(CMC) – An historic last-wicket stand between Saqib Mahmood and Jack Leach utterly deflated West Indies, eroding their momentum and offering England a way back on the opening day of the decisive third Test yesterday.
On the ropes at 114 for nine when the impressive 20-year-old Jayden Seales shattered Chris Woakes’ stumps for 25 with the second ball after tea, England mustered a sterling response in the last session through Saqib and Leach as the pair put on a precious 90 to get the visitors to 204 all out.
Number 11 Saqib, who made his Test debut in the Barbados second Test last week, made a career-best 49 off 118 balls in nearly 2-½ hours and struck four fours and a six.
Leach, in at 10, struck an unbeaten 41 in an innings spanning 141 deliveries and a shade over 3-¼ hours, and which included five fours.
Notably, it was the first time number 10 and 11 had top-scored in a Test innings in 127 years.
Saqib agonizingly missed out on a half-century when he chopped on to a long hop from part-time off-spinner Jermaine Blackwood in the day’s final over.
“It definitely was a bit frustrating. We were expecting to get the English guys out way before 200 – we were looking at probably 150 the most but we let them off the hook,” Seales lamented afterwards.
“The pitch has a lot in it for the bowlers once you keep the ball on the fuller side.
“With that being said, once the ball gets a lot older and softer it’s a bit difficult to get wickets so you have to remain patient and work out plans to get the batsmen.”
West Indies grabbed the second new ball as soon as it became available but even then, Saqib and Leach rode their luck against the home side’s quicks.
It meant after West Indies dominated the first two sessions, England won the final one, providing critical momentum ahead of Friday’s second day at the National Stadium.
“We were trying to see off their main bowlers and that was the conversation at the start [of our partnership],” said Saqib, only the 12th number 11 to top score in a Test innings.
“And when we got to the second new ball it was just a case of carry on playing the way we are, playing the ball on its merit and if it’s there to be hit then go all out.”
Opting to bowl on a surface with welcomed side-way movement, West Indies’ seamers cashed in as Seales claimed three for 40 and Mayers (2-13), Alzarri Joseph (2-33) and Kemar Roach (2-41) finished with two wickets each.
Mayers, in his first match of the series, proved the unlikely hero in the first session, knocking over the key wickets of Zak Crawley (7) and captain Joe Root without scoring, as England stumbled to lunch on 46 for three.
Crawley drove loosely to Captain Kraigg Brathwaite at short cover in the penultimate over before drinks and in the first over afterwards, Mayers got Root to nick an away-swinger to wicketkeeper Josh Da Silva.
Seales then returned for a second spell to remove Dan Lawrence, trapped lbw on his crease for eight to one that seamed back, in the penultimate over before lunch.
Joseph and Roach toppled England after lunch, taking four of the five wickets to go down in a devastating period for the tourists.
In the fourth over after the interval, Ben Stokes provided Joseph with a comfortable return catch after slapping a short ball back down the pitch, adding just two to his blank tally at the break.
It was his dismissal which opened the floodgates as England lost their next two wickets with no addition to the score on 53.
Alex Lees, unbeaten on lunch at 26, edged Roach behind in the next over to fall for 31 off 97 balls in 143 minutes with five fours and Jonny Bairstow followed without scoring four balls later, also nicking off to wicketkeeper Josh Da Silva off Joseph.
Reeling on 53 for six, there was little respite for the visitors as Seales bowled Ben Foakes comprehensively for seven just before drinks and Roach inflicted identical sorrow on Craig Overton (14) five overs later, leaving England in danger of falling below three figures at 90 for eight.
Woakes held up West Indies’ progress, however, his 25 coming as part of a 24-run, ninth wicket stand with Leach before Saqib replaced him to continue England’s revival.
