West Indies Fight Back on Day One of Third TestWest Indies Fight Back on Day One of Third Test Jason Holder’s impressive all-round performance led the West Indies to a strong comeback on the opening day of the third Test against England at Edgbaston. West Indies’ Battling Knock Holder’s 59 helped the West Indies convert their fragile 5-115 into a respectable 282. Although the majority of the batters failed to make significant contributions, partnerships between Holder and Joshua Da Silva (49) and Da Silva and Holder kept England at bay. England’s Stuttering Start England’s reply got off to a poor start as Zak Crawley and Ben Duckett were dismissed by Jayden Seales and Alzarri Joseph, respectively. Mark Wood fell cheaply to Seales, leaving England on 3-38 at stumps. Holder’s Impact Holder’s heroics extended beyond his batting, as he made two crucial slip catches to dismiss Crawley and Duckett. His fielding efforts brought England’s momentum to a halt and put the West Indies in a strong position heading into Saturday’s play. Chris Woakes’ Assessment England paceman Chris Woakes acknowledged the disappointment of losing three wickets at the end of the day but praised Holder’s performance. He expressed confidence in England’s ability to bounce back, citing the strong morning session in which they took five wickets. West Indies’ Early Dominance The West Indies had started the day promisingly, reaching 0-76 after winning the toss. However, England struck back with a series of wickets either side of lunch to reduce the visitors to 3-97. England Hit Back Gus Atkinson, making his Test debut, played a key role in England’s recovery, claiming 4-67. Atkinson dismissed Mikyle Louis, Kirk McKenzie, and Alick Athanaze before lunch and continued to trouble the West Indies batters in the afternoon session. Holder’s Counterattack Australia’s 4-115 position looked precarious, but Holder launched a counterattack, hitting boundaries and a six off Shoaib Bashir. Despite his efforts, the West Indies lost wickets steadily after Da Silva’s dismissal, with Holder eventually falling to Atkinson.
Jason Holder produced a superb all-round performance as the West Indians took three late wickets, including both England openers with consecutive deliveries, in a thrilling comeback on the opening day of the third Test at Edgbaston on Friday.
Holder’s 59 saw the West Indians convert their 5-115 record into a total of 282 as they bid to regain pride after trailing 2-0 in this three-match series.
And the impressive all-rounder then made two fine slip catches to drop England to 3-38 at stumps, a deficit of 244 runs.
Zak Crawley fell for eight when he dismissed a loose drive from fast bowler Jayden Seales, with Holder having a sharp chance to his left at second slip. The next delivery Crawley’s opening partner, Ben Duckett, played through to Alzarri Joseph.
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England had sent Mark Wood on as night watchman after Crawley’s attack but he fell short when he guided Seales low past Holder.
Seales had figures of 2-19 from four overs at the close, while Ollie Pope and Joe Root – who both scored hundreds in England’s 241-run win in the second Test at Trent Bridge – were back in action on Saturday.
“If you look at the speed of that wicket, you would think the batters would come in and go long,” Holder said.
“Unfortunately, none of our batters were able to do that, but we did get some starts.”
But West Indies’ score looked a lot better when they hit the ball back in eight overs that lasted about 40 minutes.
“It was a bonus to get three wickets,” said the 32-year-old Holder, who was playing in his 67th Test.
“At that point the runs are irrelevant, we can just attack. With 40 minutes to go you can run and give everything you can.”
Paceman Chris Woakes, like many at Edgbaston, thought it would be England’s day after taking 3-69 on his home turf in Warwickshire.
“When we threw them out I was really happy,” Woakes said.
“Obviously it’s not ideal to lose three tonight, it’s not the perfect end to the day I think.” Earlier, West Indians were well-placed at 0-76 after captain Kraigg Brathwaite won the toss under blue skies on a good strike.
But then they suffered another of the setbacks that had proved fatal in the first two Tests, when five wickets fell either side of lunch.
Former captain Holder, however, found a solid ally in Joshua Da Silva (49) as the duo kept England at bay with a sixth-wicket partnership of 109.
But the rest of the innings flowed smoothly, with fast bowler Gus Atkinson taking 4-67 in 20 overs.
After a cautious start, Brathwaite and Mikyle Louis played some good knocks, with the captain completing a 70-ball fifty, including six fours.
But England hit back when Louis (26) fended off Atkinson and gave wicketkeeper Jamie Smith a simple catch.
New batsman Kirk McKenzie, who was only half-forward, was run out by Wood’s fast ball at 91 mph.
And on the final ball of the session, Alick Athanaze carelessly hit an attempted pull off from Atkinson onto his stumps to leave the West Indians 3-97 at lunch.
Ben Stokes of England. Photo by David Rogers/Getty ImagesSource: Getty Images
Brathwaite, who had 56 points on the scoreboard at half-time, had only scored five when he played an attempted pull-off from Wood down the legside to Smith.
And 4-115 became 5-115 when Kavem Hodge, making his maiden Test century at Trent Bridge, deliberately missed a cross from Woakes but the ball ended up on top of the off-stump.
But Holder countered by sending 20-year-old off-spinner Shoaib Bashir, who made a match-winning 5-41 at Trent Bridge, into multiple boundaries, including a stunning straight six.
Holder went on to a 92-ball fifty, including six fours. However, da Silva fell one ball short of the milestone when he was caught behind Woakes, leaving the West Indians at 6-224.
And Holder’s innings ended decisively when Atkinson flattened his off-stump.
