Manchester
England came back at West Indies as the shadows lengthened on a riveting day of Test cricket at Old Trafford. The visitors were on the brink of taking total charge, purring at 242/4, before Stuart Broad interfered with three wickets in the space of 14 deliveries with the second new ball.
In the end, West Indies huffed past the follow-on mark, but they are far from safety in saving the Test, as they ended up conceding a massive first-innings lead of 182, stuttering to a total of 287. Broad’s spell with the second new ball was as incisive as it was decisive. It came at a time when the match seemed slipping away from England, with Shamarh Brooks and Roston Chase steadily extinguishing England’s victory hopes. It was that kind of an on-the-precipice moment he relishes.
So often, his run-up mirrors his mood. When he’s in rhythm, he bristles in like a sprinter in sight of the finish line, every sinew exhaling a luminous energy. The rest falls into place — the sharpness, the skid he gets off the surface and the sharp seam movement he can harness from the driest of surfaces. He was woefully unfortunate in his first spell after lunch, beating batsmen repeatedly, but the second new ball made amends.
He nabbed Brooks with a vicious nip-backer, that swung late and kept a fraction low. In the next over, he battered Southampton hero Jermaine Blackwood with a grubber, one that shot low.—Agencies
