2nd Test: WI bowl out England (416), ton-up Pope shines
Hosts England dominated the proceedings on Day 1 of the 2nd Test against the West Indies at Trent Bridge, Nottingham. The home side finished on 416 in 88.3 overs, with Ollie Pope smashing a fine century. Skipper Ben Stokes led from the front with a half-century. Earlier, Ben Duckett gave a blazing start to England, who recorded the fastest-ever team fifty in Tests.
Crawley departs early; Duckett, Pope share century stand
West Indies started well after electing to field as Alzarri Joseph dismissed Zak Crawley on the match's third ball. However, Duckett smashed Jayden Seales for four successive boundaries in the very next over. Duckett and Pope were on fire thereafter, powering England to 50 in just 4.2 overs. The duo added 105 runs for the second wicket.
Fastest-ever team fifty in Test cricket
As per ESPNcricinfo, England's 4.2-over fifty is now the fastest for a team in Test cricket. The Englishmen broke their own record as they hammered one in 4.3 overs against South Africa in the 1994 Oval Test. Notably, England also occupy the third spot with a fifty in 4.6 overs against Sri Lanka in 2002 in Manchester.
WI dismissed Duckett before lunch
England were cruising on 105/1 before Shamar Joseph gave WI their second breakthrough in the form of Duckett. The England opener eventually fell for a 59-ball 71 (14 fours). He struck at a staggering 120.34. In the 30th over (post lunch), Joe Root's 14-run knock was cut short by Seales. While Pope held one end, Harry Brook (36) departed shortly after England reached 200.
Duckett attains these feats
Duckett also reached a couple of landmarks on Day 1 at Trent Bridge. With his 62nd run, the England opener completed 10,000 runs in First-Class cricket. He also completed 1,500 Test runs during the course of his knock. Notably, Duckett has smashed three tons and eight half-centuries in the format so far. As per ESPNcricinfo, Duckett has over 570 Test runs at home.
Duckett joins Botham and Bairstow
Duckett completed his half-century off 32 balls, the joint third-fastest for England in Test cricket along with Ian Botham (vs New Zealand, The Oval, 1986). Notably, Botham leads this list with a 28-ball fifty against India in Delhi in 1981. Jonny Bairstow hammered a fifty off 30 balls against New Zealand in the 2022 Headingley Test.
Pope completes his sixth Test ton
Pope raced to his sixth Test century with a boundary off Seales in the second session. He took 143 balls to reach three figures. England had crossed the 220-run mark by the time Pope completed his ton. Alzarri Joseph dismissed Pope before England reached 300. The England batter scored a 167-ball 121 (15 fours and 1 six).
7,000 First-Class runs for Pope
During his knock, Pope attained another feat. With his 19th run, he completed 7,000 runs in First-Class cricket. Over 2,500 of his runs have come in England whites. Pope is playing his 104th game in First-Class cricket.
Stokes falls to Hodge after smashing fifty
Stokes, who was knocked over by Gudakesh Motie at Lord's, played a captain's knock in the 1st innings in Nottingham. He launched a counter-attack in the final session, having scored 69 off 104 balls. His knock included 8 boundaries. All-rounder Kavem Hodge, who bowls left-arm spin, dismissed the England captain in the final session (72nd over).
WI dropped four catches
It is worth noting that WI dropped four catches on Day 1. Pope was dropped twice, while Mark Wood and Harry Brook got a reprieve each. WI dropped at least one catch in each of the three sessions.
WI bowl out England after taking second new ball
After dismissing Stokes, spinner Hodge got rid of Jamie Smith, who scored a 54-ball 36. Kevin Sinclair followed it up by dismissing Gus Atkinson. Chris Woakes and Mark Wood took the hosts past 400 thereafter. WI took the second new ball, which helped their cause. Seales and Joseph dismissed Woakes and Shoaib Bashir, respectively, ending England's innings.
