England vs West Indies: Interesting day 5 expected

The first test between West Indies and England being played at Antigua will enter the 5th day with West Indies still having a mountain to climb ahead. West Indies were left reeling as they ended day 4 at 98 for 2 rendering them a target of 340 runs on final day pitch which seems to be spin supportive.

The 4th day started with England looking to build on their lead by scoring quickly so that they could get ample number of overs to bowl out WI. Owing to Garry Balance’s 4th ton and some useful contributions from the middle order, England raced to 333 for 7 setting West Indies a mammoth target of 438.

The hosts didn’t have a good start, losing Braithwaite early for 5 and later were reduced to 7 for when Devon Smith joined Darren Bravo. They both played cautiously ensuring West Indies doesn’t lose any more wickets. But introduction of Joe Root before the stumps bore immediate results. First ball of his second over gripped and turned sharply, taking the edge of Bravo’s bat and Chris Jordan held onto a stunner to dismiss Bravo on 32.

West Indies ended day 4 with Devon Smith on 59 joined by Marlon Samuels playing on number 2. England seems to be in a strong position requiring 8 more wickets to win the first match. However, head coach Phil Simmons feels that West Indies have it in them to create a record by chasing down this score. “We’ll assess what we need in every session and make a decision whether to go for it at tea. The first hour will be important: we need to not lose any wickets in the first hour. But with me it’s always a case of looking how you can get the runs before you look at how you can save it.

“We saw today that it’s hard to take wickets on this pitch. It’s easy for guys to score. Yes, they were on the attack all the time. But also when we tried to be on the defensive, Gary Ballance and Jos Buttler still scored freely, so it’s hard to contain batsmen when it’s as easy as that.”

We are in for an interesting day 5 as all the three results are possible, most likely of them being England’s victory. Nonetheless, cricket is a funny game; one might never know what is in store for us.

edited by Bhavna Rachuri