England forced to settle for draw despite bold declaration in Antigua

Nkrumah Bonner and Jason Holder held out for 239 deliveries to seal the draw

(AFP via Getty Images)

By the time Joe Root and Jason Holder shook hands on a draw, with just one over to go, most of those watching - and probably those involved - had given up on this first Test. A draw that had been in the offing since day two was confirmed late on day five with something of a whimper.

England, to their credit, did their best to breathe life into the final day, scoring some runs in a hurry and then declaring their second innings on 349 for six to give West Indies a target of 286 off 71 overs. At various points, an ambitious victory felt on, especially when West Indies found themselves 67 for four with more than half the remaining overs to go. But Holder (37 from 101 deliveries) and Nkrumah Bonner (38 from 138), still glowing from his resilient 123 in the first innings, held firm and saw out a quiet end to 147 for four.

With Mark Wood unavailable, struggling with what the team spokesperson described as “acute pain” in his right elbow after bowling in the nets before play, it was a bold call to offer the hosts a chase of just over four an over while a bowler light. Wood had been out of action since lunch on day three and his participation for the next two Tests seems doubtful.

Jack Leach and Ben Stokes picked up the slack admirably, taking the wickets between them. The lion share belonged to Leach, whose three for 57 built on earlier figures of two for 79. The left-arm spinner, along with Jonny Bairstow (who scored 140 in the first innings), are two notable positives at the start of this red ball reset.

Having been behind for most of the previous four days, the tourists arrived on Saturday with a lead of 153 and enough overs to have a dash, declare and force 10 wickets on a pitch that had only produced two on day four.

That dash began in earnest once Zak Crawley was worked by Jason Holder for 121. Dan Lawrence came to the crease and showed his white ball extravagance, with some fine strokes over cover, along with a beautiful straight six off Holder for 37 off 36 deliveries. At the other end, Root was at his busy best, ticking over Test century number 24, moving second in the all-time England list above Kevin Pietersen (23), with Sir Alastair Cook (33) still away pit in front.

But Lawrence’s skew to gully to end the stand on 70 was the first of four wickets to fall in the space 23 balls. Three of those were to Alzarri Joseph, which also included bowling Root around his legs and Foakes (1) through the gate, while Kemar Roach’s disguised off-break had Ben Stokes caught in the deep by Shamarh Brooks.

Six wickets down, with the best part of two-and-a-half sessions remaining in the match, England’s second innings lead of 250 would have been a very generous declaration. Jonny Bairstow (15 not out) and Chris Woakes (18*) played it steady from then, until Root sprung a surprise by pulling them out to leave West Indies with 286 to get, and plenty of time to get them.

It took right to the end of the eighth over for the first chance to come, when John Campbell’s hack off a Leach delivery skewed over Crawley’s head at slip. The 24-year-old got there having turned and dived, only to lose control of the ball upon impact with the ground. The miss all the more frustrating given Leach was opening the bowling to target the rough with the new ball and its prouder seam.

As the afternoon session wore on, it looked like near-misses were all England could muster, whether aerial shots just out of reach or umpire’s calls tending towards the on-field not out decisions. Leach in particular was clearly beginning to wonder if he could do anything more.

Then, at the start of the 26^th over, Stokes was given a generous LBW against Kraigg Brathwaite (33) that should have been reviewed for missing leg stump. Leach finally had Campbell (22) in the next over, as the left-hander lost his nerve and tried to clear Craig Overton - the tallest man on the field - at wide mid off. And with the final ball before tea, Leach had another as Shamarh Brooks played back to one that turned and edged low to Crawley, who took a smart catch.

At 65 for three, with 221 remaining, England went into the final 38 overs knowing they could focus solely on attack with a West Indies win out of the question. They’d also need a bit of willing among the remaining seven wickets. Enter, Jermaine Blackwood.

(AFP via Getty Images)

Only he would know why, in the second over of the final session, he thought it appropriate to try and heave Leach over square leg. He missed, was struck in front and, this time, the umpire raised his finger for Leach. Blackwood’s review only served to confirm the predicted impact into leg stump and the stupidity of the shot.

The next mistakes would be England’s. An LBW shout against Holder was turned down and, with just one review remaining, the on-field brain’s trust decided against sending it upstairs. A few moments later, word got out to the middle that replays were showing three reds that, had they reviewed, would have made it 89 for five.

Four overs later, that review was gone, wasted on a caught behind on the same batter off the same bowler. The desperation to make amends akin to a gambler chasing their losses. At that point, the energy (and interest) began to dissipate from this encounter.

There was a momentary jolt when umpire Joel Wilson gave Nkrumah Bonner out off LBW after Overton had got one to deck into him. The first innings centurion reviewed immediately, knowing he had got a healthy bit of bat on ball, and continued on, defending or leaving all the way up to … deliveries to go with his 355 across day two and three.

A ball change with eight overs remaining kept England going, though the sight of Stokes charging in at the end felt like the sillier side of brave. With the second Test beginning in Barbados on Wednesday, getting Stokes to bend his back for a lost cause hardly seemed like the smartest idea given the talk before this match was of managing his workload.

Stokes ended up bowling 41 overs across both innings and looked incredibly weary as he sat in at leg slip through to stumps. Both he, everyone else involved in this match and especially those watching will hope the pitches to come are a lot better.