England registered a massive win by a margin of 241 runs in the second Test at Trent Bridge by the end of Day 4 to clinch the series on the back of a five-wicket haul from Shoaib Bashir. Shoaib Bashir only in his second series shines once again with the ball and is looking as a bright spot for future in England’s spin department.
Shoaib Bashir’s first five-wicket haul on English soil sealed victory inside four days for the hosts, after Joe Root and Harry Brook had set England up against West Indies in the second Test at Trent Bridge. At 20 years and 282 days, off-spinner Shoaib Bashir became the youngest England bowler to take a five-wicket haul in a men’s Test at home, beating the previous record of just-retired seamer James Anderson. His 5 for 41 gave England the win, by 241 runs, and an unassailable 2-0 lead in the series being played for the Richards-Botham Trophy.
Day 4 Morning Session : Joe Root, Harry Brook stretch lead beyond 300
West Indies managed to pick three wickets in the morning session at Trent Bridge on the fourth day but England stretched their lead beyond 300 after Harry Brook’s century and Joe Root’s unbeaten 81.
Joe Root and Brook continued from where they left by stumps on the third day with the latter finding the boundary in the very first over of the day. Brook found the boundary on two more occasions straight down the ground to move into the 90s before eventually bringing up his first Test century at home.
In the same over, Joe Root went past fifty for the 63rd time in Test cricket, with only Sachin Tendulkar and Shivnarine Chanderpaul ahead of him. West Indies endured a very frustrating spell with these two batters looking very comfortable in the middle. However, just a few overs before the break, West Indies looked to pull things back with quick wickets.
The 189-run partnership came to an end when Brook edged one behind to the keeper and then a few overs later, it was the turn of Ben Stokes to return to the pavilion as soon as he found the fielder stationed at deep square leg. The mini comeback was complete when Kevin Sinclair managed to pick up a wicket off the final ball of the session, leaving Root stranded on 81 at the other end.
Day 4 Post Lunch Session: England set West Indies 385 to win after Joe Root ton
England set West Indies 385 runs to win the Trent Bridge Test with four full sessions left after Joe Root completed a century in the post-lunch session. Root, who was batting on 81 when the session began, brought up a wonderful century to score 122 as England got bowled out for 425, extending their lead to 384 in the process.
Joe Root took little time to move into the nineties once the session commenced as he cut Kevin Sinclair for a boundary through the covers. The onus was on the former England skipper to guide England to substantial score after West Indies fought back hard by the end of the morning session with three strikes.
In their attempt to polish off the lower order, West Indies did take the second new ball straightaway and plan worked with Chris Woakes edging Shamar Joseph behind to the slip cordon. Joe Root, who completed his ton in the following over, then opened up against Joseph with two boundaries. With Gus Atkinson moving to 16 in quick time, there was a real possibility of England easily extending their lead past 400.
However, the visitors struck in quick succession once again, just like they did in the first session. As a result, in no time, 419/7 became 425 all out. Root hit one straight to covers before Jayden Seales sent Mark Wood and Shoaib Bashir packing. With no team ever chasing over 300 in the fourth innings of a Test match at this venue, the home side would still feel confident of having enough on the board.
Day 4 Post Tea session : Shoaib Bashir bowls England to series win with five-fer
England registered a massive win by a margin of 241 runs in the second Test at Trent Bridge by the end of Day 4 to clinch the series on the back of a five-wicket haul from Shoaib Bashir. England set West Indies a target of 385 to win the Test after Joe Root and Harry Brook hit centuries before their bowlers engineered a collapse in the final session to bowl West Indies out for just 143.
West Indies kickstarted the run chase in fine fashion to put England on the backfoot early in the chase with Kraigg Brathwaite dealing in boundaries in the first ten overs. In contrast to his usual approach, Brathwaite raced to 30 off just 24 balls as the openers put on 54 in the first ten overs – their second half-century stand in the Test match.
However, once England struck first ball after the drinks break, West Indies suffered a monumental collapse to lose all their momentum. Shoaib Bashir took just three balls to make a breakthrough and Chris Woakes got one to slightly move off the surface to find the outside edge of Brathwaite. That big wicket reduced West Indies to 74/3 from 61/0.
Earlier in the day, Root and Brook continued to milk the West Indies attack, continuing from where they left on day 3. Brook eventually went on to complete his century but West Indies appeared to stage a fightback in the second half of the session by picking three crucial wickets, including that of the centurion. But with the lead already beyond 300, England were certainly in a safer zone. Root rallied with the lower order in the post-lunch session, to complete his ton and drag that lead to 384, ensuring England were firm favourites to get the job done.
Positives and Road Ahead for England and West Indies
For England, the Bazball machine is chugging down the track once again after a bit of a derailment in India. Ollie Pope got twin fifties and so did Duckett, while Harry Brook claimed his first hundred on home soil. Joe Root got number 32 as well as the batters seem to be going along nicely.
A lot was asked about what after Broad and Anderson, but Chris Woakes stepped up as the leader of the pack with his consistent line and lengths, while Gus Atkinson impressed again. Mark Wood steamed in ball after ball in this Test, and Shoaib Bashir claimed a historic fifer on a ground where many more experienced and celebrated spinners have struggled in the past.
So a few positives for West Indies as their batters turned up, at least in the first innings. They have an opener in Mikyle Louis with the temperament for batting long in tough conditions, and Athanaze and Kavem Hodge proved they can be real fighters too. Their bowling was better than the first Test, but they’d still crave for a bit more discipline when they travel to Edgbaston. A better display in this second Test but still a fair way short for West Indies.