England vs West Indies Test 3 day 1: English tail-enders to the rescue as Caribbeans dismissed all 10

Leach-Mahmood rescuing 90-run knock

West Indies, on winning the toss, opted to bowl first. Alex Lees and Zak Crawley opened the innings. They looked steady as they stood to play 74-ball in partnership, however, failed to build runs in their innings. Kyle Mayers took Zak Crawley for a 36-ball 7 runs and Alex Lees got dismissed at 31 by Kemar Roach. Following this, England saw the collapse of the complete middle order, as Captain Joe Root got out for the duck, Dan Lawrence 8 runs, Ben Stokes for 2 runs, Jonny Bairstow for a 0, and Ben Foakes for 17-ball 7. And with this England got reduced to 67 at a loss of 7 wickets. The inning itself displayed fragility and over-dependence of England’s team on Captain Joe Root’s inning. The batters failed to display the character as needed on such a pitch. Post the fall of 7 wickets, tailenders’ efforts sailed England’s total at a par of 200. From 67/7 to 114/9 and then putting 204 on the board, England will be delighted with the performance of their lower-order batters. All credit goes to Jack Leach and Saqib Mahmood, as they played record-breaking innings at the 10th wicket. Their gritty 90-run knock-in partnership left West Indies bowlers mundane. Their knock somehow saved the day for England as a 200-plus target will remain challenging when the ball is still new and hard.

Saqib Mahmood said to BT Sport. "It was good fun. Once we saw off the burst from Alzarri and Jayden Seales, it was good fun out there. I thought we stuck at it well and cashed in at that period just before that new ball. It's just basics really, I saw long-on go back and just had tunnel vision trying to get one down there. If you listen to me in the dressing room, I'll always say that. One of the boys has already said it's downhill from here. When I went out there, I saw some of the boys in their whites already which spurred me on. Both sides wanted to bowl on it and West Indies bowled exceptionally well... they didn't give us anything to hit. You could see there was a lot in the wicket early doors. I think it's just a case of being disciplined and holding lengths on that wicket. The length is about dragging the batsman forwards. As the ball got softer it became easier to bat. That first session tomorrow will be crucial. Watch the ball!"

Crestfallen West Indies

West Indies bowlers must be ravaged, how they let complete advantage run from their hand to England’s scoreboard. The pitch was a perfect feat for the bowlers bowling with the correct line and length. With Kyle Mayers starting the destruction, all the other bowlers pitched in to do their part in wicket-taking. However, it became slow from the ninth wicket. The final session though started with the wicket of Chris Woakes, but the actual match started when Jack Leach and Saqib Mahmood stitched a 90-run partnership in 218 balls. The final wicket fell off as Saqib Mahmood got out for 1 run short to his half-century.

What’s in the store for Day 2?

A poignant day of test cricket for the West Indies. With England back in the game, West Indies will have to bat well on Day 2. While the home side would be on the top to seal the game, however, if the pitch behaves in a similar fashion as it did today, then the game is very much on for the upcoming days.