Gros-Islet (Saint Lucia): Jos Buttler (67 batting, 123b, 9×4) and Ben Stokes (62 batting, 130b, 6×4) featured in England’s best partnership of a deeply disappointing series as they lifted their team to 231 for four at stumps on the opening day of the third and final Test against the West Indies here, Saturday.
Put in to bat by West Indies stand-in captain Kraigg Brathwaite, and seeking to regain some lost prestige after already surrendering the series and the Wisden Trophy, the fifth-wicket pair played with increasing fluency through an extended final session in putting on 124 runs to the close of play at the Darren Sammy Stadium. It was England’s first century partnership of the series.
Both Buttler and Stokes had lucky escapes. Buttler’s first scoring shot was an edge off Shannon Gabriel to which a leaping Shimron Hetmyer at second slip could only get his fingertips.
Stokes was caught and bowled on 52 by Alzarri Joseph and was already in the England dressing room when he got the call to return to the middle as the lanky fast bowler had delivered a no-ball.
“We’ve been disappointed with the way we’ve played,” said Stokes at the end of the day in reflecting on defeats by 381 runs and 10 wickets in the first two Tests. “This is still a challenging wicket so to come off (the field) four wickets down, we’re pleased with that.”
Earlier Joe Root’s personal tale of batting woe on this disastrous Caribbean campaign continued. The England captain fell to Joseph for the third consecutive innings just before the tea interval, wafting at an innocuous delivery to give a simple catch to wicket-keeper Shane Dowrich.
Root’s painstaking innings of 15 off 54 deliveries leaves him with a tally of just 54 runs from five innings, typifying England’s desperate struggles with the bat on this tour.
Gabriel, the fastest of the West Indies bowlers, was the other wicket-taker in the afternoon session, removing Joe Denly with an lbw decision that again highlighted the technical deficiencies of many of England’s top-order batsmen.
However, the best bowler for the hosts was Keemo Paul who drafted into the final XI as a replacement for regular skipper Jason Holder who has been suspended for a game. He picked up the wickets of Keaton Jennings (8) and Rory Burns (29).
Brief scores: England 231 for four (Jos Buttler 67, Ben Stokes 62, Keemo Paul 2/42) versus West Indies. Match to continue.
