A maiden Test century from Kavem Hodge and a brilliant 82 from Alick Athanaze helped West Indies stage a strong fightback against England in the second Test at Trent Bridge. West Indies made a jittery start to the day but recovered in terrific fashion on the back of a 175-run stand between Kavem Hodge and Athanaze that has now reduced the deficit to 65 with five wickets still in hand.
Four overs in which his speed never dipped below 92mph went unrewarded – as did Wood all day – but what a curtain-raiser it was to the main performance of the day, Kavem Hodge’s maiden international century. Had Kavem Hodge screamed “I was caught… In the middle of a railroad track” as he punched a Ben Stokes inswinger for four through long-off to bring up his ton, it wouldn’t have sounded out of place, such was the tone as he screeched in sheer joy.
Morning Session Day 2: West Indies lose top order in morning session
England struck thrice in the second hour of the morning session on day two to hurt West Indies in the second Test at Trent Bridge. The visitors had made a decent start in reply to England’s 416 as the hosts remained wicketless in the first hour. However, Shoaib Bashir struck twice and Gus Atkinson removed the well-set Kraigg Brathwaite to leave West Indies reeling at 89/3.
Usually very watchful to begin with, Brathwaite was the one finding boundaries regularly to kickstart the day. Mikyle Louis then drove Atkinson past mid-off to fetch his first boundary which then brought about a change at both ends with Mark Wood and Bashir coming on.
Wood posed questions by regularly clocking over 150 kmph but it was Bashir who made the breakthrough. Immediately after the drinks break, Louis fetched a boundary but attempted to hit another one, only to get a top edge and perish for 21. The big blow came a few overs later when the well-set Brathwaite, who continued to pick boundaries regularly, struggled to fend off a short ball from Atkinson only for the ball to lob towards short leg.
Wood came on in the 10th over and managed to produce some swing, which had been non-existent to that point on Friday. But it was his unbridled pace that had everyone transfixed as he twice nudged the 96mph mark and hit 95 twice more in the over. Wood’s second over was equally rapid, clocked at 94mph five times and 95 once, with testing lines as he twice beat Brathwaite’s outside edge.
The Trent Bridge crowd gasped in unison as the scoreboard flashed up the speed of Wood’s fifth delivery in his third over – a staggering 97.1mph. That was understandably a maiden and after three overs, his figures read 3-1-5-0. Brathwaite managed to find the boundary, guiding the ball fine off his ribs, in Wood’s fourth over, which still contained some lightning speed.
It was Bashir who made the breakthrough in the 15th over, shortly after the drinks break, as Brook took a nerveless catch running a long way to his right from mid-on to remove Louis for 21. It was Bashir’s first Test wicket from two matches at home after not bowling in the first game of this series.
Bashir could have had his second in his next over when he rapped Kirk McKenzie – on nought at the time – on the pad and appealed but the umpire was unmoved, as were England who didn’t seem interested in deferring to the DRS, although replays later showed the ball would have hit the top of leg stump.
Atkinson returned for his second spell to replace Wood and he soon removed Brathwaite for 48 trying to turn a short, straight delivery down the leg side but looping it off the shoulder of the bat straight to Ollie Pope at short leg. Bashir did take his second wicket shortly before lunch, McKenzie serving up a simple catch to Stokes at mid-on. But, hours later, you couldn’t help feeling that it was England who trudged off just a little bit Thunderstruck.
Post Lunch Session: Day 2: West Indies fight back with wicketless session as Kavem Hodge and Alick Athanaze holds fort.
West Indies staged an excellent fightback in the Trent Bridge Test on the back of a century stand between Alick Athanaze and Kavem Hodge in the post-lunch session on Day 2. The visitors endured a tough opening session that saw them lose the top order but this comeback has reduced the deficit to 204 with 7 wickets still intact.
Shoaib Bashir, who picked up two wickets in the opening session, began proceedings and bowled a tight spell but Athanaze picked up a couple of boundaries at the other end off Chris Woakes. Athanaze continued to keep the scorecard moving with regular boundaries whereas Hodge was content batting out time. At one point, he was batting on 8 off 43 balls before he broke free with a boundary.
Mark Wood, who came up with a hostile spell in the morning, was brought back into the attack in hope of breaking the partnership but he was welcomed to the bowling crease with a couple of fours. Kavem Hodge, who received a reprieve, finally got going after the drinks break as he took on both Wood, Bashir and Gus Atkinson for boundaries.
Eventually, Athanaze brought up his first fifty in Test cricket with the partnership also going past 100. Kavem Hodge, who was the aggressor in the second half of the session, punished a couple of short-pitched deliveries from Atkinson to bring up his fifty as well. West Indies’ domination in the session was rubber-stamped with a six over deep midwicket just minutes before Tea and the visitors will hope for more of the same to round off the day.
Kavem Hodge should have been gone for 16 – to Wood, no less – but Joe Root put down the catch at slip. He and Athanaze both went to tea with half-centuries to their name, having added 123 runs while England went wicketless in the middle session.
Athanaze’s ears would have been ringing when, on 48, he was struck flush on the helmet, right next to the badge, by a Wood short ball at 91mph. Hodge’s reaction at the other end was a mirror image of his batting partner’s as he reeled back in shock. Wood was first to ask, “are you ok?” and England’s fielders also approached to check on him before the medics arrived to conduct official tests. But he was passed fit to continue and reached his maiden Test fifty just two balls later, with a nudge off the hip for two in Gus Atkinson’s next over.
Athanaze went on to unfurl some lovely cover drives, and his slog-sweep for six over midwicket off Shoaib Bashir in the penultimate over before tea was glorious. Ben Stokes, however, prized him out with a century looming in the evening session, as he chased a wider delivery on 82 and sliced to Harry Brook at gully.
Although the rest of his evening’s stay would prove to be a bit of an ordeal, Jason Holder got his runs flowing immediately, guiding his first ball for four through the slips cordon and, two balls later, clearing cover where the diminutive figure of Ben Duckett leapt somewhat belatedly and in vain as the ball sailed over his reaching hands and to the boundary.
Wood returned to the attack and beat Hodge’s outside edge with a fantastic outswinging yorker on 92, before giving in to a wry grin when the last ball of the same over swung away again for another near-miss. Hodge forged on, past his century – reached with that punchy drive off Stokes – and put on 46 runs with Holder before he departed.
Afternoon Session: Day 2: Kavem Hodge, Alick Athanaze lead WI’s strong fightback
A maiden Test century from Kavem Hodge and a brilliant 82 from Alick Athanaze helped West Indies stage a strong fightback against England in the second Test at Trent Bridge. West Indies made a jittery start to the day but recovered in terrific fashion on the back of a 175-run stand between Hodge and Athanaze that has now reduced the deficit to 65 with five wickets still in hand.
The morning session was a tale of two halves. West Indies made a promising start in the first hour without losing a wicket as skipper Kraigg Brathwaite took charge of the scoring duties with plenty of boundaries. However, the momentum completely changed post the drinks break as England struck. Shoaib Bashir broke the opening partnership and just moments before the lunch break, he was gifted another wicket as Kirk McKenzie played a rash shot to get out.
Sandwiched between those two wickets was Brathwaite’s dismissal that rocked the visitors big time. Gus Atkinson bowled a well-directed bouncer that the batter tried to fend away but he was unsuccessful in his attempt with the short leg fielder completing the simple catch. 53/0 quickly became 84/3 and the West Indies needed a rearguard action from the middle order.
Kavem Hodge and Athanaze stepped up at the right time as they forged a vital century partnership in the second session, ensuring no wickets were lost. Athanaze batted in positive fashion once play resumed post lunch but Hodge was initially content batting out time. Batting at 8 off 43 at one point, Kavem Hodge slowly grew in confidence with a flurry of boundaries as both the batters reached their respective fifties before the Tea break.
After a quiet couple of overs to start with post Tea, Kavem Hodge was on the move again as he took on Bashir for four boundaries in the space of two overs to go past Athanaze. Finally, it was the golden arm of Ben Stokes that broke the 175-run partnership much to England’s relief as Athanaze edged the bowler to the fielder at gully.
That wicket didn’t deter Kavem Hodge who looked in fluent touch. He hit Stokes for a couple of boundaries to bring up his maiden Test century, eating into the deficit in the process. England brought back Chris Woakes and Wood post the drinks brink and their persistence finally resulted in a dismissal as the centurion got trapped for 120 after the visitors had gone past the 300-run mark. That was a significant achievement in itself for a side that failed to make even 150 in both the innings of the first Test.