West Indies vs England, 3rd Test Day 2 at Barbados: James Anderson’s six-wicket haul and other highlights

Day Two saw a record of most wickets to have fallen on a single day in a Test match in West Indies.

The second day of the third and final Test between West Indies and England at Barbados saw the bowlers make merry on a conducive track. A total of 18 wickets fell during the proceeding, a record for the venue. Amit Banerjee picks top five moments from the day’s play.

1. Taylor cleans the England lower-order: It was something that many had expected at the start of the second day. Alastair Cook‘s dismissal on 105 off the last ball of the previous day meant that the England tail-enders were exposed to Jerome Taylor and Shannon Gabriel with the new ball. And rightly so, the last three wickets fell for just 17 runs, with Taylor grabbing all of them. James Anderson was the last to depart, getting castled off a peach of a delivery. Read: West Indies bowled out for 189 on Day 2 of 3rd Test vs England at Barbados

2. West Indies top-order crumbles under Anderson’s pace: After a satisfactory performance with the ball, the hosts were in for some rough treatment at the hands of James Anderson, who ran through the top-order with a a terrific display of fast-bowling. The Lancashire pacer, who recently overtook Sir Ian Botham as the leading Test wicket-taker for England, reduced West Indies to 37 for three at lunch, with the fourth wicket falling without any further addition of runs. Read: England finish on a shaky 39/5 at the end of Day 2 in 3rd Test vs West Indies at Barbados

3. Jermaine Blackwood’s shines once again: Amidst the flurry of dismissals, Jermaine Blackwood thwarted the England bowlers with the zeal that he had displayed in the first innings of the first Test. The Jamaican kept the boundaries flowing at a time when one would have expected a batsman to play defensively. He added 45 runs for the fifth wicket with Shivnarine Chanderpaul to somewhat pull West Indies out of trouble, however briefly. He kept forming small partnerships with the lower order as he guided his side past the 150-run mark. A century was in sight for the 23 year-old.

4. Anderson finishes with a six-for: Blackwood was turning out to be a thorn for the visitors due to his steadfast presence at the crease. Veerasammy Permaul too joined him in sending the ball all over the park. In came Anderson, shortly after the resumption of play following the tea break. Permaul was caught at short-leg by the substitute fielder, while Taylor was bowled for a score of 15. Blackwood was the last man to depart, getting caught in a spectacular fashion at deep extra cover by Moeen Ali to depart for a score of 85 as West Indies folded up for 189.

5. England off to a shambolic start in 2nd innings: The visitors had managed to grab a 68-run lead at the end of the West Indian innings, which would have give some confidence to the English opening pair of Alastair Cook and Jonathan Trott. They were however, completely taken by surprise thanks to some disciplined effort by Taylor, who trapped Trott leg-before on nine to extend the misery of the South Africa-born batsman.

Cook was then caught at leg-slip for a score of four. Ian Bell registered his second-consecutive duck. Joe Root edged a Jason Holder delivery to the slips. And Moeen Ali, who was expected to stay at the crease till the end of the day’s play, played a Permaul delivery onto his stumps. At 39 for five, England appeared to be heading for a double-figure total. Gary Ballance is perhaps the last source of hope for an England recovery on the third day, but the thought of Jerome Taylor with the new ball will be a constant source of worry for England coach Peter Moores.

(Amit Banerjee, a reporter at CricketCountry, takes keen interest in photography, travelling, technology, automobiles, food and, of course, cricket. He can be followed on Twitter via his handle @akb287)

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