England vs West Indies 2nd Test Day 3 Highlights: Harry Brook’s unbeaten fifty guided England into a strong position at stumps on the third day of the second Test against the West Indies at Trent Bridge. England were 248-3 in their second innings at Saturday’s close, already a lead of 207 runs. Brook was 71 not out and star batsman Joe Root unbeaten on 37, with the Yorkshire duo having shared an unbroken stand of 108 in 23.4 overs. England had been in control against a wayward West Indies attack as Ben Duckett made 76, his second dashing fifty of the match, and Ollie Pope added 51 to his first-innings 121. (Scorecard)
- Right then, with the game nicely set up and all four outcomes still possible with two days remaining, rest assured this match promises to be even more entertaining and could potentially go down to the wire. England have their noses ahead at the end of Day 3, but they will know they need to post a lead of at least 350 plus to give themselves a strong chance. The visitors, pleased with their performance so far, will be looking to capitalize on the early morning conditions on Day 4 to keep down the potent English batting lineup to a chaseable total. Do join us on Sunday, the 21st of July, for all the Day 4 action. The first ball will be bowled at 3.30 pm IST (10 am GMT), but you can definitely tune in earlier for all the build-up. Until then, cheers and goodbye.
- !A change of ball due to the original losing its shape turned the tide significantly. The replacement ball proved to be far more effective, and Alzarri Joseph struck gold on the very first delivery, dismissing Ollie Pope and reigniting the West Indies attack. Joseph found his rhythm and nailed a yorker in his next over to dismiss Ben Duckett. Harry Brook and Joe Root then weathered the storm during this challenging phase, as the ball bounced steeply and the surface offered some assistance to the bowlers. The pair managed to stabilize the innings, ensuring no further casualties and steadily advanced the score with calculated risks to put on an unbeaten 108-run stand and take England to a commanding lead of 207 at the close of day’s play.
- !In the afternoon session, England regained total control, shaking off their earlier struggles to start strong. Although they lost Zak Crawley to an unfortunate run out, Ollie Pope and Ben Duckett launched a fierce attack, scoring at 5.27 runs per over in the session, putting the West Indies pacers on the back foot. The West Indies had a poor start with the ball, appearing stranded with ordinary bowling and no answers to the challenges posed by the set batters. Pope and Duckett navigated the session comfortably, erasing the deficit and establishing a lead of 75 runs by the Tea break. With their morale dipping, the West Indies needed something special to shift the momentum and break the partnership.
- !Despite England’s excellent bowling in the first session, where they took 5 wickets, one can say that the session ultimately belonged to West Indies. They battled tenaciously to surpass England’s first innings total, securing a commendable lead of 41 runs. Joshua Da Silva weathered the difficult bowling phase under overcast conditions, with Gus Atkinson and Chris Woakes delivering tight lines. He found a steadfast partner in Shamar Joseph, and together they frustrated the English bowlers with a resilient last-wicket stand. Their 71-run partnership gave the visitors a fighting chance, setting up momentum for the next innings after Lunch. Chris Woakes was the standout bowler for England, taking three wickets in the session and four in the innings overall.
- !SESSION SUMMARY – 29 Overs, 132 Runs, 2 Wickets – With the conclusion of Day 3, this game remains wide open with two more days to go. The excitement of ‘moving day’ lived up to expectations, offering a captivating and entertaining display of cricket from both teams. But England will be the happier side to finish the day at 248/3, holding a lead of 207 runs.
- 50.61KRAIGG BRATHWAITE TO HARRY BROOKBrathwaite looks to push it through but ends up bowling a low full toss, down leg, Harry Brook clips it through backward square leg for a single to end the day. England lead by 207 runs at STUMPS on DAY 3!
- 50.50KRAIGG BRATHWAITE TO HARRY BROOKOn a nagging length, on middle and leg, Harry Brook defends it out beside the pitch on the leg side.
- 50.40KRAIGG BRATHWAITE TO HARRY BROOKBrathwaite gives a bit of air, full and on off, Harry Brook gets on the front foot to defend it out.
- 50.34KRAIGG BRATHWAITE TO HARRY BROOKFOUR! Nicely done! Short and slanting away, around off, Harry Brook goes on the back foot and steers it through short third for a boundary.
- 50.20KRAIGG BRATHWAITE TO HARRY BROOKFired in on the pads, on a length, Harry Brook misses the flick and wears it on the pads.
- 50.11KRAIGG BRATHWAITE TO JOE ROOTThe captain of West Indies, Kraigg Brathwaite brings himself on for the last over of the day. Darts it across from around the wicket, on a length, on off, Joe Root reverse paddles it past first slip for a single.
- 49.60JAYDEN SEALES TO HARRY BROOKBeaten! Seales bangs it on a hard length, outside off, Harry Brook hops to punch it through the off side but the ball skids through and keeps low as well to go under the bat. Seales has a few words to say to Brook before taking the cap from the umpire. Last over of the day coming up.
- 49.51JAYDEN SEALES TO JOE ROOTAt 138 kph and nipping back in a touch, outside off, on a back of a length, Joe Root allows the ball to come to him and steers it behind square on the off side for one more run.
- 49.40JAYDEN SEALES TO JOE ROOTAngling in, on a back of a length, around off, Joe Root hangs back and guides it down to gully.
- 49.31JAYDEN SEALES TO HARRY BROOKEngland now lead by 200 runs! Attacking the stumps, on a good length, Harry Brook clips it past mid-wicket for a single.
- 49.24JAYDEN SEALES TO HARRY BROOKFOUR! And again! Similar shot, similar result! The 100-run stand comes up between these two batters. Seales gets a bit of extra bounce on this one, on off, on a hard length, Harry Brook has to reach out a bit and glides it to the left of gully for four more runs.
- 49.14JAYDEN SEALES TO HARRY BROOKFOUR! Deft touch! On a back of a length, on the sixth stump line, Harry Brook hangs back in his crease and plays it very late. Controls the dab down to get it past Jason Holder at a widish slip for a boundary.
- 48.60ALZARRI JOSEPH TO JOE ROOTAnother short delivery by Joseph, over middle, Joe Root pulls it well but can’t get it past Jason Holder at short square leg.
- 48.51ALZARRI JOSEPH TO HARRY BROOKNot short enough by Joseph to trouble the batter, over middle, Harry Brook comfortably pulls it to deep mid-wicket for a single.
- 48.41ALZARRI JOSEPH TO JOE ROOTOn a shortish length, outside off, Joe Root hangs back and drags the pull in front of square on the leg side for one.
