BRIDGETOWN, Barbados, CMC – West Indies compensated for a dismal batting effort with a sensational bowling display, to leave England in tatters and the third and final Test tantalizingly poised following a riveting second day’s play when 18 wickets tumbled.
The hosts required just 43 minutes in the morning session yesterday to wind up the England first innings for 257 – with the impressive Jerome Taylor taking all three wickets to fall – but then slumped to a disappointing 189 all out half-hour after tea, despite Jermaine Blackwood’s aggressive 85.
Trailing by 68, West Indies then rocked England in their second innings, to leave them tottering on 39 for five at the close – a lead of 107 runs heading into today’s third day at Kensington Oval.
They were again inspired by pacer Taylor who claimed two for 16 in an incisive, six-over opening spell with the new ball.
Left-hander Gary Ballance, who ended 12 not out, has been the only England batsman to reach double figures.
Taylor, operating from the southern end, got the breakthrough in the fourth over when he trapped Jonathan Trott lbw for nine to one that seamed back, to extend the right-hander’s nightmare run in the series.
Trott has scored 13 runs in his last five outings and 72 in the series.
In the next over, fast bowler Shannon Gabriel claimed captain Alistair Cook for four to a catch by Kraigg Brathwaite at second slip and Taylor ensured Ian Bell suffered the disgrace of scoring a ‘pair’, when he had the right-hander lbw to a full, straight one, 14 minutes later.
Tottering on 18 for three, Ballance and Joe Root (1) kept the Windies attack at bay for half-hour in adding a mere ten runs for the fourth wicket. However, seamer Jason Holder replaced Taylor and claimed Root in his second over, caught at first slip for one by Darren Bravo, driving tentatively.
Left-arm spinner Veerasammy Permaul completed an excellent session for the Windies when he prised out left-hander Moeen Ali, dragging on for eight essaying a cut in the penultimate over of the day. No such enterprise was envisioned when West Indies slumped to 37 for three at lunch, undermined by a three-wicket burst from the clinical Jimmy Anderson who finished with six for 42l.
The lanky seamer started the rout when he had Brathwaite caught at third slip by Chris Jordan without scoring, off the second ball of the innings.
Debutant Barbadian Shai Hope (5) got off the mark with a streaky boundary through slips but lasted 16 deliveries before edging to first slip, where Cook took a catch close to the turf. Umpires reviewed the catch and ruled the batsman out though replays proved inconclusive.
With West Indies struggling on five for two, Marlon Samuels seemed intent on counter-attacking, with two silky off-side boundaries off seamer Stuart Broad – the first through extra cover and the second to cover point.
He had scored nine when he offered no stroke to one from Anderson that came back and was palpably LBW, in the sixth over before lunch.
Bravo, dropped by Cook at first slip off Broad in the fourth over before he had scored, never settled and steered the third ball after lunch from off-spinner Moeen to Jordan at first slip without adding to his nine runs at the break.
Blackwood then put on 45 for the fifth wicket with veteran left-hander Shiv Chanderpaul who made 25, as West Indies battled back in a difficult period.
All told, the right-handed Blackwood faced 88 balls in nearly 2-1/2 hours at the crease, and counted 11 fours and four sixes while Chanderpaul struck 66 balls in 68 minutes, with three fours.
Blackwood played his natural attacking game, taking two leg-side boundaries off Anderson in one over and then plundering 14 runs from a Moeen over, with a hoist over the ropes at mid-wicket followed by two pulls behind square for boundaries.
He moved into the 40s with two successive boundaries off Root, cleared the ropes at long-on in the bowler’s next over to move to 47 before guiding Stokes to third man for four, to raise his fourth Test half-century.
Part-time off-spinner Root ended the stand 50 minutes after lunch when he had Chanderpaul brilliantly taken one-handed by Jordan at slip, diving to his right at 82 for five.
Captain Denesh Ramdin lasted 25 balls before departing to a catch at the wicket off Broad and Holder fell in similar fashion, nicking behind a drive at a widish delivery from pacer Ben Stokes.
On 124 for seven, 15 minutes before tea, Blackwood and Veerasammy Permaul (18) put on 38 for the eighth wicket before the last three wickets fell in the half-hour after tea for 27 runs.
Blackwood was last to fall, brilliantly caught in the deep by Moeen running around to his left from long-off to complete a diving two-handed catch off Anderson.
Earlier, England had added just 17 runs after resuming the day on 240 for seven, with Taylor picking three for 36 and Holder (2-34) and Gabriel (2-47) claiming two apiece.
