed them to reach 416.
Although they took wickets throughout the day, the West Indies would probably be satisfied with their performance given that they gave up a few too many runs. Considering that England should have been out of the game far sooner, Kraigg Brathwaite will lament the opportunities his team lost during the day. On Day 2, though, the visitors will need to look past their lackluster fielding performance and focus on putting on a strong batting display.
