Ollie Pope’s Century Puts England in Command Against West Indies at Trent Bridge

News Mania Desk/Agnibeena Ghosh/19th July 2024

Ollie Pope’s brilliant century, combined with solid fifties from Ben Duckett and Ben Stokes, placed England in a commanding position on the opening day of the second Test at Trent Bridge. West Indies were left lamenting missed opportunities and lackluster fielding, which allowed England to capitalize on a favorable batting surface.

Duckett set the tone with a blistering start, hitting boundaries at will and scoring 71 off just 59 balls. His aggressive approach saw him share a 105-run partnership for the second wicket with Pope after Zak Crawley fell early to Alzarri Joseph’s delivery, caught at third slip by Alick Athanaze.

Pope then took center stage, crafting a well-earned 121 off 167 balls, marking his sixth Test century and second of the year. Stokes contributed a valuable 69 before being dismissed by left-arm spinner Kavem Hodge, who ended the day with figures of 2 for 44 off 10 overs. Hodge also played a part in dismissing both Pope and Gus Atkinson in the slips.

England’s innings saw a quick succession of wickets fall for 28 runs in just over seven overs, with Stokes, Jamie Smith, and Atkinson all departing. Despite these setbacks, England managed to post a formidable 416, although soft dismissals somewhat marred their effort.

West Indies’ captain Kraigg Brathwaite, who won the toss and chose to bowl first, hoped for more discipline from his bowlers after a heavy defeat in the first Test at Lord’s. While there were moments of pressure on England’s batters, the visitors were ultimately let down by missed chances in the field.

Pope was dropped twice, first on 46 when Jayden Seales’ delivery was misfielded by Athanaze, and again on 54 when he edged Shamar Joseph to second slip, only for Jason Holder to spill the catch. Harry Brook also benefited from poor fielding, hitting three consecutive fours off Alzarri Joseph before being dropped at gully.

Brook joined Pope after Joe Root’s early post-lunch departure, having misjudged a pull shot that landed in Alzarri Joseph’s hands after a juggle. Brook played aggressively, reaching 30 with an effortless six off Alzarri Joseph but fell while attempting a paddle shot off Kevin Sinclair, sending a simple catch to Kirk McKenzie at midwicket.

Pope reached his century with a boundary off Seales, but Shamar Joseph’s cramping left leg forced him off midway through his 12th over. Pope eventually fell to Alzarri Joseph, who had him caught by Hodge.

Smith added 61 runs with Stokes, striking Hodge for a six before being caught by Holder attempting another big hit. Mark Wood was then dropped by Mikyle Louis at point off Sinclair, extending the theme of missed chances for the West Indies.

The second new ball, taken after 86 overs, saw Seales and Alzarri Joseph clean up the last two wickets. Chris Woakes was out for 37 and Shoaib Bashir for 5, ending England’s innings.

Duckett, who is expecting his first child, displayed immense focus, hitting Seales for four consecutive boundaries in the second over. He reached his fifty off just 32 balls, guiding Holder for a four through deep third.

Despite some control established by Sinclair and Shamar Joseph after the drinks break, Duckett continued to dominate until he edged a delivery from Shamar Joseph, which Holder safely caught at second slip.

England’s robust performance on the opening day, highlighted by Pope’s century and Duckett’s explosive start, set a strong foundation against a West Indies side struggling with fielding and consistency.