England vs West Indies, Day 1: List of key takeaways
Dominic Sibley (86*) and Ben Stokes (59*) scored respective fifties as England scored 207/3 on Day 1 of the second Test. West Indies picked two early wickets but England showed composure as the day progressed. England saw two crucial partnerships halt West Indies' charge, with the match being in favor of the hosts. Here we present the key takeaways.
England openers put on 29 runs for the first wicket after a cautious start. However, West Indies hit back with two quick wickets. Roston Chase got Rory Burns, before dismissing Zak Crawley off the very next delivery. England skipper Joe Root and Sibley then added a 52-run stand. After Root's dismissal, Sibley was joined by Stokes and the duo steered England to safety.
There was a lot of excitement surrounding Joe Root's return but it wasn't his day. Root survived an early DRS call after Kemar Roach had struck him on the pads. He got his first boundary with a risky shot and looked to settle in. However, he decided to chase a wide ball and paid the price. England missed something productive from their skipper.
Stokes has looked in good touch with the bat in this series. In the first Test, the left-handed batsman got scores of 43 and 46 respectively. And today, he helped England recover by showing a strong presence of mind. Meanwhile, Dominic Sibley scored a second successive fifty to make himself heard. He showed grit and substance in an innings that required hard work.
West Indies bowled well and the two early scalps handed them a boost. But England crawled their way back into the game and offered resistance. A forced bowling change worked for WI as they got Root, however, Sibley showed a strong mentality. Windies lost Shannon Gabriel, who walked off the field after bowling just seven overs. However, he came back in the end.
England captain Root has now been dismissed by West Indian pacer Alzarri Joseph in four of his last five Test innings against West Indies.
