Grenada: West Indies registered an emphatic ten-wicket win on the fourth day of the third Test after the first two drawn matches to secure a 1-0 series win over England, here on Sunday.
Needing just 28 runs for a win after bowling England out for 120 in the second innings, West Indies’ openers — Kraigg Brathwaite and John Campbell chased down the target in 4.5 overs as the game ended within the first session on Day 4.
The victory for West Indies moved them above Bangladesh in the World Test Championship standings, while England remained at the foot of the table after a seventh defeat in 12 matches.
Play on Day 4 resumed with Jack Leach and Chris Woakes at the crease, but a dire situation became even worse for England when Woakes was sent packing for 19 early in the day courtesy to a stunning catch by Jason Holder. Woakes made a pretty decent connection with a flick into the leg-side off Kemar Roach’s first ball of the day, but hadn’t accounted for the reach of the totemic Holder, who stretched out a long arm to take a blinder of a catch at gully.
England’s hopes of scrambling to a theoretically defendable total looked dead in the water, and the innings was soon wrapped up when Roach struck again, luring an edge from Leach (4) to end his 55-ball stay at the crease.
Roach’s double strike meant he ended the innings with figures of 2/10 from 9.2 overs. But as impressive as those numbers were, they were distinctly second-best to those of Mayers, whose five-for on Day 3 saw him close with 5/18 from 17 overs, an ICC report said.
Facing a minuscule target of 28 to win the match and series, the West Indies openers stroked four boundaries as they reached the winning total in just under five overs off the bowling of Woakes and Saqib Mahmood.
The win for West Indies means they are unbeaten against England in the last four series on home ground, with England’s victory in 2004 their only series win in Caribbean conditions since 1968.
Brief scores: England 204 & 120 (Alex Lees 31; Kemar Roach 2-10, Kyle Mayers 5-18) lost to West Indies 297 & 28/0 (Kraigg Brathwaite 20 not out, John Campbell 6 not out) by 10 wickets
–IANS
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