England vs West Indies 2020, 2nd Test, Day 1: Report - Dom Sibley And Ben Stokes Lay Solid Foundation After Early Wobbles

England began the first day of the second Test against the West Indies as inauspiciously they could. The hosts lost of their premier pacers for committing a breach of their bio-security protocols. Nevertheless, their day ended on a highly positive note, ending with 207-3 even after an unceremonial start to their innings on the playing field. Dom Sibley’s quintessential Test knock and Ben Stokes’ calculative batting made it possible.

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It was deja vu of Southampton as showers delayed the start of the game and toss by an hour late. West Indies captain Jason Holder emerged victorious at the toss, electing to bowl first, aiming to find success that he and Shannon Gabriel tasted in Southampton. While the current holders of the Wisden Trophy walked in with an unchanged side, the home team carried sweeping changes.

With Jofra Archer breaking bio-security protocols, he one of the three men swapping. Unsurprisingly, Joe Denly missed out to the regular captain Joe Root while Mark Wood, James Anderson, and Archer made way for Stuart Broad, Chris Woakes, and Sam Curran. Of all of those, Anderson was the only one missing out with a reason for being rested.

Contrary to Holder’s expectations, Kemar Roach and Gabriel struggled for rhythm as Sibley and Rory Burns settled in quite comfortably. It was the last two balls before lunch, which was the 13th that the Caribbeans struck first blood. Holder decided to introduce off-spinner Roston Chase on a damp pitch that reaped a reward in only his second delivery. Burns missed a straight one from Chase that hit the top third of the middle stump when challenged by the batsman.

The first ball after lunch saw a wicket too in the form of Zak Crawley for a first-ball duck. Crawley, who was thrust into the role of Denly, could not take off from his knock of 76 in the second innings in Southampton. He tried to flick around the corner and instead it went to leg slip where Holder took a low smart catch. Joe Root entered at number four for his first Test innings in February albeit not in an entirely unfamiliar position. Facing his fourth delivery, the ball from Roach struck outside the line when challenged by Holder, burning their review.

Sibley and Root sparked a mini-revival as they batted cautiously against the threatening spin-bowling of Chase and the swing bowlers. Sibley, in particular, played solidly and used his feet immaculately too and blunted the West Indian bowlers. In the 31st over, Sibley brought up his only second boundary, racing to 35 through an edge that flew between slip and gully. With that, the pair brought their fifty-run stand and West Indies had their third stroke of success in the next over.

It was Alzarri Joseph’s arm that did the trick as he accounted for Root for 23, which was as many as the fourth time in the last five innings. Joseph delivered a juicy outswinger outside off-stump that tempted the skipper to go for the drive only for Holder at slips to catch it comfortably. The wicket of the right-handed batsman was a massive setback for England as they repaired the damage caused by the West Indies early on.

Ben Stokes and Dom Sibley punish West Indies for their lacklustre display:

Even as the scoring rate was coming down, England did the job of wearing down the bowlers; that which they did not do in Southampton. Stokes showed the first sign of intent during Chase’s 7th over and the last before tea while an over before that Sibley brought his 164-ball fifty. The southpaw danced down the track and effortlessly dispatched for six down the ground. It was Roach, who took the first ball after tea and the hosts took off from where they left.

They patiently waited to dispatch the bad balls while tiring out the pacers with relative ease. In the second over after tea, an opportunity arose as both men found themselves in the middle of the pitch after Sibley nudged a delivery on the leg side. However, Campbell’s direct hit missed the stumps while the partnership was nearing 50. Yet, the Englishmen were not running away with the game. It was particularly concerning for Gabriel, whose contribution of nine wickets in Southampton played as significant a role as batsmen’s vigil.

Gabriel’s hamstring kept bothering him as he trudged in and out of the field continuously in need of assistance. And Gabriel could have had Sibley in his eighth over if not for the captain’s safe hands fluffing out a straight-forward chance at second slip. That’s not to say that Gabriel was as disciplined as he was in the Rose Bowl, overstepping more than a couple of times. At the same time, the pitch had some cracks too due to which some occasional balls spun drastically, going to the second slip fielder at times.

In the 70th over, the vice-captain brought his half-century through a drive through the backward point region. The three runs through the backward point region also enabled the pair to add 100 runs for the fourth wicket, the first of the series. Six overs later, a glimmer of hope came along as Roach pinned Sibley on the crease for which the bowler decided to challenge the umpire’s decision unequivocally. However, it was marginally clipping the bails, resulting in Sibley surviving.

By the closing minutes of play, the sun smiled on the England batsmen, as if telling them they have survived the testing times. Sibley and Stokes restored relief amongst the English camp with an unbeaten 126-run stand with Sibley 14 away from his hundred. Perhaps, one might say that a great English collapse looks imminent, but maybe not if the sun keeps smiling at them tomorrow again.

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