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And who’d have thought after the capitulation of the West Indian batters at Lord’s that we’d be here, at the start of day three of the second in the series, with the tourists trailing by a mere 65 runs with five wickets in hand on a great batting deck.
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After England notched 416 on the first day, with Ollie Pope’s 121 leading the Bazball supercharge, the West Indies kicked off under brilliant blue skies in Nottingham and went to work.
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Some soft dismissals curtailed their reply, but a controlled 175-run stand for the fourth wicket between the classy Alick Athanaze – dismissed for 82 – and the resolute Kavem Hodge – who peeled off a wonderful 120, his first ever Test ton – put the Islanders back in the game. It was a partnership built on gumption and guile as they repelled the searing heat of Mark Wood who reached blistering speeds of 97.5 mph.
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Jason Holder (23*) and Joshua Da Silva (32*) survived some scares but will resume their union worth 46-runs. Reaching parity will be their primary aim. Do that and we could have an unlikely upset forming over the horizon.
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I’m buzzing for this. If you are too then please feel free to drop me an email. I promise I read them all and welcome any thought you may have no matter how whacky or niche.
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Play resumes at 11am BST. I’ll fill the blog with bits and bobs til then.
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Important Events
Okay, let’s go! Start of day 3. It looks muggy outside. Might help the bowlers.
Simon Dennis appeared as the hero for the second day in a row. TMS link for overseas listeners.
Kudos to you Simon, you are doing the Lord’s work.
The first email arrived this morning, from Martin O’Donovan-Wright.
Good morning, Daniel.
Yes, I will be that guy, the “keeper of the flame” Test addict, but I think it is defensible because it doesn’t get any better than this. A balanced battle with a man shooting thunder from one end and a man probing from the other, and two well-set batsmen who have to re-establish themselves at the start of a new day… I love Test cricket.
“I have a wife and kids!”
This was great stuff from West Indies centurion Kaven Hodge, who faced off against Mark Wood’s unreal heat.
"I joked with him…I have a wife and kids!" 😅
Kavem Hodge facing off against Mark Wood’s ‘brutal’ 97mph bowling ⚡ #ENGvWI pic.twitter.com/nF7QBbRtXO
— ESPNcricinfo (@ESPNcricinfo) July 19, 2024
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93.9, 96.1, 95.2, 92.2, 96.5, 95.2.
These were the speeds recorded by Mark Wood in one over yesterday.
As Simon Burton writing, “This was the fastest over bowled by an English bowler since records began in 2006 and he held the record in about 10 minutes, the time it took him to bowl his second instalment. The record stood until he bowled his third instalment.”
England are concerned about Mark Wood’s fitness. He was sensational yesterday, bowling some of the fastest balls I have ever seen, bowling some blistering overs that didn’t include any balls slower than 90mph.
I hope he’s okay.
preamble
Daniel Gallant
Sound your carefully balanced horn: the Test Match is about to begin!
And after the West Indies batsmen’s surrender at Lord’s, who would have thought we’d be here, at the start of the third day of the second match of the series, with a visiting team with a fine batting line-up losing by just 65 runs and five wickets to spare?
After England had scored 416 on the opening day, with Ollie Pope’s 121 leading the buzz-ball supercharge, the West Indies kicked off under bright blue Nottingham skies and went on the attack.
A few light deliveries limited a fightback but for the fourth wicket, the classy Alick Athanadze, out for 82, and the resolute Kavem Hodge, who smashed a superb 120 – his first Test hundred – put the Islanders back in the match with a controlled stand of 175. It was a partnership of bravery and guile, as he fended off a ferocious attack from Mark Wood at a blistering 97.5mph.
Jason Holder (23*) and Joshua da Silva (32*) have weathered a few close calls and will once again combine for 46 runs. Their main aim will be to tie the score and if they manage to do so, an unlikely upset could happen.
I’m looking forward to this, and if you are too, feel free to email me. I promise to read them all, and I welcome your thoughts, no matter how quirky or niche they may be.
Match will resume at 11am BST. In the meantime, here are some tidbits of information on the blog.
