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Jason Holder produced a fine all-round display as the West Indies took three late wickets, including both England openers with successive deliveries, in a stirring fightback on the opening day of the third Test at Edgbaston yesterday.
Holder’s 59 helped turn the West Indies’ 115-5 into a total of 282 all out as they looked to restore some pride, having already lost this three-match series at 2-0 down.
And the towering all-rounder then held two fine slip catches as England slumped to 38-3 at stumps, a deficit of 244 runs.
Zak Crawley fell for eight when he edged a loose drive off fast bowler Jayden Seales, with Holder holding a sharp chance to his left at second slip.
England were now 29-1 off four overs exactly and next ball Crawley’s opening partner, Ben Duckett, played on to Alzarri Joseph. England had sent in Mark Wood as a nightwatchman after Crawley’s exit but he fell for a duck when edging Seales low to Holder.
Seales had figures of 2-19 in four overs at the close, with Ollie Pope and Joe Root – who both made hundreds in England’s 241-run win in the second Test at Trent Bridge – set to resume today.
Earlier, West Indies were well-placed 76-0 after captain Kraigg Brathwaite won the toss beneath blue skies on a good batting pitch. But they then suffered yet another of the collapses that had been their undoing in the first two Tests as five wickets fell either side of lunch.
Former captain Holder, however, found an ally in Joshua Da Silva (49) as the duo kept England at bay with a sixth-wicket partnership of 109 in 32 overs.
But the remainder of the innings fell away tamely, with fast bowler Gus Atkinson taking 4-67 in 20 overs and Chris Woakes 3-59 in 18 on his Warwickshire home ground.
After a watchful beginning, Brathwaite drove Woakes for two fours in the fifth over.
Mikyle Louis provided sound support as the 31-year-old Brathwaite, in his 92nd Test, completed a 70-ball fifty, including six fours. – SuperSport.
Online Reporter