In the first session of Day 3, the fifty by Nkrumah Bonner helped West Indies put England at bay. With Joshua Da Silva providing solid support in an unbeaten 65-run stand. Although progress was slow, with the West Indies scoring only 69 runs in 25.1 overs, they only lost one wicket in the session.
Nkrumah Bonner and Jason Holder partnership
Thanks to Ben Stokes’ perseverance outside off, the tenacious fifth-wicket stand between Jason Holder and Nkrumah Bonner. The partnership lasted more than 200 deliveries, came to an end early in the first hour.
Holder was eventually caught behind by Stokes after attempting to leave the ball at the last possible time. He left five runs short of a half-century, ending a 79-run partnership.
All the English bowlers could do was to keep the deliveries tight and wait for the batters to commit errors. However, Nkrumah Bonner took up the responsibility alongside Da Silva. Therefore, England’s narrow hopes of wicket falls did not take off.
Mark Wood tried to bring out some short-pitched deliveries towards Nkrumah Bonner. Not only it did not scare him but also he was happy to pull and cut for a couple of boundaries.
The Century by Nkrumah Bonner
England took the second new ball, which arrived shortly after the first drinks break. Woakes found the outside edge of Da Silva’s bat, only for the ball to fall between second slip and gully. Craig Overton whacked Da Silva on the pad and called him out leg-first. The batter used the review to overturn the call.
Nkrumah Bonner, who reached fifty early in the second hour, top-edged a six from Wood, flicked Leach for a four, then scored a couple of twos to take the sixth wicket stand past fifty.
Brief Scores
Brief scores: England 311, West Indies lead 373/9 Nkrumah Bonner 123; Ben Stokes 2-42) by 62 runs.
