England vs West Indies 2020, 3rd Test, Day 2: Report - Stuart Broad's All-Round Display Puts England On The Top

England ended the second consecutive day on a high in the third Test against the West Indies at the Old Trafford in Manchester. Stuart Broad led the fight with the bat and ball as the hosts tightened the screws and raised their hopes of reclaiming the Wisden Trophy. Jason Holder’s men ended the day, trailing by 232 runs with their captain fighting in the middle.

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Ollie Pope and Jos Buttler could add only four runs to their partnership of 140 before Shannon Gabriel cleaned up Pope for 91. The West Indian bowlers were venomous with the second new-ball as before Pope’s dismissal, Rahkheem Cornwall fluffed a straightforward chance at slips. Kemar Roach bagged his 200th scalp when Chris Woakes played a half-hearted shot, resulting in him chopping on to the stumps.

Jos Buttler was Gabriel’s second victim of the day as Holder took an excellent low catch at the slips. But West Indies were in for an onslaught as Stuart Broad registered his half-century off 33 balls, the joint-fastest for England in history. By the time Broad departed, he had clattered 62 off 45 balls, laced of nine boundaries and a maximum and England’s score stood at 356. Anderson was the last man to exit, handing his first scalp to Holder as the home side finished with 369.

Stuart Broad does the magic with the ball for England as well:

While Anderson took the new ball, Broad followed it up, sharing it. And Broad removed West Indies’ consistent batsman at the top in his fourth delivery, Kraigg Brathwaite for a single. Jon Campbell made 32, his highest for the series before a snorter of a short ball from Jofra Archer saw his back.

Anderson joined the act, firing in unplayable deliveries to Shai Hope and Shamarh Brooks in his successive overs. Hope battled through 64 deliveries for his 17 runs and with that dismissal, it is fair to say that his Test career might be over for now. Roston Chase battled for 36 balls too before Broad trapped him just above the knee roll for his second wicket.

The West Indian captain promoted himself above Shane Dowrich and his partnership with Jermaine Blackwood was perhaps the most crucial one. However, Chris Woakes obliterated their plans as Blackwood failed to connect the ball on the leg-side, resulting in the middle stump getting shattered. Holder and Dowrich played some enterprising shots off Archer before bad light stopped play to leave the West Indies with four wickets in the bag.

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