WIndies in control vs England after 1st day of 2nd test
NORTH SOUND, Antigua (AP) — England's hopes of a big response against West Indies were ruined when the tourists were dismissed for 187 on the first day of the second test on Thursday.
After an easy victory in the first test, West Indies looked to be in firm control again after reaching 30 without loss before stumps in reply.
Home captain Jason Holder chose to bowl on a lively pitch at the Sir Vivian Richards Stadium and saw the clatter of wickets interspersed with a series of nasty blows that left both England's egos and bodies bruised.
Joe Root, Ben Stokes, Sam Curran and Ben Foakes were all rapped hard on the gloves, the latter unable to keep wicket as a result, while top-scorer Moeen Ali was clattered on the helmet by Shannon Gabriel.
Only Jonny Bairstow (52) and Moeen (60) negotiated conditions well enough and the prospect of a series-deciding defeat appeared high as the tourists trudged off without landing a blow in response.
Holder happily inserted England after winning the toss and saw his side pick up four wickets before lunch. Rory Burns was the first, held low at second slip pushing inconclusively at Kemar Roach.
It was Roach who sowed the seeds of England's match-defining 77 all out in Bridgetown and he took 4-30 here.
Debutant opener Joe Denly survived a highly precarious lbw shout on nought and eked out six runs before the day's worst dismissal. Chasing a short, wide loosener from Alzarri Joseph the 32-year-old stretched too far and sent a thin edge sailing into Shane Dowrich's gloves.
Root failed to settle but was hardly complicit in his dismissal, Joseph getting one to rear violently off a length. The ball thumped Root's top hand as he attempted evasive action and it took a wonderful team effort from John Campbell and Shai Hope to complete the catch.
Jos Buttler was promoted to five, leapfrogging Stokes, but lasted just 12 deliveries before Holder found extra bounce and picked up the edge.
In a lunch score of 78-4, Bairstow was responsible for 52 of them. That rendered his wicket, two balls after the restart, all the more important as Roach sent one down at yorker length and won an lbw.
Stokes was undone by skill as much as speed, Gabriel coming from a wide angle round the wicket and precisely snaring the edge to leave England 93-6.
Moeen and Foakes went on to share a gutsy stand of 85, carefully watching for unpredictable bounce, running aggressively and taking on the spin of Roston Chase.
Moeen reached his half-century in 69 balls but fell in ugly fashion, scooping Roach to mid-on.
That was the first in a sequence of four wickets for nine runs as Gabriel and Roach cleaned up.
England had over an hour to cause some chaos of their own but, despite a challenging spell from Stuart Broad, West Indies openers Campbell and Kraigg Brathwaite reached the close with their partnership intact.
