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West Indies' treble strike rocks England in third test

football26 July 2024 18:05| © AFP
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Jason Holder produced a fine all-round display as the West Indies took three late wickets, including both England openers with successive deliveries, in a stirring fightback on Friday's opening day of the third test at Edgbaston.

Holder's 59 helped turn the West Indies' 115-5 into a total of 282 all out as they looked to restore some pride, having already lost this three-match series at 2-0 down.

And the towering all-rounder then held two fine slip catches as England slumped to 38-3 at stumps, a deficit of 244 runs.

Zak Crawley fell for eight when he edged a loose drive off fast bowler Jayden Seales, with Holder holding a sharp chance to his left at second slip.

England were now 29-1 off four overs exactly and next ball Crawley's opening partner, Ben Duckett, played on to Alzarri Joseph.

England had sent in Mark Wood as a nightwatchman after Crawley's exit but he fell for a duck when edging Seales low to Holder.

Seales had figures of 2-19 in four overs at the close, with Ollie Pope and Joe Root -- who both made hundreds in England's 241-run win in the second test at Trent Bridge -- set to resume on Saturday.

"When you look at the pace of that wicket you'd think the batters would get in and go deep," said Holder.

"Unfortunately none of our batters were able to do that but we got a fair few starts."

'GIVE EVERYTHING'

But West Indies' total looked far healthier as they hit back with the ball in an action-packed eight overs spanning some 40 minutes.

"It was a bonus to get three wickets," said the 32-year-old Holder, appearing in his 67th test.

"At that stage the runs are irrelevant, we could just attack. With 40 minutes to bowl you can run in and give everything you can."

England paceman Chris Woakes, like many at Edgbaston, thought it was going to be England's day after he took 3-69 on his Warwickshire home ground.

"When we bowled them out, I was really happy," said Woakes.

"Obviously, to lose three tonight is not ideal, not the perfect end to the day, I suppose."

Earlier, West Indies were well-placed 76-0 after captain Kraigg Brathwaite won the toss beneath blue skies on a good batting pitch.

But they then suffered yet another of the collapses that had been their undoing in the first two tests as five wickets fell either side of lunch.

Former captain Holder, however, found a solid ally in Joshua Da Silva (49) as the duo kept England at bay with a sixth-wicket partnership of 109.

But the remainder of the innings fell away tamely, with fast bowler Gus Atkinson taking 4-67 in 20 overs.

After a watchful beginning, Brathwaite drove Woakes for two fours in the fifth over.

Mikyle Louis provided sound support as the 31-year-old Brathwaite, in his 92nd test, completed a 70-ball fifty, including six fours.

But England hit back when Louis (26) fended at an Atkinson delivery that moved away to give wicketkeeper Jamie Smith a simple catch.

New batsman Kirk McKenzie struck three fours before, only half forward, he was clean bowled by a 146 kph full-length delivery from express quick Mark Wood.

And to the last ball of the session, Alick Athanaze carelessly bottom-edged an attempted pull off Atkinson onto his stumps, leaving the West Indies 97-3 at lunch and Brathwaite unbeaten on 56.

West Indies would have wanted their skipper to go onto a hundred.

But instead he fell for 61 when, trying to pull Wood, he gloved the ball down the legside to Smith.

Wood, unlucky to take just two wickets in the whole of the second test, had 2-52 on Friday.

And 115-4 became 115-5 when Kavem Hodge, who made a maiden test century at Trent Bridge, gifted his wicket when deliberately leaving a Woakes ball that hit the top of off stump.

But with the West Indies in danger of being bowled out on the opening day, Holder counter-attacked.

He slashed opposing all-rounder Stokes for four and struck 20-year-old off-spinner Shoaib Bashir, who took a match-winning 5-41 at Trent Bridge, for several boundaries including a superb straight six over long-on.

Holder went on to a 92-ball fifty, also including six fours.

Da Silva, however, fell one shy of the landmark when caught behind off a good-length Woakes ball to leave the West Indies 224-6.

And Holder's innings ended when Atkinson flattened his off stump.

England: Zak Crawley, Ben Duckett, Ollie Pope, Joe Root, Harry Brook, Ben Stokes (capt), Jamie Smith (wkt), Chris Woakes, Gus Atkinson, Mark Wood, Shoaib Bashir

West Indies: Kraigg Brathwaite (capt), Mikyle Louis, Kirk McKenzie, Alick Athanaze, Kavem Hodge, Jason Holder, Joshua Da Silva (wkt), Gudakesh Motie, Alzarri Joseph, Shamar Joseph, Jayden Seales

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