Wisden Trophy Test Series
West Indies Vs England Third Test Played at Emirates Stadium, Old Trafford Manchester (24-28 July 2020 )
Brief Scorecard at Stumps Day Four:
(OJ Pope 91, JC Buttler 67 , SCJ Broad 62, RJ Burns 57 KAJ Roach 4/72, RL Chase 2/32, ST Gabriel 2/77) and 2nd Innings 226/2 declared (RJ Burns 90, DP Sibley, JE Root 68*, Holder 1/24, R Chase 1/61)
West Indies 1st Innings 197 All Out (JO Holder 46, SO Dowrich 37, JD Campbell 32, JC Blackwood 26, JM Anderson 2/28, SCJ Broad 6/31, C Woakes 1/57, J Archer 1/72) and 2nd Innings 10/2 (SCJ Broad 2/8)
Day Four Completely Washed Out
England Needs 8 wickets to Win the Test and the series
Intermittent heavy rain washing out the entire fourth day’s play of the third and series defining at test match at Emirates Stadium, Old Trafford has created an outside opportunity for tourists West Indies for saving the test and the series. Host England needs taking 8 Wickets for wrapping up the series.
Rain is also predicted for the final day. But how much it will be or how it will affect the days proceeding would matter a great deal. The task for West Indian batsmen is well cut out. On a wicket still having lot of pace and sideways movement battling against resurging top quality English pace attack is not going to be an easy task. This West Indies team does not posses Three W’s, Gordon Greenidge, Vivian Richards, Brian Lara or even Shiv Narayan Chandrapaul.
Notwithstanding above, Brathwaite, Hope, Brooks, Blackwood, Chase and Holder together can resist applying themselves to the task. To turn the history around West Indies have to bat a maximum of 98 overs on the wearing last day’s wicket. Ball is only 6 overs old. If play is possible for the entire day England will have opportunity for taking a second new ball after another 74 overs. With redoubtable Broad looking set for a great milestone of 500 test wickets, his mate Anderson looking fresh and energetic as ever, Archer and Woakes in prime form Caribbeans will have to play out of their skins. Would say difficult but not entirely impossible.
Looking back in retrospect the test series played with lot of home works and care observing strict Bio Security protocol by no means was one sided affair at all. West Indies playing brilliant cricket shocked England winning the first test at Rose Bowl Southampton forging 1-0 ahead. England bounced back in the second test at Emirates, Old Trafford squaring the series 1-1. Now England needs winning the test today for winning the series and recovering the Wisden Trophy which the lost to the Caribbeans last 1-2.
Never before in the history of test cricket three tests and those also tantalizingly poised over a short period of time. Cricket admirers world over got their Oxygen back after four months. Test cricket reappeared with its glorious uncertainty. This is what doyen of cricket writers Nevil Cardus loved and wrote “Wonderful Game” This is the game what made Sir Clyde Walcott , Sir Everton Weeks and Sir Frank Worrell (The Famous three W’s) legends and heroes . Can West Indies lift their game today remembering their heroes for ever?
BDST: 1200 HRS, JUL 28, 2020
SMS
