Top Ad
I DIG Radio
www.idigradio.com
Listen live to the best music from around the world!
I DIG Style
www.idigstyle.com
Learn about the latest fashion styles and more...

Motie checks progress but England lead swells at Lord's

Written by 
Published in Cricket
Thursday, 11 July 2024 05:25

England 293 for 6 (Crawley 76, Root 68, Pope 57, Brook 50, Motie 2-25) lead West Indies 121 (Atkinson 7-45) by 172 runs

England cruised to a 172-run lead on the second morning at Lord's but were pegged back by Gudakesh Motie, who vindicated his selection by dismissing Ben Stokes and Joe Root. West Indies' bowlers were put under constant pressure as England added 104 runs in a 28-over session, but Motie's two wickets checked their progress.
After Harry Brook fell for exactly 50, Root cruised to his 93rd 50-plus score in Test cricket and moved into the format's top-ten highest run-scorers in the process. But he fell shortly before the lunch interval for 68, becoming the second England batter bowled by an exceptional delivery from West Indies' old-school left-arm spinner.

Stokes' first international innings of the season lasted only 11 balls, with Motie knocking his middle stump out of the ground. Bowling his first over of the morning session, Motie tossed the ball up and found sharp turn after landing it on a footmark. It spun back past Stokes' bat, leaving him open-mouthed before trudging back to the pavilion.

And in the penultimate over before the interval, Root was left smiling in disbelief after losing his off stump to the same bowler. Motie went wide on the crease and bowled his arm ball with an upright seam. Root shaped to punch into the off side but the delivery drifted in sharply then deviated even further off the pitch, beating the bat and crashing into the stump.

It showed why Motie was picked for this Test, having lost his place to Kevin Sinclair for West Indies' victory over Australia at the Gabba in January: Sinclair, the offspinner, is the superior batter but Motie is some way ahead as a bowler. He took 2 for 22 in his seven unchanged overs on the second morning, and should have been brought into the attack sooner.

With an overnight lead of 66 and only three wickets down in their first innings, England made steady progress during the first hour. Brook dominated the scoring in a 91-run partnership with Root, scoring heavily square of the wicket as if to demonstrate the slow nature of this Lord's pitch.

He brought up his half-century - his 12th fifty-plus score in 13 Tests - with a back-foot punch for two, but did not add another run. He fell in tame fashion when top-edging a hook through to Joshua da Silva off a wide Alzarri Joseph bouncer: it was a reminder of Brook's mixed record against the short ball, which Australia exposed during last summer's Ashes.

But Root progressed serenely, increasing his tempo through the session after a relatively slow start to his innings. Like Brook, he scored most of his runs square of the wicket, the highlight being a left-right punch off Joseph: he rolled his wrists on a pull off a short ball, then whipped the follow-up inswinger off his pads to bring up consecutive boundaries.

Jamie Smith seized on Motie's drag-down to score his first Test runs during a brief partnership with Root, worth 33. Smith scored only seven runs off his first 34 balls, an uncharacteristically cautious start, but showed his class with consecutive boundaries off Jayden Seales shortly before Root's dismissal.
Read 64 times

Soccer

Atléti mark Simeone's 700th game with late win

Atléti mark Simeone's 700th game with late win

Diego Simeone's 700th game in charge of Atlético Madrid ended in a late 2-1 win over Deportivo Alave...

Sources: Olof Mellberg to become St.Louis boss

Sources: Olof Mellberg to become St.Louis boss

EmailPrintOpen Extended ReactionsFormer Aston Villa and Sweden defender Olof Mellberg has signed a m...

Arteta backs Saka amid Kane drop-outs comment

Arteta backs Saka amid Kane drop-outs comment

EmailPrintOpen Extended ReactionsMikel Arteta has hit back at anyone questioning Bukayo Saka's commi...

2026 FIFA


2028 LOS ANGELES OLYMPIC

UEFA

2024 PARIS OLYMPIC


Basketball

NBA follows NFL in warning players on burglaries

NBA follows NFL in warning players on burglaries

EmailPrintThe NBA is urging its players to take additional precautions to secure their homes followi...

Sources: Zion (hamstring) not close to returning

Sources: Zion (hamstring) not close to returning

EmailPrintNew Orleans Pelicans star Zion Williamson has undergone multiple treatments on his left ha...

Baseball

Hays, Finnegan, Rodgers among new free agents

Hays, Finnegan, Rodgers among new free agents

EmailPrintOpen Extended ReactionsNEW YORK -- Outfielder Austin Hays and right-hander Kyle Finnegan -...

Judge giving Soto space amid free agency frenzy

Judge giving Soto space amid free agency frenzy

EmailPrintOpen Extended ReactionsNEW YORK -- Aaron Judge is one of the few people on Earth who can r...

Sports Leagues

  • FIFA

    Fédération Internationale de Football Association
  • NBA

    National Basketball Association
  • ATP

    Association of Tennis Professionals
  • MLB

    Major League Baseball
  • ITTF

    International Table Tennis Federation
  • NFL

    Nactional Football Leagues
  • FISB

    Federation Internationale de Speedball

About Us

I Dig® is a leading global brand that makes it more enjoyable to surf the internet, conduct transactions and access, share, and create information.  Today I Dig® attracts millions of users every month.r

 

Phone: (800) 737. 6040
Fax: (800) 825 5558
Website: www.idig.com
Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Affiliated