Tailors Jack Leach and Saqib Mahmood dragged England to a face-saving 204 all out at stumps in opposition to West Indies with a dogged final stand on the primary day of their series-deciding Test on Thursday.
Mahmood, the No. 11 batsman, joined Leach, the No. 10, when England was a dangerous 114-9 straight after tea. They have been anticipated to be bowling on the house aspect imminently.
But they batted on and on, irritating West Indies by combining for 90 treasured runs in 36.2 overs in England’s greatest last-wicket stand in eight years. The crew’s subsequent greatest partnership was 24 for the ninth wicket.
They saved England from utter humiliation by changing into the crew’s highest-scoring batters. Mahmood, enjoying his second take a look at and batting for the primary time, was final man out for 49 with two balls left within the day, whereas Leach racked his second greatest take a look at rating, an unbeaten 41.
Both gave West Indies one tough likelihood every to be caught _ Leach on 10 earlier than tea, Mahmood on 15 _ then defended with assurance and grew in confidence to strike again. The subsequent ball after his drop, Mahmood hit over lengthy on for the primary six of his first-class profession. He hit 4 boundaries in his 49 from 118 balls.
Leach hit 5 boundaries in his 41 from 141.
England was in tatters after they got here collectively.
West Indies received the toss for a change and bowled first for a 3rd straight take a look at, however on a livelier pitch than the flat tracks which led to attracts in Antigua and Barbados.
By lunch, West Indies had three England wickets, together with captain Joe Root, who nicked behind for a duck. Doubly shocking was he fell to batting allrounder Kyle Mayers, introduced in to shore up the batting on the expense of specialist spinner Veerasammy Permaul.
Root tied Mike Atherton for probably the most geese as England captain _ eight _ and Mayers completed his first spell of medium tempo with the exceptional figures of 5-5-0-2.
After lunch, England misplaced three wickets in three overs and 5-37 within the center session because the West Indies seamers ran rampant.
Ben Stokes was caught and bowled by Alzarri Joseph, and Alex Lees and Jonny Bairstow gave up skinny edges to Kemar Roach and Joseph respectively.
Jayden Seales knocked over Ben Foakes’ center stump, and Roach smashed Craig Overton’s off stump.
At 90-8, Leach got here in and helped Chris Woakes get England via tea, the second ball after which Woakes was bowled by Seales for 25.
Then Leach and Mahmood comfortably defied a West Indies that flagged with the previous ball, and even when the house aspect’s spirits and bowling picked up within the final 10 overs with the brand new ball. When Mahmood performed throughout the road to part-timer spinner Jermaine Blackwood and chopped onto his stumps, he was upset.
But West Indies had extra purpose to be.
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With inputs from TheIndianEXPRESS
