Leach and Mahmood Rescue England

Updated: Mar 24, 2022 9:54 pm

^With two stalemate draws at Antigua and Barbados, the West Indies and England were hoping for a much better surface in Grenada.

And they weren’t disappointed, as the Granada National Stadium pitch had much more to offer for the bowlers.

Seales removed Crawley for seven, as the Kent opener went for a loose drive against the new ball.

The Captain followed soon after with a nine-ball duck.

And England also lost Lawrence just before Lunch.

England reached Lunch at 47-3.

It’s nice to see the pitch have something in it for the bowlers.

Leas has looked a little scratchy, but he is still there

Stokes giving him company as well.

Gone! Stokes completely mistimes pull shot, Joseph takes the catch off his own bowling 53-4

Lees follows soon after at 53-5, what a beauty from Roach.

And now Bairstow, oh dear this is turning into a crisis, England 53-6 now.

Nice drive on the up from Woakes to open his account. 60-6

Foakes clips Seales for four,67-6.

Bowled him! Seales sneaks one through Foakes, 67-7.

Overton slashes one over the slips for four, 75-7.

4byes,85-7

Drinks

Woakes jabs one through point for four, 89-7

90-7

Castled! Roach nips one back and breaches Overton’s defense, 90-8.

Woakes hits crunching drive on the up for four, 97-8.

Glorious drive from Leach to bring England’s 100 up, 101-8.

4 byes, 109-8

110-6.

Mayers dropped Leach on 10.

113-8.

114-8.

Bonner into the attack.

Woakes misses out on full toss, maiden.

Blackwood into the attack.

Blackwood beats Laech’s outside edge.

So England reach 114-8 at Tea, and wickets continued to tumble, can Leach, Woakes, and the tail get them to a respectable first-innings total? We shall find out in the last session.

Seales gets Woakes on the second ball after Tea, 114-9.

Cut away by Leach for four.

120-9.

121-9

122-9.

123-9.

125-9

126-9

128-9.

129-9.

130-9 Mahmood edges, but ball drops in front of Holder at slip.

130-9.

Two for Mahmood, 132-9

136-9

137-9

Leach skews one down to the third man boundary for four, 141-9

Lovely straight drive from Leach,145-9.

146-9.

148-9

149-9.

Drooped! John Campbell dops Mahmood.

Six for Mahmood, 155-9.

156-9

Captain into the attack.

158-9.

4 byes, 162-9.

163-9.

50 partnership, for Leach and Mahmood, 164-9.

165-9.

168-9

Two for Leach, 170-9

Four for Mahmood, 174-9

175-9.

4byes 179-9

180-9

181-9.

182-9

New ball was taken.

183-9

Three for Mahmood, nice shot.186-9.

Mahmood squirts ball to third man, 190-9.

Nice drive from Leach,194-9.

195-9.

Mahmood digs a yorker out for one, 196-9.

Seales almost gets Mahmood with a beauty.

What a drive down the ground from Mahmood as he brings up 200.

Mahmood thumps Blackwood down the ground for four, 204-9.

Mahmood chops one onto his stumps, falling agonizingly short of a maiden Test 50, England 204 all out at stumps.

So in the end, it was the tail who rescued England, from 114-9, Mayers’s drop catch proved to be costly, as the tourists were 114-9, and the hosts lost focus for an hour or two.

Can England’s bowlers take advantage of the last wicket stand?

Tune Into World in Sport to find out.