ENG v WI 2024, ENG vs WI 2nd Test Match Report, July 18 – 22, 2024

Tea England 416 and 425 (Root 122, Brook 109, Duckett 76, Pope 51, Seales 4-97) lead West Indies 457 (Hodge 120, Da Silva 82*, Athanaze 82, Woakes 4-84) by 384 runs

Jayden Seales took four wickets in England’s second innings to help bowl them out for 425 after they had reached 416 in their first. It was the first time England had scored 400 in both innings of a Test match.

By tea on the fourth day, Root had departed for 122, his 32nd Test century, and moved to eighth on the the all-time Test run-scorers list with 11,940.

Seales had struck twice in the morning session, while another wicket on last ball before lunch to Kevin Sinclair lifted West Indies from a position where the match looked to be slipping beyond their reach. During that time, Root and Brook added 100 runs to England’s overnight score but the hosts lost three wickets for 19 runs in 7.2 overs.

Brook and Root united for a 198-run stand for the fourth wicket after Ollie Pope and Ben Duckett had fallen in quick succession on the third day, themselves having each passed fifty and put on 119 runs together.

Brook brought up his fifth Test ton – and first on home soil – nudging Alzarri Joseph for a single to mid-on and, two balls later, Root clipped one to the leg side to bring up his fifty.

Brook fell after the first drinks break, wafting at a Seales delivery that moved away slightly off the seam, found the edge and sailed through to Joshua Da Silva behind the stumps.

Seales struck again when he removed Ben Stokes cheaply, turning a short ball straight to Alzarri Joseph at backward square leg.

That brought Jamie Smith to the crease and he managed only 6 before Sinclair drew a faint edge with a delivery on off stump and Da Silva gathered.

Moments after Chris Woakes edged a rising Shamar Joseph delivery towards second slip, where the towering Jason Holder took a sharp catch moving to his left with arms outstretched above his head, Root raised his century with a thumping drive through deep point for four off Alzarri Joesph.

Holder returned to the attack and made the breakthrough, Root smashing a full, wide delivery straight to cover, where Kirk McKenzie took a sharp catch. Root left the field to hearty applause from the crowd and handshakes from his opponents.

Seales saw two slips catches put down off Mark Wood in successive balls, but made no mistake with the third when he bowled Wood for a duck with the next, a fuller ball just outside off which seamed in and clattered into the top of off stump.

Seales’ fourth wicket ended England’s innings, Shoaib Bashir the last man out, bowled by a yorker.