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Post by apm51054 on Jul 16, 2020 8:27:37 GMT
Archer breaks protocol rules and is left out
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Post by Admin on Jul 16, 2020 8:48:13 GMT
England’s Jofra Archer has been excluded from the #raisethebat second Test against the West Indies starting today (Thursday 16 July) at Emirates Old Trafford following a breach of the team’s bio-secure protocols.
Archer will now commence five days of isolation and will undergo two COVID-19 tests in this period, which have to test negative before his self-isolation period is lifted.
The West Indies team have been made aware and are satisfied with the measures that have been imposed.
“I am extremely sorry for what I have done,” said Archer.
“I have put, not only myself, but the whole team and management in danger. I fully accept the consequences of my actions, and I want to sincerely apologise to everyone in the bio-secure bubble.
“It deeply pains me to be missing the Test match, especially with the series poised. I feel like I have let both teams down, and again I am sorry.”
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Post by Admin on Jul 16, 2020 18:33:28 GMT
ENGLAND 207-3 SIBLEY 86* STOKES 59*  |
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Post by Admin on Jul 16, 2020 18:55:18 GMT
Dom Sibley and Ben Stokes batted England into a strong position on an attritional first day of the second Test against West Indies.
Sibley inched his way to 86 not out from 253 balls, adding an unbroken 126 with Stokes, who batted beautifully for his unbeaten 59.
In closing on 207-3, England recovered from being reduced to 29-2 by off-spinner Roston Chase removing Rory Burns and Zak Crawley with successive balls either side of lunch.
Not only that, but the home side dealt with the disruption of dropping Jofra Archer for a breach of the bio-secure protocols.
Pace bowler Archer was left out after travelling to his Brighton home in between the first Test in Southampton and this game at Emirates Old Trafford.
Without him, England fielded an entirely different pace attack to the one that lost the series opener, but it was their batsmen who were thrust into the action when West Indies won the toss on a murky day in Manchester.
The touring pace bowlers, so impressive in the six-wicket win at the Ageas Bowl, looked weary and were not helped by their fielders, who dropped Sibley twice.
West Indies also face the prospect of having to bat last on sluggish pitch that is already offering turn and some uneven bounce.
Archer's omission was announced three hours before play was due to begin. Without it, this would have gone down as an unremarkable day of Test cricket.
The bio-secure, behind-closed-doors environment in Southampton was masked by the quality of the match, while the openness of the ground provided life from the outside world.
This may yet mature into a similarly compelling contest, but the urban, enclosed nature of the impressively redeveloped Old Trafford resulted in a sense of claustrophobia.
A crowd, usually so boisterous in Manchester, was missed, while the conditions - leaden skies and a tacky surface - was not conducive to thrilling cricket.
The weather prevented any action before 12:30 BST, and the players were still out there when the sun finally appeared at 19:30.
England had much the better of it, vindicating captain Joe Root's view that he would have batted on winning the toss, rather than unleashing a new-look pace attack of Stuart Broad, Chris Woakes and Sam Curran on a day that would have been ideal for them.
Sibley is unlikely to earn plaudits for his style, but the manner in which he values his wicket has been needed by England not only here, but for so long in their search for a reliable opening pair.
He dropped anchor in a vigil that mainly included leaving anything outside off stump and shovelling the ball to the leg side any time West Indies bowled straight. His first boundary did not come until the 91st ball he faced, and only 14 of his runs were scored in front of square on the off side.
He saw all of Burns, Crawley and Root gift their wickets away. Burns played down the wrong line to be lbw to Chase, Crawley softly turned his first ball to leg slip, and Root edged a wild drive off Alzarri Joseph to second slip.
England skipper Root caught in the slips for 23
At 81-3, England were teetering, only for Stokes to join Sibley. When Stokes lofted Chase for a straight six, it ended a period of more than an hour without a boundary, during which time Sibley was dropped at short leg off Chase on 44.
While Stokes took time to find some fluency, he was never troubled, and it was the brief flashes of his strokeplay that provided the highlights of a day when England hit only 11 fours and one six.
On a rare occasion that Sibley, on 68, was drawn into playing outside off stump by Shannon Gabriel, West Indies captain Jason Holder could not hold on to a straightforward chance at second slip.
After their pace bowlers bowled with such incision in Southampton, West Indies pounced on the opportunity to do so again in grey Manchester, ignoring the history that says no side has won a Test on this ground after winning the toss and choosing to field.
They instantly looked flat. Gabriel, man of the match with nine wickets in the first Test, sent his second delivery down the leg side for five wides and later spent time off the field with what looked like a groin problem.
Chase was only bowling in the first hour because the pacemen were so poor, but struck with his second and third deliveries, and remained tidy throughout the day.
The sprightly Joseph led an improvement of the fast bowlers, getting his reward when Root chased an outswinger he could barely reach.
Kemar Roach and Holder managed one threatening spell apiece, in the afternoon and evening respectively, but Holder was also forced from the field.
When he returned, he missed the chance off Sibley, was in the firing line when another Gabriel wide went straight to second slip, and could not inspire his team into finding a way to past England's increasingly comfortable fourth-wicket pair.
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Post by Admin on Jul 17, 2020 12:02:27 GMT
264 -3 at lunh Stokes 99* Sibley 101*  |
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Post by Admin on Jul 17, 2020 18:15:29 GMT
Second Test, Emirates Old Trafford (day two of five) England 469-9 dec: Stokes 176, Sibley 120, Chase 5-172 West Indies 32-1 West Indies trail by 437 Ben Stokes and Dom Sibley completed centuries to move England into a dominant position on day two of the second Test against West Indies. Stokes continued his stellar form - this was his fourth hundred in 12 Tests - and played some sparkling strokes after reaching three figures before falling for a superb 176. Opener Sibley picked up where he left off on day one, doggedly occupying the crease for a second Test ton before he too looked accelerate and was caught in the deep on the leg side for 120.  Between them, the fourth-wicket pair shared 260, England's largest partnership on home soil for nine years. Jos Buttler added 40 before England finally declared on 469-9 at Emirates Old Trafford. Off-spinner Roston Chase picked up 5-172 for the exhausted West Indies, who were flattened after winning the toss and choosing to bowl. England left themselves an hour to bowl, with Sam Curran trapping John Campbell as West Indies reached 32-1, 437 behind. It means England have a prime opportunity to level the series at 1-1, but they will have to mindful of the weather, with rain forecast for Saturday. Highlight of the day Shannon Gabriel's missed run out when his throw missed the wickets from a distance of three inches |
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Post by Admin on Jul 18, 2020 17:54:59 GMT
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Post by Admin on Jul 19, 2020 18:24:39 GMT
GAME ON BE A BIT OF VILLAGE CROSS BATTED SLOGS TOMORROW  Second Test, Emirates Old Trafford (day four of five) England 469-9 dec (Stokes 176, Sibley 120) & 37-2 West Indies 287 (Brathwaite 75, Brooks 68, Chase 51) England lead by 219 An explosive spell from Stuart Broad on the fourth evening kept alive England's hopes of winning the second Test against West Indies at Emirates Old Trafford. Broad, who rested for the first Test, took three wickets in 14 deliveries with the second new ball to inspire the home side after West Indies looked to be batting towards a position of safety. Kraigg Brathwaite made 75 and Shamarh Brooks 68, but when Brooks was trapped lbw by Broad it began a slide from 242-4 to 260-8. Roston Chase's 51 dragged the tourists past the follow-on mark, only for Chris Woakes to remove him and Shannon Gabriel in the same over to bowl West Indies for 287, 182 behind. The sight of Ben Stokes and Jos Buttler striding out to open the batting for England 40 minutes from the close was thrilling, evoking memories of the World Cup super a year ago. However, a chaotic eight overs saw Buttler fall for a duck and Zak Crawley 10 to leave England 37-2, leading by 219. They will continue the quest for quick runs on Monday, setting up a declaration before looking to take the 10 wickets that would level the three-match series at 1-1. Pace bowler Jofra Archer, who was dropped from this Test for breaching the bio-secure protocols, returned to training by bowling in the nets. With the entire third day lost to rain and West Indies blunting England's attack for most of the fourth, this match seemed destined to meander to the draw that would see the tourists retain the Wisden Trophy. Indeed, for so long Sunday's most noteworthy occurrence was Dom Sibley absent-mindedly breaching coronavirus playing conditions by applying saliva to the ball, resulting in the umpires having to sanitise it. That was all changed by Broad's brilliant burst and the contest is now set for an intriguing conclusion on Monday. Although West Indies have been solid with the bat so far in this series, England will feel they have a genuine chance of bowling them out on a pitch that is starting to show uneven bounce. England captain Joe Root will have to calculate his declaration carefully, not only to give his bowlers enough time, but possibly even leaving West Indies a target that could tempt them into a run-chase. West Indies are likely to be focused on survival, but they will know victory would secure a first series win in England since 1988. After West Indies resumed on 32-1, England were frustrated by the stubbornness of the batting, the lack of pace in the pitch and several half chances that were missed. The pace bowlers were struggling to find movement and off-spinner Dom Bess could not find a consistent length, even if he had nightwatchman Alzarri Joseph turn to short leg before Shai Hope was caught behind off the wholehearted Sam Curran. Stokes did not bowl until after lunch, and the sight of him banging in short ball after short ball during a tireless 11-over spell highlighted the absence of Archer's pace. Stokes eventually got his reward when Brathwaite patted back a return catch, meaning England had opened an end just before the second new ball was due. Broad took it and brought the game to life with a full length, some variable bounce and nagging consistency. Both Brooks and Shane Dowrich were trapped on the crease to be lbw either side of Jermaine Blackwood being bowled by one that kept low. Woakes took over, enticing Jason Holder to edge to second slip, correctly using a review to have Chase lbw and, five balls later, bowling Gabriel. |
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Post by Admin on Jul 20, 2020 17:24:12 GMT
England have leveled the series against West Indies after completing a 113-run victory against Jason Holder's men.
The visitors were bowled out for 198, with Ollie Pope taking a stunning catch at short leg to remove Kemar Roach with just under an hour of play remaining.
Stuart Broad was England's highest wicket taker in the innings, taking three for 42, while Ben Stokes, Dom Bess and Chris Woakes all took two a piece.
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Post by Admin on Jul 20, 2020 17:32:09 GMT
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Post by lancsdes on Jul 20, 2020 19:35:17 GMT
Game really lost by an abysmal decision at the toss by Holder, much as I admire him. At least another day for his exhausted bowlers to recover would have made a lot of difference.
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Post by Admin on Jul 23, 2020 13:44:40 GMT
3rd Test 24/7/20 to 28/7/20 Old Trafford
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Post by Admin on Jul 24, 2020 17:52:23 GMT
Third Test, Emirates Old Trafford (day one of five) England 258-4 (85.4 overs): Pope 91*, Burns 57, Buttler 56* West Indies: Yet to bat Ollie Pope's classy 91 not out gave England the upper hand on the first day of the deciding Test against West Indies at Emirates Old Trafford. Pope added an unbroken 136 with Jos Buttler, who is on 56, to push England to 258-4, taking the initiative for the hosts in the evening gloom following two sessions of back-and-forth. In reducing England to 122-4, West Indies had the chance to seize control after winning the toss and choosing to field for the second time in as many weeks. The opportunity was accentuated by England's decision to cover for Ben Stokes being unable to bowl by omitting batsman Zak Crawley in favour of an extra paceman - Chris Woakes at seven gave a lengthy look to the lower order. But Pope and Buttler rattled along, and Pope was only denied a century before the close by bad light ending play with 4.2 overs left. They have left England as favourites to win this Test, the three-match series, and deny West Indies a first success in this country since 1988. As they bid to regain the Wisden Trophy - set to be replaced by a prize named after legendary pair Sir Ian Botham and Sir Viv Richards - they will have to be mindful of the Manchester weather. Rain is forecast for the rest of the match, with days two and four looking at most risk.  |
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Post by Admin on Jul 25, 2020 18:22:15 GMT
Third Test, Emirates Old Trafford (day two of five)
England 369 (111.5 overs): Pope 91, Buttler 67, Roach 4-72
West Indies 137-6: Campbell 32, Broad 2-17, Anderson 2-17
Scorecard
Stuart Broad and James Anderson once again showed their enduring class as England took a huge step towards winning the series on day two of the third Test against West Indies.
The veteran pace bowlers, who have each been left out for one match in the series, took two wickets apiece, while Broad weighed in with valuable runs.
With Jofra Archer also bowling at high pace, West Indies were 137-6, 232 behind, when bad light ended play half an hour early.
The tourists had earlier made an explosive start, taking four wickets for 18 runs, including Ollie Pope without adding to his overnight 91 and Jos Buttler for 67.
But Broad reversed the momentum by crashing a 33-ball half-century - only Ian Botham has made a quicker fifty for England in Tests.
His 62 from 45 balls is his highest score for seven years and lifted England to 369 all out.
Their progress on a day when expected rain never arrived could negate further bad weather that is forecast during the rest of the match.
They are primed to regain the Wisden Trophy, protect a six-year unbeaten home record and deny West Indies a first win in England since 1988.
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Post by Admin on Jul 26, 2020 18:35:11 GMT
Third Test, Emirates Old Trafford (day three of five)
England 369 & 226-2dec: Burns 90, Root 68*, Sibley 56
West Indies 197 & 10-2: Broad 2-8
Stuart Broad's six wickets left England on the verge of a series victory over West Indies on the third day of the deciding Test at Emirates Old Trafford.
Broad took all of the West Indies wickets to fall across two innings, starting with four in four overs for 6-31 in the first. The tourists were all out for 197, 172 behind.
Late in the day, with Jason Holder's side set a nominal 399 to win, the brilliant Broad struck twice more, leaving West Indies 10-2.
He is poised on 499 Test wickets, one away from becoming only the fourth pace bowler to reach 500.
England's lead had been extended first by an opening stand of 114 between Rory Burns and Dom Sibley, who made 56.
The arrival of captain Joe Root was the signal to accelerate, with the hosts mindful of a forecast predicting rain will heavily disrupt Monday's play.
The second-wicket pair added 112 at 6.5 an over, Root skating to 68 not out from 56 balls.
When Burns top-edged a sweep to fall 10 runs short of his third Test century, it was the signal for England to declare on 226-2.
DAY 4 SOUNDS LIKE IT WILL BE WASHED OUT
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