Joe Root lit up the Kensington Oval with his 25th Test hundred as England made a strong start to the second game of the series against the West Indies.
WI vs ENG: Joe Roots 119 helps England get off to a strong start in 2nd Test (AP Photo)
HIGHLIGHTS
- Joe Root lit up the Kensington Oval with his 25th Test hundred
- England was 244 for three on stumps on Day 1 of the 2nd Test
- England took the honor after winning the toss in the 2nd Test
Captain Joe Root scored his second consecutive Test hundred and 25th overall Test, unbeaten 119, to help England take a lead on the first day of the second Test against West Indies in Barbados on Wednesday. Although Dan Lawrence fell for 91 on the last ball of day one, England took the honors after winning the toss, reaching 244 for three on a flat Kensington Oval court in Bridgetown.
Some 8,500 spectators turned up to witness the spectacle and all four corners of the famous old stadium received a wave of the England captain’s bat as they chanted his name long and loud. Reaching a quarter-century of Test hundreds, Root leapt past illustrious names like Viv Richards, Greg Chappell and Mohammad Yousuf, as well as contemporaries David Warner and Kane Williamson.
Not that Root was without a bit of luck as he was dropped by the goalkeeper at 34 just after appearing to have an advantage over a Jason Holder delivery that West Indies captain Kraigg Brathwaite chose not to check . The West Indies’ largely fruitless day on the field got worse late on when Alzarri Joseph failed to take a sharp but regular chance at a slip that would have sent Lawrence packing for 72.
Zak Crawley continued his century in Antigua with a seven-ball duck. Unsure whether to play Jayden Seales or not, he sent a tentative cross straight to the keeper. England reached lunchtime at 47/1 as Alex Lee’s determination showed determination and managed just 16 runs in two hours cast while waiting for loose deliveries.
Lees, who had suffered two losses in Antigua, showed a determination not to give away his wicket cheaply and played with understandable caution. He made 30 before being out on 138 balls to spinner Veerasammy Permaul and doing his part to take the shine off the new ball.
