Stuart Broad and Chris Woakes shared six wickets to bowl West Indies out for 287 on Day 4 of the second Test in Manchester, and helped England secure a first-innings lead of 182. By stumps, the hosts stretched it to 219, putting on 37 on the board but it came at the expense of two wickets.

Openers Jos Buttler and Ben Stokes, whom England had sent to open the batting could add just one run as the wicketkeeper batsman played on to Kemar Roach. The West Indies quick picked up another two wickets later, dismissing Zak Crawley before Stokes and Joe Root saw England through to stumps.

Ben Stokes, National Hero and the player of the first innings with a formidable 176, stood tall at the end of the day with an unbeaten 39 of 30 balls.

West Indies, whose top order showed fortitude, were found wanting against the second new ball. In the first two sessions combined, West Indies had scored 195 runs for the loss of three wickets and seemed to be cruising towards the follow-on target of 270. However, after much deliberation, England took the second new ball and ran through the Windies lower order. Broad struck thrice in three overs before Woakes wiped off the tail. West Indies lost their final six wickets for 45 runs.

West Indies began Day 4 proceedings on a confident note. Kraigg Brathwaite and Alzarri Joseph added 54 runs for the second wicket with the nightwatchman playing some entertaining strokes. England dropped Joseph early on, and with a few boundaries flying through the slip cordon, luck seemed to be favouring the Windies. But Joseph’s luck ran out when the ball was tossed to Dom Bess, who stuck in his first over of the day.

West Indies build a couple more important partnerships. Brathwaite, who registered his 19th Test fifty added 53 runs with Shai Hope before forging another 76 with Shamarh Brooks for the fifth wicket. Stokes bowled an effort ball to dismiss Brathwaite 25 runs short of his century, but it was really post tea when the tide turned in England’s favour.

The call to take the second new ball and the move worked like a charm. Veteran English pacer, Stuart  Broad had Brooks out LBW following it up by taking another scalp on the West-Indies scorecard in the form of Jermaine Blackwood, hero of the previous Test for a duck. The England speedster made it a trio of new ball wickets when he had Shane Dowrich trapped right in front of the stump with the review being taken by West Indies, but to no avail.

So fiery was this spell by Stuart Broad that ICC tweeted about it later from their twitter handle.

With England looking like picking up a wicket almost every ball, Chase batted doggedly and allowed West Indies to avoid the follow-on. However, he fell to an in-dipper from Sam Curran and was given out leg before wicket. With a heavy lead of 182, it was advantage England before Roach’s double ensured that Day 5 would be a cracker of a contest.

 

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