BRIDGETOWN: England declared at lunch and set West Indies a victory target of 282 runs off 65 overs on the final day of the second Test in Barbados on Sunday.

England lost quick wickets chasing second-innings runs on a rain-interrupted morning at Kensington Oval.

They were 185 for six at lunch, when captain Joe Root declared, though commentators were puzzled why England did not make the decision a little earlier, with the target already seemingly well beyond the capabilities of the hosts.

West Indies had trailed by 96 runs after the first innings on Saturday.

The final-day scenario was similar to last week’s first test in Antigua, where England set West Indies a winning target of 286 from 71 overs.

That match was drawn after West Indies lost four quick wickets before Nkrumah Bonner and Jason Holder batted out the rest of the day.

West Indies set defensive fields on Sunday morning in an effort to keep England from piling up runs too quickly.

Unfettered by any fielding restrictions, captain Kraigg Brathwaite placed up to half a dozen fielders in the deep, while the attack was able to bowl wider than would have been allowed in a limited overs contest.

All of the England dismissals were caught, mostly in the deep.

Dan Lawrence (41) and Zak Crawley (40) top-scored for England, who had resumed on 40 without loss after Kraigg Brathwaite’s grinding, marathon 160 had hauled West Indies to within 96 runs of England’s first innings total as the home side were eventually dismissed for 411.

Scoreboard

ENGLAND (1st innings) 507-9 declared

WEST INDIES (1st innings) 411

ENGLAND (second innings):

A. Lees c Joseph b Permaul 24

Z. Crawley c Seales b Joseph 40

J. Root c Campbell b Permaul 9

D. Lawrence c Joseph b Seales 41

B. Stokes c Brathwaite b Roach 19

J. Bairstow c Roach b Seales 29

B. Foakes not out 11

C. Woakes not out 9

EXTRAS (B-1, NB-1, W-1) 3 TOTAL (for six wkts, 39.5 overs) 185

TO BAT: M. Fisher, J. Leach, Saqib Mahmood

FALL OF WICKETS: 1-51 (Lees), 2-67 (Root), 3-74 (Crawley), 4-110 (Stokes), 5-161 (Bairstow), 6-167 (Lawrence)

BOWLING: Roach 8-3-31-1 (1nb, 1w), Permaul 10-0-29-2, Seales 6-0-34-2, Brathwaite 1-0-5-0, Holder 8.5-1-40-0, Joseph 6-0-45-1

Published in Dawn, March 21st, 2022