Sibley-Stokes grind gives England the edge


Posted July 17, 2020 by topcrickets

A drizzle and a wet outfield cut short the morning session to an hour. The final session was extended till 19:30 UK time.

 
A drizzle and a wet outfield cut short the morning session to an hour. The final session was extended till 19:30 UK time. What transpired in the 82 overs that were bowled was a battle of patience in which Dom Sibley and Ben Stokes came out trumps and ensured the opening day of the second Test belonged to England. Coming to the crease with England at 81 for 3, Sibley (86*) and Stokes (59*) put on a 126-run stand off 309 deliveries, with their partnership wearing down the West Indies bowlers.

There was not much pace off the wicket and West Indies weren't as tight as they were during the Southampton Test but they ensured that they didn't let England get away. Sibley was on 35 off 103 when Joe Root was dismissed and himself survived a testing over from Roston Chase, which included a dropped chance at forward short leg. Stokes too remained vigilant, choosing the defensive option apart from the straight six he scored off Chase in the last over before the end of the second session.

The duo would carry forward the same vigilant attitude in the final session with the former bringing up a hard-fought fifty. On a few occasions there was a break from this vigilance such as when Stokes got into his shot early against Chase, with the resultant leading edges falling clear of the fielders. Stokes also employed the slog-sweep for his first four of the innings. Sibley, meanwhile, attempted to reverse sweep a couple of times against Chase with a 2-7 field set - without any success.

Shannon Gabriel, who had left the field during the second session due to what appeared like a groin issue, was brought back on to bowl in the final session. He induced an edge off Silbey's bat only to be put down by Holder at second slip, much to the disappointment of West Indies. Gabriel, though, was also wayward with plenty of wides and no-balls not allowing him build pressure on the batsmen.

Slowly but surely, England added to the scorecard as the fourth wicket pair raising a century stand off 236 deliveries, with Stokes registering a 119-ball fifty. It wasn't attractive cricket but it was certainly effective as Sibley and Stokes built a solid foundation, and such was their method that it tired the West Indies bowlers and allowed them to collect runs more freely towards the end of the day. With a close shout for leg-before against Sibley, which was later sent upstairs, Kemar Roach hoped to end his wicketless run. But it was umpire's call as the opener survived yet again, and saw it through to stumps to ensure it was England's day.

Earlier, Chase's over on either side of the Lunch break was the most lively phase in the first two sessions of the second Test. With the West Indies pacers looking off colour in the morning session that was reduced to an hour, and with the England openers happy to block and leave, it was a sombre first session until Chase trapped Rory Burns with a straight delivery before Lunch and struck immediately after, having Zak Crawley caught at leg-slip.

On what was a moist pitch, the ball wasn't really carrying to the 'keeper and the slip cordon while someone like Chase found some grip off the surface. But the offspinner wasn't particularly consistent with his line and lengths which meant that West Indies weren't able to sustain the pressure for a longer period as Root and Sibley looked to steer the England ship through the rough waters. There were a couple of flashy shots off the pacers, but Root and Sibley looked compact with their shot selection otherwise, bringing up a half-century stand. The England captain, however, failed to capitalise on his start as he went after a widish delivery from Alzarri Joseph.

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Issued By topcrickets
Country India
Categories Personal Interests
Tags cricket , sibleystokes , sports
Last Updated July 17, 2020