England lead the West Indies by 136 runs before the final day of the second Test in Barbados; debutant fast bowler Saqib Mahmood “wants to be the guy England throws the ball to”; Will captain Joe Root risk defeat to push for a win at Kensington Oval?
Saqib Mahmood wants to be England’s man of reference on the final day of the second Test against West Indies
As we approach the final day of the second test between the West Indies and England, the scenario is extremely similar to the one we approached on the last day of the first match.
England have a three-figure lead – this time it’s 136 runs – and must decide when to declare in their second innings on day five to give themselves enough time to eliminate the West Indies.
They failed to do so in Antigua last week despite a bold statement from skipper Joe Root with the home team, no doubt after some stumbling, battling their way to 147-4 from 70.1 overs at the Sir Vivian Richards Stadium.
Things could be even tougher in Barbados on Sunday, as the pitch proved to be a graveyard for bowlers: England’s first innings lasted 150.5 overs and the West Indies’ a whopping 187.5 overs.
England will look to spinner Jack Leach as their main threat to take the wicket, but he is coming off 69.5 overs in the first West Indies dig.
Fast bowler Saqib Mahmood, who is making his England Test debut, is also hoping to play a big part, saying “you want to be the guy the captain throws the ball to” and that “this is the kind of day who you play for.
So is there any hope of an England win, or possibly even a West Indies one, or are we destined to go to Grenada for next week’s third and final Test with the teams still locked at 0-0?
“[England could win], I suppose. It only takes 10 balls, maybe this match has been racking up four hours of mayhem, and believe me, adrenaline can kick in when you have the nose to win a test match.
“But it’s incredibly unlikely. You have to bear in mind that England have been on the pitch for 188 overs – Leach has bowled 70 overs on his own.
“You’re going to have very little time for your body, hands, wrists and fingers to get back in order to go out there and do it again.
“Time is against England. Yes, they are going to be able to put their foot down with the bat, but it has taken them almost 190 overs to beat the West Indies in the first innings, so it all depends on how brave be England.”
“I’m thinking about putting my bowling boots back on and trying to take another 10 wickets. That would be awesome to do. If we can do that, we’ll have forgotten about all that hard work in the first few innings.
“It would mean the world to all of us, and to me personally. This is the kind of day you play, when nothing happens and it’s hard work for the bowlers. You want to be the guy that the captain throws.” the ball to
“In green closers, all the closers feel in the game, but on pitches like this I really want to be a guy who can get on his feet. Can you get through a team on that wicket? No, but pressure can do fun things. for the people”.
“I would love to see England dangling the carrot, putting the West Indies up four runs and giving themselves enough time to take 10 wickets.
“I think it would be a bold statement from the England camp to say, ‘we are willing to risk a result even if it means we may lose’. England must be bold in this situation.”
“There have to be enough runs for the West Indies to think they have a chance. England don’t want to take the West Indies out of the game.”
“You have to dangle the carrot so the West Indies think they have a nose. If England goes too far, the West Indies will close shop.”
“If someone sets out to bat for a long time on that wicket then it’s not that difficult. If they show intent it can be more difficult. Most people who have come out and tried to score quickly have found it difficult so far.” .
West Indies and England will conclude the second Test from 2pm UK time on Sunday. Follow the text commentary one after another from 1:45pm on skysports.com and the Sky Sports app.
