England have to settle for a draw in the second Test as the iron-willed Kraigg Brathwaite leads the West Indies to 135-5 in a theoretical chase of 282; Joe Root’s side cut the hosts to 39-3 and 93-5 but can’t take the last five wickets; the sides are tied at 0-0 ahead of next week’s final test in Granada
Kraigg Brathwaite batted for 673 deliveries in the second Test at Barbados, a West Indies record
England’s winning momentum was thwarted by West Indies captain Kraigg Brathwaite’s stubborn resistance once again when the second test in Barbados ended in a draw.
Having set a theoretical 282 to win in 65 overs after England declared at lunch, the home team recovered from falling to 39-3 in the 13th and 93-5 in the 45th to fight their way to 135-5.
The iron-willed Brathwaite followed up his nearly 12-hour vigil of 160-of-489 balls in the West Indies first shot with an undefeated 56-of-184 in the second, stopping the top-order collapse by sharing a 150-ball position. on the fourth wicket. with fellow first-inning centurion Jermaine Blackwood (27 of 84).
England’s hopes were revived when Jack Leach (3-36) sacked Blackwood and Jason Holder (0) after tea. Holder faced an excellent diving catch from Dan Lawrence in short coverage, only for Brathwaite to enjoy an unbroken 123-ball season in the crease with Joshua Da SIlva (30-for-63).
Brathwaite faced 673 deliveries in his two innings, a record for a West Indies batsman, during a remarkable show of endurance.
The series remains level at 0-0 heading into next week’s third and final game in Granada, with England now having won just one of their previous 16 Test matches and none of their last eight.
Joe Root’s side had increased their chances of pulling off a holdup on the final day with three wickets in 12.1 overs when debuting fast bowler Saqib Mahmood (2-21) struck twice and spinner Leach also picked up an early wicket.
But despite Leach’s double goal after tea, a wholehearted England were unable to get a positive result on the fifth day, just like during last week’s first test in Antigua on another lifeless pitch.
Root said afterwards that he could have been “bolder” with his statement: England took 145 runs from 24.5 overs in the morning session to make it 185-6 before Root called time in innings at half-time.
Both England and the West Indies are expecting a spicier surface at Grenada than the dismal ones that featured in the first two games at the Sir Vivian Richards Stadium and Kensington Oval respectively.
If another flat platform is provided, England could select Matt Parkinson, who spins his legs endlessly, and the attack seems tame at times without the quick pace of the injured Mark Wood (right elbow) and some mysterious spins.
Leach bravely walked away in this test, sending 69.5 of the 187.5 overs England bowled in the West Indies’ first innings and 25 in the second to take his match tally to 94.5 overs, but he was no threat in the stages.
Leach’s second-inning efforts came after England had racked up runs in the fifth morning, amid six wicket drops and three rain delays, and resumed 40-0 from 15 overs.
Leading scorer Lawrence (41 of 39), Zak Crawley (40 of 68), Jonny Bairstow (29 of 25), Alex Lees (24 of 57), Ben Stokes (19 of 18) and Root (9 of 10) all died seeking advance in the game.
It looked like England might declare once Lawrence, who shared an enterprising 41-ball 52-wicket position with Bairstow, was stuck deep, leading 263 at the time.
But they continued for another 20 deliveries, until rain ended the session a few minutes early, with Ben Foakes (11th) and Chris Woakes (9th) adding another 18 runs, all in singles.
The standout moment on the field for the West Indies was an excellent catch by Jayden Seales, the young speedster who ran from the long leg and dove forward to catch Crawley’s jerk just above the turf.
Less impressive was the West Indies’ start with the bat in their bid to save the game as starter John Campbell (10) and middle-order men Shamarh Brooks (4) and Nkrumah Bonner (3) each went under. price.
Campbell fell to Leach at the DRS review which showed he had gloved Lees on the short leg, while Mahmood continued his promising debut as Brooks and Bonner caught captain Root.
Root pocketed the ball after teammate Crawley juggled it twice as he took out Brooks and claimed his 150th trial catch, before more routinely catching his 151st a few overs later, when Mahmood forced Bonner to serve. a pitch that rose from the surface. and she bit away.
Brathwaite and Blackwood then defeated England by 24 overs, only for Leach to threaten a spin with the scalps of Blackwood and Holder: the former leaping to a kneeling Bairstow in short gully and the latter taking a long jump to Lawrence leaping off the tee. . side.
But that was England’s last success as Brathwaite and Da Silva held on for the final 20.3 overs, during which the headstrong Brathwaite managed his 25th Test fifty from 157 balls.
The West Indies and England will meet in the third and final Test, in Grenada, starting at 2pm UK time on Thursday. Follow the text commentary one after another from 1:45pm on skysports.com and the Sky Sports app.
