Windies keep dominating
West Indies' surprising dominance of England continued on the opening day of the second Test with the home side's fast bowlers bundling out the visitors for 187 at the Sir Vivian Richards Stadium in Antigua on Thursday.
Already 1-0 up in the three-match series, the Caribbean team's openers negotiated 21 testing overs to the close and the pair of Kraigg Brathwaite and John Campbell will resume on the second morning at 30 without loss in reply.
As in the first innings of the first Test when they were routed for just 77, Kemar Roach again led the assault with four wickets.
He was ably supported by the fastest of the quartet, Shannon Gabriel (three for 45) while Alzarri Joseph and captain Jason Holder combined for the remaining three wickets as they effectively exploited a green, sporting track to justify Holder's decision to put England in on winning the toss.
Moeen Ali and Jonny Bairstow struck contrasting half-centuries to avert a complete and abject capitulation again by the pre-series favourites, whose captain suffered most from the vagaries of an uneven surface.
Skipper Joe Root was left in a rueful state midway through the morning session when Joseph produced a sharp lifter which looped from the handle of Root's bat for a back-pedalling Campbell at third slip to parry the ball upwards, allowing Shai Hope running around from gully to take a diving catch.
By then both openers had perished to Roach and Joseph, and when Holder chimed in with the wicket of Jos Buttler via a more comfortable slip catch to Campbell, England were in desperate need of resuscitation at 55 for four.
As anticipated, England recalled Stuart Broad to the final eleven while Joe Denly was the other England change from the first Test, the 33-year-old replacing Keaton Jennings at the top of the batting order.
However the manner in which his debut innings ended, caught behind chasing a wide long-hop from Joseph, seemed to typify another difficult day for the English on this tour.
SCORES IN BRIEF
ENGLAND: First innings 187 all out (Ali 60, Bairstow 52; Roach 4-30, Gabriel 3-45, Joseph 2-38)
WEST INDIES: First innings 30 (Campbell 16 not out, Brathwaite 11 not out; Curran 0-3, Stokes 0-5, Anderson 0-10)
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Opener Kraigg Brathwaite hit an unbeaten 48 as West Indies reached lunch on Day 2 on 126 for one, just 61 runs behind England's first-innings total with nine wickets in hand. Shai Hope was unbeaten on 22.
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