Enough is Enough - A Cricket 22 Story

[Rumple43]

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England down Jamaica inside two days for comfortable win​

Joe Root's side once again dismiss the hosts for double digits in tour’s only warm up, but questions remain about the team’s batting unit

England’s four-day game against Jamaica concluded on day two as the tourists won by a comfortable 255 runs.

After making 226 in their second innings, Joe Root’s side set the hosts an unlikely 331 to win before once again ripping through their ranks to skittle Jamaica for 75 all out.

Man of the match honours went to England opener Rory Burns who scored 58 and 34 across the two innings on a pitch that proved difficult to bat on throughout.



England started the day on 12-0 and both Burns and Tom Haines batted well throughout the morning session to amass an opening stand of 91.

Surrey man Burns fell to the finger spin of Jamie Merchant, who picked up 4-56, but Haines went on to make a solid half century, eventually getting out for 58.

Ollie Pope (33 from 82) and Harry Brook (28 from 35) both enjoyed starts before departing prematurely, suggested there could be life to England’s new middle order if they can find their feet once the test series begins.

With the hosts taking to the field for the match's final innings just before tea, Mark Wood once again set the tone as he got Jamaica’s captain John Campbell with a feisty short ball, ballooned up off a back foot prod to the waiting Stuart Broad at mid-off.

Broad himself would then get into the action, taking the wickets of opener Alwyn Williams then Nkrumah Bonner, plus Denis Smith and Derval Green for ducks.
The Nottinghamshire man finished with figures of 11-4-4-24, with Wood chipping in 2-19 off 11.

Captain Joe Root brought himself on late in the day, nabbing Andre McCarty, Marquino Mindley and fellow spinner Jamie Merchant for the useful return of three wickets for four runs to wrap proceedings up without the need for day three.

England’s Stuart Broad said:

“Credit to the boys, we did what we needed to do here and got some good cricket under our belts.

“If anything the weather was too good, I think it rose above 35 degrees at one point today, but maybe that spurred us on to get off the field faster with the ball!

“We all know what is expected of us, and we’ll be working hard between now and that first test in Bridgetown to make it into a reality.”

Head coach Mike Hesson added:

“It’s a start, and we did play some good cricket. As I said in the build up to this tour, we want to see long term success with this unit but that is created by making sure we maximise the opportunities that come our way.

“We bowled well, the batting will need some work despite what appeared a difficult strip. That’s fine, it’s work we can do between now and the first test and another opportunity to tackle what is put in front of us by the West Indies”

The first test is set to get underway on Tuesday 8 March from Kensington Oval, Bridgetown, Barbados.

Spoiler: England 2nd Innings - BAT

Spoiler: England 2nd Innings - BALL

Spoiler: Jamaica 2nd Innings - BAT

Spoiler: Jamaica 2nd Innings - BALL

Spoiler: Match Summary

 

[Rumple43]

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[DuneTiger]

Lots of questions for the English selectors for the First Test and somehow they're not all negative questions to have... how unusual.

Does Higgins hold his place with Woakes in the wings? Is Wood able to play 3 tests in a row? Does Joe Roots 3/4 give England a hint that Dom Bess should play the first test?
Be very interesting and exciting to see who England to decide to go for in the first test.

Also hate to play devils advocate but wouldn't be surprised if after 2 tests people are back calling for Rory Burns head... lots of pressure for him to convert that form into scores on the big stage.

Loving your work Rumple, will be following along closely throughout this series.

 

[Rumple43]

Lots of questions for the English selectors for the First Test and somehow they're not all negative questions to have... how unusual.

Does Higgins hold his place with Woakes in the wings? Is Wood able to play 3 tests in a row? Does Joe Roots 3/4 give England a hint that Dom Bess should play the first test?
Be very interesting and exciting to see who England to decide to go for in the first test.

Also hate to play devils advocate but wouldn't be surprised if after 2 tests people are back calling for Rory Burns head... lots of pressure for him to convert that form into scores on the big stage.

Loving your work Rumple, will be following along closely throughout this series.

Cheers dude, much appreciated!

I like Higgins, and I see Woakes in the "rested" camp, even though he's on tour and did have a good Ashes series (unlike most).

We'll have to see what the strip is like in Barbados as to if a spinner is needed, that'll be the main toss up I reckon!

Burns needs runs, especially batting with either potential opener in Lees or Haines, since he'll be the senior partner. Crawley is also an option as well of course.

 

[Rumple43]

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West Indies v England (1st Test, three match series)

Date: 8-12 March 2022

Venue: Kensington Oval, Bridgetown, Barbados

Weather: Overcast for the most part, temps are expected to be between 24c-27c. Significantly hotter on day four, with the potential for 35c and above.

Pitch: Hard, with some grass in places. There’s a few early cracks due to the recent high temperatures. Looks likely to provide an even early contest between bat and ball before wear takes effect.

England’s first competitive contest under new head coach Mike Hesson begins in Bridgetown tomorrow as the tourists square off against West Indies.​

After a comfortable 255 run win against Jamaica last weekend, England’s bowlers have momentum on their side but their batting is still a major question mark following a less than confident outing.

This is the first test of a three-game series, with England coming off a 4-0 loss away to Australia. The West Indies were most recently defeated 2-0 in Sri Lanka last November, extending their run to one win in their last eight tests.

Last time these teams met in the West Indies, the hosts won 2-1 back in 2019.

Line Ups​

England have named an unchanged XI from the team that beat Jamaica despite being bowled out for scores of 150 and 226.

Openers Rory Burns and Tom Haines put on 91 in the second innings of that warm up and will look to build a similar platform here.

The pressure will be on batsmen Zak Crawley, Joe Root, Ollie Pope and Harry Brook after the quartet’s contributed just 107 between them last week.

After bowling so well as a unit last time out, Ollie Robinson, Stuart Broad and Mark Wood all retain their place, with all rounder Ryan Higgins and captain Joe Root expected to compliment as needed.

West Indies captain Kraigg Brathwaite has elected to keep faith with Jamaica pair Nkrumah Bonner and Jermaine Blackwood despite both men’s struggles at Sabina Park for Jamaica.

Elsewhere, the hosts have gone with youth over experience as Jayden Seales is selected ahead of Shannon Gabriel.

Tale of the tape​

Whilst this pitch does look to be a bit more batter friendly than the surface that greeted England at Sabina Park last week, the tourists will still need to score well when they get their turn with the bat.

Repeatedly going to the well and expecting their bowlers to carve out opponents cheaply can only work for so long, and runs will be at a premium in this series in a part of the world that is notoriously bowler friendly.

England are on a poor run and lost last time they toured here. They’d no doubt love to start the Mike Hesson chapter with a win, but that will be a tall order unless someone other than Joe Root steps up to the plate to score runs.

 

[Rumple43]

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England enjoy solid opening day in 1st Test against West Indies​

Tourists went against the grain of recent performances as they batted confidently throughout the first day’s play

An opening stand of 129 between Rory Burns and debutant Tom Haines left England well set at 258-4 at the close of play on day one.

Naming an unchanged side from their warmup victory against Jamaica last week, Burns, Haines and Zak Crawley all passed 50 on a productive day for the tourists.

With England on 166-1 at tea, the evening session eventually saw the West Indies claim a trio of wickets after a difficult day in the field, with Crawley, Burns and captain Joe Root all departing before close.

Leaving the ball well and scoring conservatively throughout, England managed their risks and avoided the poor decision making that has blighted their recent outings.

Young star Jayden Seales rewarded the West Indies selectors after their decision to favour the quick over the more experienced Shannon Gabriel, with the 20-year-old returning figures of 21-8-3-62 as the pick of the bowlers.

England capitalised well after winning the toss, electing to bat first and losing just 1 wicket in the first 60 overs of play, a rare departure from their recent batting woes on a pitch that is already offering help to the bowlers.



England will begin day two with a pair of young batters at the crease, both hoping to make their mark in this new Mike Hesson era.

Ollie Pope closed on 17* from 47 balls, whilst Harry Brook is also 17 not out on debut. Both will look to push on and hope the Kensington Oval pitch and forecast for overcast conditions don’t produce too much of a challenge as England eye a substantial total.

Given the tourists' recent frailties, it didn’t look a bad toss for the hosts to lose. They couldn’t manufacture the number of chances they would have been hoping for however, given their opponent’s recent poor form.



Crawley’s 54 was a welcome knock, representing only his second score above 36 in his last 16 trips to the crease.

The only real blight on England’s day was the loss of Root 12 overs before close, with an uppish drive to cover an unnecessary departure from his side’s watchful approach.

Still, with batting yet to come and established men at the crease, England will hope to continue for as long as possible tomorrow, setting themselves up for victory in the process.

England’s Tom Haines:

“It was an incredible feeling, to walk out on debut. I got my cap off Trotty this morning, that was something I’ll never forget.

“To make a 50 was brilliant, and I’ll keep working as hard as I can to ensure those returns keep coming as long as the team sticks with me.”

Spoiler: England 1st Innings - BAT

Spoiler: England 1st Innings - BALL

 

[Ken Tremendous]

Excellent days work. A good second morning should see you push on towards the 350 mark and if you can go above 400, will be well set to fire into them.

Enjoying following this.

 

[Rumple43]

Excellent days work. A good second morning should see you push on towards the 350 mark and if you can go above 400, will be well set to fire into them.

Enjoying following this.

Cheers dude, it's been fun so far.

I do enjoy writing and it's nice to have more of a purpose to the games I'm playing knowing there's some context and content propping it up.

These WI pitches not known for the big scores, but I'll take anything over 300 in this series, and above that is a bonus!

 

[DuneTiger]

Would say it is disappointing to not see any of the top 3 go on to make a big score, but than again, those are big scores for Englands top 3 of late... xD

 

[Rumple43]

Would say it is disappointing to not see any of the top 3 go on to make a big score, but than again, those are big scores for Englands top 3 of late... xD

That's the problem with those WI pitches, there can always be a ball with your name on it!

 

[Slug1793]

Loving it so far mate, well done to the Windies for changing their kit just in time as well interested to see how Broad goes, bit like a look what you could have had

 

[Rumple43]

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West Indies fight back on entertaining second day, restricting England to 363​

Wickets from Roach, Joseph and Seales help hosts reign in England after day one antics, Brathwaite and Chase set Windies up in reply

Figures of 4-88 from Jayden Seales helped the West Indies contain England in the first session of day two, bringing the first innings to a close on 363.

Bowled out shortly after lunch, the hosts then utilised strong knocks from captain Kraigg Brathwaite and Roston Chase to end play at 147-2, 216 runs behind.

After a first day that very much belonged to the tourists, Brathwaite’s team have done well to wrestle back to initiative and leave the contest evenly poised.

Early in the day, England’s Ollie Pope became the fourth batter to make it past the half century mark before the Surrey man fell for 57 following a less than straight-forward catch in the slips.

Pope and wicket-keeper Ben Foakes had put on 68 for the sixth wicket at just under a run a ball before the latter departed for 33, leaving England’s tail to follow shortly after.

Seales was supported well by Kemar Roach (30-7-2-101) and Alzarri Joseph (26-8-3-64), with Kyle Mayers (12-3-1-37) picking up the other wicket.


Beginning their second innings, the hosts navigated the first 10 overs with little concern, even imposing their will on proceedings as Brathwaite and Kieran Powell began to expand their shot choices.

That proved to be Powell’s undoing however, as he played an ambitious flick to fine leg, picking out the only England fielder in the deep as Ollie Robinson pouched a smart catch for the break through and all rounder Ryan Higgins' first wicket in test cricket.

With Brathwaite accelerating towards his half century accompanied by new man Nkrumah Bonner, the pair would add 75 runs before Bonner departed for 21 following a sharp catch at short leg by Ollie Pope off Joe Root.

Chase could have followed soon after, edging his second ball to slip off Root but with a packed leg side field for the off spinner to the right hander, there was no man stationed there as the ball raced across the fast Kensington Oval outfield to the boundary.

With the two experienced batters seeing off the remainder of the day’s action, the game is well set for what should be an entertaining battle from here on out. England will be hoping for quick wickets to bat again at some point tomorrow with a healthy lead, whilst West Indies will be hoping Brathwaite and co. can make a sizable dent in England’s total, if mot surpass it.

England’s Ryan Higgins:

“There were some nerves at the start of the run up, I’ll not lie, especially since I didn’t really do much with the bat this morning.

“When he flicked me down to fine leg and it was a bit uppish, I got excited, I knew Ollie was down there and he’s a safe pair of hands.

“Brathwaite and Chase batted well to end the day, but hopefully we can take more wickets tomorrow morning and set ourselves up for a win.”

Spoiler: England 1st Innings - BAT

Spoiler: England 1st Innings - BALL

Spoiler: West Indies 1st Innings - BAT

Spoiler: West Indies 1st Innings - BALL

 

[Ken Tremendous]

Looking like a very even contest this so far.

Potential last day nailbiter in store...

 

[Rumple43]

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Brathwaite’s 108 pegs England back as 1st Test heads into intriguing final two days​

A captain’s knock from the West Indies man leaves England 62 ahead with time running out in Barbados

West Indies captain Kraigg Brathwaite scored 108 before succumbing to Mark Wood as West Indies made 301 in their first innings.

Brathwaite was partnered for a chunk of the day by Roston Chase, who made 71, as the duo put on 104 for the third wicket.

The hosts were dismissed on the final ball of the day, with Jayden Seales collecting a golden duck from Stuart Broad to leave the game evenly poised.



Resuming the day on 147-2, West Indies had the best of things in the opening session as Brathwaite and Chase worked busily to add to their team’s total.

Chase would eventually depart as Joe Root snagged his second wicket of the innings, with Ollie Pope once again on hand to secure a good catch in close.

It would be Durham’s Mark Wood who’d finally account for the West Indies captain, producing an inswinger that landed on the full wicket to wicket, leaving the umpire little choice but to raise the finger.

With the score on 226-4 following the breakthrough, West Indies lost their remaining wickets for just 75 runs, but that didn’t make their descent a swift one.

Alzarri Joseph and Kemar Roach came together and former a stubborn partnership in the day’s final session, where the hosts added just 26 runs despite batting for the full 30 overs.

Joseph eventually ran out of partners, not out for 21 off 111 balls, whilst Roach last 78 deliveries for 10 before Stuart Broad cleaned up the tail.

Plaudits must go to the England captain however as he returned the second five-for of his test career with figures of 28-18-5-24.


With 180 overs left in the game, the impetus will now be on the tourists as they look to extend their 62 run advantage as quickly as possible without taking unnecessary risks.

With temperatures set to soar in Barbados tomorrow after three days of mild and overcast conditions, it could prove to be a chastening day for Brathwaite and co. if England can put some quick runs on the board.

England captain Joe Root:

“I think like any player in this team, I’m always happy to contribute to success in any way I can.

“Taking wickets is nice, and this deck seems to be offering a bit for spinners as opposed to the quicks, but credit to the guys bowling at the other end and keeping the pressure on.”

“We might not have taken fast wickets in that last session but I thought we restricted West Indies brilliantly, setting us up for what should be a positive day tomorrow.”

Spoiler: West Indies 1st Innings - BAT

Spoiler: West Indies 1st Innings - BALL

 

[karolkarol]

Ooof, what an effort from Rooty!