01:05
England continue to dominate
England 514 for 8 dec (Cook 243, Root 136) beat West Indies 168 (Blackwood 79*, Anderson 3-34) and 137 (Brathwaite 40, Broad 3-34) by an innings and 209 runs
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
A historic Test match was dealt a humiliating conclusion under the Edgbaston floodlights, as West Indies crumbled to one of the most spineless defeats in their long and once-proud history. By losing 19 wickets for 261 runs in the space of 76.4 overs, they were shot out twice in the day for scores of 168 and 137, the margin of their innings defeat – 209 – still greater than either of their efforts with the bat.
For the record, James Anderson, with 3 for 34, was the pick of England’s bowlers in the first innings, while Stuart Broad claimed identical figures to be the star performer in the second. In crushing West Indies’ middle order with a spell of 3 for 4 in 11 balls after tea, Broad surged past Ian Botham’s tally of 383 Test wickets to claim second place behind Anderson on England’s all-time list. Not since Trueman and Statham were last in harness in 1963 had both chart-toppers been present in the same England team, and Anderson, who now has 491 to his name, must fancy his chances of ticking off another remarkable milestone in next week’s second Test at Headingley.
But frankly, any of England’s bowlers could have taken the top billing in this contest. Only Jermaine Blackwood, with a defiant and at times bombastic 79 not out in the first innings, and Kraigg Brathwaite, with a sheet-anchor 40 in the second, found any means to resist an attack that used the conditions well but were never required to stretch themselves to assert their authority.
Full report to follow
Tea West Indies 168 (Blackwood 79*, Anderson 3-34) and 76 for 4 (Brathwaite 40) trail England 514 for 8 dec by 270 runs
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
By tea on the third day of the first Investec Test, West Indies were braced for a crushing innings defeat, after slumping to 76 for 4 in the follow-on. They were 270 runs adrift of parity, with the unfamiliar prospect of facing the pink ball under lights still awaiting a side that has already lost 13 wickets in the first two sessions of the day.
Only Jermaine Blackwood, with a defiant and at times bombastic 79 not out in the first innings, and Kraigg Brathwaite, with a sheet-anchor 40 in the second, found any means to resist an England attack that used the overcast conditions well but was hardly required to stretch itself to assert its authority.
James Anderson, with three wickets in the first innings and one so far in the second, has once again been the pick of the seamers, and with 491 Test wickets now to his name, he will surely fancy his chances of becoming the first England bowler to 500 at some stage of next week’s second Test at Headingley.
Not that England’s players will be casting their minds that far forward just yet, but frankly, this game is already over – as the fancy-dressed hordes in the Hollies Stand inadvertently demonstrated midway through the collapse, when their entire focus turned from the pink ball in the middle to a black-and-white inflatable version on the outfield that had been confiscated by a steward. They eventually got their ball back, to a huge cheer. West Indies’s bowlers, you sense, won’t be so lucky.
After the loss of much of last night’s evening session to rain, play resumed half an hour early at 1.30pm … but only for a solitary delivery, as an untimely shower swept across the ground. In the end, the match got properly back underway at the original start time of 2pm, but the gloom endured for West Indies as Anderson wasted little time in getting back in the wickets.
Kyle Hope was the first man in his sights, blasted from the crease with the sixth ball of the morning, and his third, as Anderson found wicked lift from a good length, for Ben Stokes in the gully to snaffle the edge off the splice. Hope, who had hung around with intent on the second afternoon, was gone without addition.
One ball later, Stuart Broad thought he had bagged the other overnight incumbent, Kieran Powell, but replays upheld the umpire’s call for a leg-stump lbw appeal. It made little difference, as Powell was gone later in the same over, pinged out by a direct hit from Anderson at mid-off, as he charged through for a suicidal single.
A string of dot-balls gave way to Anderson’s third, two overs later, as Roston Chase was beaten by the nipbacker and bowled off the inside edge for an 11-ball duck. Blackwood and Shai Hope came out swinging, clubbing a smattering of boundaries to get the scoreboard moving, but Hope in particular never looked like enduring. Toby Roland-Jones took advantage of his determination to hit his team out of trouble, and a fat-inside edge smashed his stumps for 15.
Roland-Jones bagged his second when Shane Dowrich – one edge through the cordon to his name already – played a shockingly ill-advised clip through the leg-side that missed his bat by a mile and pinned him dead in front of middle.
Jason Holder lingered for a while, but having found some success against the seamers, he was all at sea when the spin of Moeen Ali entered the attack. After a terrible over of loose drives outside off, Holder had another swing in Moeen’s second over, and feathered the slenderest of edges through to Jonny Bairstow, who correctly called for the review after the initial appeal had been refused.
West Indies’ ignominious session was completed when Kemar Roach missed a drive at Broad to lose his off stump for 5. It was abject and dispiriting, but at least Blackwood could hold his head high. He signed off for the session by crunching Moeen for a sweet straight six then added another, even more astonishing, ping off the pads over wide long-on after lunch.
But his resistance alone could not atone for the shortcomings at the other end. Alzarri Joseph hung around as best he could, enduring for 17 balls before Broad thumped his pads to send him on his way lbw for 6. And then, with a century just about in his sights, Blackwood attempted desperately to keep the strike at the end of Anderson’s 15th over, but Tom Westley at midwicket beat the floundering Cummins with a direct hit.
Joe Root immediately signalled to the West Indies’ dressing room that they should pad up again, and it took Anderson until his third over to get back in the wickets, as Powell fenced to Alastair Cook at slip for 10. All Hope was lost when Kyle and Shai fell in quick succession to Roland-Jones and Stokes respectively, and the seal was set on a desperate session when Moeen bagged Brathwaite lbw on the stroke of tea.
Andrew Miller is UK editor of ESPNcricinfo. @miller_cricket
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Source: ESPN Crickinfo