Eng vs WI: Jonny Bairstow’s hundred anchors England recovery after dismal start

NORTH SOUND: England recovered from a poor start to reach 268 for six at stumps on the first day of the first Test in Antigua on Tuesday, thanks to Jonny Bairstow’s eighth Test century.

Bairstow’s composed, unbeaten 109 laid the framework for the tourists’ recovery from 48 for four after skipper Joe Root won the toss and chose to bat first on a wicket that is expected to deteriorate as the match develops.

The 32-year-old Yorkshireman, who scored a century in his previous Test at the Sydney Cricket Ground, was one of the few England players to emerge with any credit from a terrible Ashes campaign that finished just two months earlier in Australia.

He faced 216 deliveries and hit 17 fours in an effort that lasted more than five hours and drastically shifted the balance of the day’s play.

Ben Stokes (36) provided crucial support to Bairstow in putting up 67 for the fifth wicket to break the resistance.

Then came an even more fruitful partnership with Ben Foakes (42) as 99 runs were scored for the sixth wicket before fellow all-rounder Chris Woakes (24 not out) ensured the Englishmen took advantage of a tired Caribbean side with an unbroken seventh-wicket stand of 54 runs.

“We’ve spoken about partnerships and how invaluable they can be, not just up at the top but throughout the order and it’s very important for us to continue that effort tomorrow,” said a beaming Bairstow at the end of the day.

“I think there’s plenty still in it (for the bowlers) so we have to continue to bat well again.”

In sharp contrast to the early exchanges, when the West Indies appeared unable of doing anything wrong, the visitors dominated the remaining two sessions of the day, scoring 211 runs for the cost of just two wickets.

Even the introduction of the second new ball in the final half-hour of the day couldn’t break Bairstow and Woakes’ resolve, as pacers Kemar Roach, Jayden Seales, and former captain Jason Holder, all of whom had taken two wickets earlier, posed no threat to the well-established combination.

While Bairstow was concerned that the pitch was already deteriorating, Roach had a different opinion.

“Obviously we were tiring in that final session of the day and should have been tighter with our lines and lengths,” he acknowledged. “We have to get the remaining wickets as quickly as possible and then go out there and respond strongly to give ourselves a first-innings lead. I think it is a very good pitch to bat on.”

West Indies may rue a chance squandered by Holder at third slip after a diving effort to his right off Woakes was grassed in the final session, much to the annoyance of the other unlucky fast bowler in the four, local lad Alzarri Joseph.

Within the first half-hour of the encounter, England’s frail top-order had been exposed once more, with Root’s dismissal prompting the loudest cheers from the West Indian players.

After removing debutant opener Alex Lees via a leg-before judgement in the third over of the day, he became Roach’s second wicket.

In the next over, Seales removed the other opening batsmen, Zak Crawley, with a superb low diving catch by wicketkeeper Joshua da Silva, who reacted to a sharp inside-edge from an attempted forcing off-side hit.

When Root was dropped by Jermaine Blackwood at third slip off Roach, the ball raced to the third man boundary, England thought to have finally struck gold.

However, the elite batsmen chose not to offer a shot off the next delivery, as the ball angled into the right-hander and moved in just enough to clip the top of the off-stump.

Before Holder, who had bowled five consecutive maiden overs earlier in the day, lured Lawrence into a forward prod for Blackwood to make amends in the slips and give the former captain his first wicket, Stokes joined Dan Lawrence and the pair appeared to be surviving well enough to at least survive.

In the afternoon session, Seales ruined Stokes’ promising innings with a full-length delivery, while Holder got an LBW judgement against Foakes after tea.

By then, England’s comeback had begun, with Bairstow scoring a well-deserved century off the part-time bowling of West Indies skipper Kraigg Brathwaite and exhibiting the kind of tenacity that had seemed to have departed from England cricket during a difficult Australian campaign.

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