West Indies vs England is shaping up to be an interesting contest at the end of Day 2 in Sir Vivian Richards Stadium at Antigua. After a rain-marred day, the game seems to be evenly poised, with Windies recovering from a middle order collapse of sorts to post 202 runs for the loss of four wickets, still 109 runs behind England’s first innings score.
Earlier in the day, Windies were able to cap off England for 311 runs in the morning session of Day 2, limiting the damage Jonny Bairstow had caused. The right-hander hit 140 runs off 259 balls before falling as the final wicket of the day for the visiting side. He was given a standing ovation for his brilliant show to rescue England from a top order disaster that had them reeling at 48/4.
Coming into bowl, England found no luck with the new ball as Windies openers scored boundaries freely. However, with the ball getting older, England threatened with Mark Wood, Craig Overton and Ben Stokes - who were relentless with their probing lines and lengths.
However, intermittent rainfall throughout the day marred the flow of the game, but it did not go without the antics of Mark Wood, off the ball. The England pacer was on the opposite side of the ground when captain Joe Root called for a team huddle, and could not arrive at the right time to discuss plans with the team. The pacer then, produced his hilarious self and imitated a team huddle before giving a thumbs up to the team.
Watch the full incident below:
Wood was one of England’s best bowlers on the day, having troubled the hosts with his searing pace and reverse swing. He got the wicket of a set Windies captain who was looking threatening to go big and score a three-figure mark in the first Test match of the series.
It needs to be noted that this is a new look pace attack from England as they try and move onto the next era of Test cricketers. The selection committee has chosen to snub legends Stuart Broad and James Anderson for the West Indies tour after the team’s horror show in Ashes Down Under.