England [369, 226/2d] defeat Windies [197, 129] by 269 runs to win 3rd Test, win series 2-1

[MenInG]

Stuart Broad's 500th Test wicket sent England on the way to completing a series victory over West Indies on the final day of the third Test at Emirates Old Trafford.

Broad had Kraigg Brathwaite lbw to become only the fourth pace bowler and second England player after James Anderson to reach the landmark, and would later take the final wicket to complete his third 10-wicket haul in Tests.

Brathwaite was the first man to fall, West Indies having resumed on 10-2 chasing 399 or, more likely, needing to bat out the day.

Chris Woakes claimed 5-50 as England dodged the showers to bowl West Indies out for 129, win by 269 runs and take the series 2-1.

After being beaten in the first Test in Southampton, England have come from behind to win a three-match series for the first time since 2008.

They also regain the Wisden Trophy and end the series third in the World Test Championship, behind India and Australia.

In a congested schedule, an entirely separate England squad play three one-day internationals against Ireland in the next week before the first of three Tests against Pakistan begins on 5 August.

West Indies, so competitive for much of the tour, remain without a series victory in the UK since 1988 and have now been beaten on seven consecutive trips to this country.

This was not only Broad's moment to join an elite club - just six other bowlers of any kind have reached 500 in Tests - but also further vindication after he so publicly voiced his displeasure at being left out of the first match of the series.

Since returning, he has taken 16 wickets at 10.93. In this match alone he picked up 10-67 to go with the 62 runs he scored in England's first innings.

To still be so determined at the age of 34 is typical of such a fierce competitor, whose 140-Test career has been characterised by spectacular spells and has taken in four Ashes wins.

Broad's 500th wicket came 40 minutes in, after a break for rain, when the hopping Brathwaite was hit dead in front by a full delivery.

He was congratulated with a hug from his great friend and new-ball partner Anderson, then raised the ball in the direction of the dressing room - the empty stadium denying the celebrations the achievement deserved.

Fittingly, Broad returned to seal victory. The first ball of a new spell was nothing but a long hop, but Jermaine Blackwood gloved a pull down the leg side to a diving Jos Buttler to make Broad only the seventh England player to take 10 wickets and score a half-century in a single Test.

Much of the talk around the England side during this series has been about the identity of their best fast-bowling line-up, particularly given the need to manage workloads and plan for the eventual retirements of Broad and Anderson.

Despite having a better average in England than any of his team-mates, Woakes may have been left out of this match had Ben Stokes been fit to bowl, but he ends the series as the home side's second-highest wicket-taker behind Broad.

West Indies' cavalier approach made for some attractive strokeplay and regular chances for England to take wickets.

Shai Hope miscued a pull at Woakes to Broad at mid-on and Shamarh Brooks' waft gave an inside edge behind, before Roston Chase was run out by Dom Bess' superb direct hit.

Bowling with supreme control on a full length, Woakes had all of Jason Holder, Shane Dowrich and Rahkeem Cornwall lbw for his fourth Test five-wicket haul.

This will forever be remembered as the first Test series to be played behind closed doors and in a bio-secure environment.

It is to West Indies' great credit they made the trip at all and even without Darren Bravo, Shimron Hetmyer and Keemo Paul, who opted out because of coronavirus concerns, they have played their part in producing a compelling and fluctuating contest.

Beginning with both sides taking a knee as part of the Black Lives Matter movement, the tourists were superb in Southampton, securing a memorable victory by chasing 200 to win on the final day.

But they have been beaten twice at Emirates Old Trafford, opting to bowl first after winning the toss on both occasions, and they gradually ran out of steam - perhaps not surprising given they have spent all but one week since 9 June in the same Manchester hotel.

However, in Brathwaite, Brooks and Chase, they have the basis of a solid batting line-up, while captain Holder, Kemar Roach and Shannon Gabriel form a fearsome pace attack.

Their steady improvement in Test cricket is well placed to continue.

Former England captain Michael Vaughan: "England are a better team in these conditions but we owe the West Indies a great deal.

"I dread to think where the game would be in this country right now if they hadn't agreed to come over."

West Indies all-rounder Carlos Brathwaite: "The West Indies team ran out of steam. They were here for a month before the first Test and chomping at the bit to play at Southampton.

"They did and that game is the blueprint for how West Indies will win Tests - bowl the opposition out cheaply and get just past that total then do it again.

"The management and staff aren't confident enough in the batting unit to bat first."

https://www.bbc.com/sport/cricket/53570044

 

[shamaan]

I think West Indies have given England a good practice before Pakistan series. England were looking rusty during first Test but now they are looking pretty lethal.

Pakiatan will give more test to England than west indies

 

[MenInG]

England captain Joe Root says his team should consider it a "privilege" to share a dressing room with the country's two highest Test wicket-takers – James Anderson and Stuart Broad.

Broad joined Anderson as the only Englishmen to claim 500 Test wickets when he dismissed West Indies opener Kraigg Brathwaite on the final day of his side's series-clinching victory in the third Test at Old Trafford.

"We're looking at two of England's best bowlers of all time," said Root after his team - who had trailed in the series - dismissed West Indies for just 129 to complete a 2-1 success and regain the Wisden Trophy.

Joe Root describes the 'privilege' of playing alongside James Anderson and Stuart Broad after England win their series 2-1
"To be playing in the same team as both of them - we've got to understand how lucky we are to be watching them go about their business.

"Playing alongside them, seeing them operate day in, day out - it couldn't be a better place for a young fast bowler to come in and learn their trade.

"It's a real privilege to play alongside both Jimmy and Stuart and hopefully that's going to happen for a lot longer as well."

Broad - who was controversially omitted from the England team for the first Test at the Ageas Bowl - finished with match figures of 10-67 in the decider, the third 10-wicket haul of his international career.

Fittingly, the 34-year-old sealed his side's thumping 269-run victory at Old Trafford with the final wicket, having Jermaine Blackwood caught behind to advance his Test total to 501.

"For him to come back into the team and have such an impact is testament to how good a player he's been for England over such a long period of time," Root said.

"It sums Stuart up, he seems to get on those hot streaks and have a real impact in games and I'm really pleased for him to get to that milestone - 500 Test wickets is a phenomenal achievement.

"He's the sort of guy that really grabs a game and wrestles it in your favour. He wants to be part of those big occasions and he wants to take the ball when you're up against it.

"There are so many different occasions he's done that - any number of Ashes series, the match-winning spell against South Africa at Johannesburg (in 2016), here in this series and many more."

Anderson, who turns 38 later this week, ended West Indies' second innings wicketless, but fellow seamer Chris Woakes starred with 5-50 as the tourists were hustled out in only 37.1 overs.

"I thought we were outstanding with the ball on that surface," Root added. "You look at the talent among those guys and it offers a huge amount.

"You feel they could exploit a lot of different surfaces around the world."

https://www.skysports.com/cricket/n...-playing-with-james-anderson-and-stuart-broad

 

[Corridor of Uncertainty]

Well, that means he is getting the bulk of his wickets up front, where it counts more, shaping the game.

I don't disagree. He has to fire upfront.

But 9 wickets were taken by Broad and Woakes today on the 5th day. They are fast bowlers. They shaped the game pretty darn handsomely.

I find the idea that it is not a fast bowlers job to get wickets or change course of the game on the 5th day unpalatable. Equally, I find the idea that it is not a spinner's job to take wickets on the first day preposterous. Or Warne would not bowl on first day and Akram won't bowl on 5th day.

They are bowlers - tasked with taking wickets.

Jimmy Anderson is not as impactful on the 5th day as his stature requires.

 

[MenInG]

West Indies captain Jason Holder hopes England will tour the Caribbean before the end of the year in response to his side braving the coronavirus pandemic by coming to Britain.

The West Indies left their relatively unaffected region to travel to the UK – the European country worst-hit by the Covid-19 outbreak – and relaunch international cricket after lockdown with a test campaign against England.

But they did so while accepting a 50 per cent pay cut from Cricket West Indies, with Holder's men losing the series 2-1 following a crushing 269-run defeat in the third test at Old Trafford concluded on Tuesday.

Teams such as the West Indies and Pakistan, who begin a three-test series against England at Old Trafford next week, have long been among cricket's financially poorest nations, with the likes of England, Australia and India the wealthiest.

But while England captain Joe Root led the tributes to the West Indies, who spent some two months holed up in onsite hotels at the Ageas Bowl and Old Trafford in bio-secure bubbles, for making the trip, Holder called for more practical assistance.

"I was speaking to our chief executive, Johnny Grave, who highlighted that we really only make money from playing England and India (at home)," he said.

"Maybe we break even with Australia and Pakistan. But we lose money against other teams."

'KEEP US AFLOAT'

England and the West Indies have now met home and away in the past 18 months and there are no plans for Root's side to visit the Caribbean in 2020.

But amid fixture uncertainty caused by the pandemic, Holder said: "We don't know what's going to happen after this series with the international calendar but if there is an opportunity for England to come over to the Caribbean before the end of the year that would help significantly.

"It's been a tough last few years for us financially, pretty much and we've taken a pay cut due to the circumstances.

"A tour hopefully, if it is possible before the end of 2020, would help keep us afloat," the allrounder added.

The England and Wales Cricket Board – who stood to lose hundreds of millions of pounds if the virus wiped out the 2020 season – gave CWI a loan before the tour.

This was effectively an advance on money due to CWI from the International Cricket Council.

But all broadcast revenues currently go to the home board.

Grave, an Englishman who made his name in cricket administration with county club Surrey, has suggested a fifth should go to the away side.

It was an idea supported by Holder, who insisted: "Now more than ever highlights the differences in finances.

"England get a huge chunk of money, Australia do too and India are a powerhouse. Outside those top three, the rest struggle."

"(Revenue-sharing) is definitely something that needs to be looked at by the powers that be. If something doesn't happen soon enough we'll see less international cricket played by the so-called smaller countries."

https://supersport.com/cricket/engl...pes_England_tour_Caribbean_by_end_of_the_year

 

[MenInG]

England v West Indies: Carlos Brathwaite reflect on series and his time with TMS

I want to congratulate West Indies for taking the plunge and making the trip to England.

When compared to what has happened in the UK, so many of the Caribbean islands have not been affected by coronavirus in the same way.

For those players to pack up and leave their families and friends while we were going through a global pandemic is really brave.

Not only that, but because of the way the game in the Caribbean has been hit financially, they have taken a 50% pay cut.

It says a lot about their commitment to the West Indies team and the game as a whole that they were willing to make this series happen.

When they reflect, they will see it as a missed opportunity to secure a first win in this country since 1988.

West Indies played a perfect game in Southampton to go 1-0 up, sticking to a template that gives them their best chance of winning Tests; bowl first, restrict the opposition, then bat without the oppression of scoreboard pressure.

When they came to Old Trafford and England posted first-innings totals in excess of 350, West Indies simply did not have the confidence in their batting to compete.

Might it have been different had Shimron Hetmyer and Darren Bravo, who opted out of the tour because of coronavirus concerns, been here to shore up the batting?

Maybe in the case of Hetmyer, who is a strong player of short bowling, something which England used to good effect.

Then again, if Hetmyer had played, perhaps we would not have seen Jermaine Blackwood, who took the attack to England and played the match-winning innings in the first Test.

Some may also wonder if it was a mistake for West Indies to make so few changes to their bowling attack, especially with the three Tests being played back-to-back.

I won't criticise them for that, because they took the positive option.

If you look back to before the second Test, Shannon Gabriel had just taken nine wickets in a man-of-the-match performance in the first.

With West Indies knowing one more win would win them the series, they asked Shannon to give it everything, even though they knew he wasn't quite 100%.

If it had come off, they would have landed the historic victory. It is only with hindsight we know it was the wrong decision, so it would be wrong to be too critical.

I have seen enough to believe West Indies can keep improving as a Test team. They have an attack that can take 20 wickets, either with four pace bowlers or with the off-spin of Rahkeem Cornwall.

The batting remains a concern. The top sides have players that average more than 45, which is where West Indies are lacking. The challenge is for the batsmen to develop so West Indies can compete with the best.

No one knows what the future holds at the moment. We are unsure of future tours, series and tournaments.

However, it is the professional duty of all of those players to think about how they can improve. It might be physically, mentally, or by learning a new skill.

They should be ready for the next time they are called on to play for West Indies.

Some of the players will have time to reflect, while others, like me, are heading for the Caribbean Premier League.

If you had asked me before the series if I was looking forward to my time working for Test Match Special, I'm not sure what I would have said.

I had done some punditry before, but not ball-by-ball. I did not expect to have as much fun as I did, and I'll leave with some really fond memories.

At the beginning, I had no idea what was going on when the commentator would say "listeners on Radio 4 are leaving us for the shipping forecast". But, by the end, there I was reading it for myself.

I've had some lovely messages from people who have listened. It's interesting, because during the second Test, we saw how social media can be a force for bad when Jofra Archer was being criticised.

Fortunately for me, I've seen how social media can be used for good, and I have received so many kind messages and words of encouragement.

Hopefully my playing career lasts for a little while longer, but commentating is something I will be looking forward to doing again in the future.

https://www.bbc.com/sport/cricket/53573580

 

[Savak]

West Indies dont have the fitness levels to play the longer format. The pacers ran out of steam from the first test onwards, the pacers were deflated and operating at lower speeds as the series wore on.

 

[Robert]

I don't disagree. He has to fire upfront.

But 9 wickets were taken by Broad and Woakes today on the 5th day. They are fast bowlers. They shaped the game pretty darn handsomely.

I find the idea that it is not a fast bowlers job to get wickets or change course of the game on the 5th day unpalatable. Equally, I find the idea that it is not a spinner's job to take wickets on the first day preposterous. Or Warne would not bowl on first day and Akram won't bowl on 5th day.

They are bowlers - tasked with taking wickets.

Jimmy Anderson is not as impactful on the 5th day as his stature requires.

I checked and Anderson averages 26 in all innings of test matches. He is remarkably consistent in that regard.

 

[MenInG]

When the West Indies arrived in England for a three-Test series, many observers wondered if their batsmen could give a talented attack enough runs to play with.

In the end it was a task that proved beyond the tourists' top-order during a 2-1 reverse that saw England regain the Wisden Trophy.

The Caribbean side struck first, winning the first Test at Southampton by four wickets, with Jermaine Blackwood's 95 anchoring their impressive run-chase in the fourth innings of the match.

But it was a different story in the next two matches at Old Trafford, where a fired-up Stuart Broad, controversially omitted from the series opener, took 16 wickets - including his 500th in Tests.

Facing Broad in English conditions, where he repeatedly makes the ball move off a good length, is one of world cricket's more challenging assignments.

But whereas the West Indies survived for 70.1 overs in the second innings of the second Test, they were all out in a mere 37.1 overs as England completed a 269-run win in Manchester on Tuesday.

Broad was reunited with new-ball partner James Anderson, England's all-time leading wicket-taker, in the third Test and West Indies coach Phil Simmons said that gave his side a hard task.

"Wherever you go it's going to be tough, in England's it's going to be toughest with two bowlers (Anderson and Broad), one there in 600, one there in 500 wickets," he said.

Blackwood, Kraigg Brathwaite and Shamarh Brooks all twice reached fifty but none went on to reach three figures. In contrast, Ben Stokes and Dom Sibley scored vital hundreds for the home side.

For all England's excellence with the ball, there were several self-inflicted wounds.

Joe Root hails Ben Stokes' triumphant form as England secure victory over West Indies at Old Traffor

Captain Joe Root hailed Ben Stokes after his starring role as England beat the West Indies by 113 runs in the second Test at Emirates Old Trafford. Stokes followed up his superb first-innings 176 by posting 78 not out on the final day to help the...

Shai Hope, who scored his only two Test hundreds against England at Headingley three years ago, gave his wicket away on Tuesday by mistiming a pull off Chris Woakes to mid-on - an attacking shot when the West Indies were batting for a draw.

Batsmen Darren Bravo and Shimron Hetmyer both declined invitations to tour for a series taking place against the backdrop of the coronavirus.

Schedule pressure

Even before Covid-19, modern schedules had greatly reduced the number of warm-up matches that enabled touring sides to adjust to local conditions.

This time around, the West Indies had to make do with a couple of intra-squad games instead.

The rise of lucrative franchise Twenty20 tournaments mean several leading West Indies cricketers now play little first-class cricket outside the Test arena.

But it is still only a year ago since West Indies captain Jason Holder, an all-rounder, made an unbeaten double century and shared a stand of 295 with wicketkeeper Shane Dowrich during a 381-run win over England in Barbados.

When West Indies were Test cricket's dominant force in the 1970s and 1980s, many of their players were also English county regulars.

Opener Gordon Greenidge and fast bowler Malcolm Marshall faced Test team-mates Viv Richards, one of cricket's greatest batsmen, and giant quick Joel Garner when Hampshire played Somerset.

An increasing number of international matches and changes in regulations led to restrictions on overseas stars, but from next season the 18 first-class counties will again be allowed to field two per side.

"That would definitely help and give our players exposure," said Holder of the prospect of renewed West Indian involvement in county cricket.

https://www.news24.com/sport/cricket/west-indies-bowlers-undermined-by-batting-woes-20200730

 

[shamaan]

West Indies dont have the fitness levels to play the longer format. The pacers ran out of steam from the first test onwards, the pacers were deflated and operating at lower speeds as the series wore on.

I fink shaheen and abbas are capable of bowling long spells and their fitness should be okay were naseem will proberly be their for short sharp spells