Birmingham, England, USA - With the memories of the West Indies’ fourth-day collapse at Trent Bridge still fresh, captain Kraigg Brathwaite called on his smart side on Thursday to remain focused for the entirety of the final Test which starts on Friday if they were to salvage anything from the three-match series.
The Caribbean side competed for the better part of four days of the second Test before a shocking collapse in the final session saw them dismissed for 143 in their second innings, leaving them with a heavy 241-run defeat.
Brathwaite spearheaded a 61-run opening stand before 10 wickets tumbled for 82 runs in the final hour.
“We had a 50-run opening stand, and then from there we lost 10 wickets quite quickly,” Brathwaite told reporters ahead of the start of the final Test on Friday.
“And we knew we were in the game, so it goes to show in terms of the [final hour] that you’ve got to be on it always, not just for the first three days. As soon as you lose that focus, things can go wrong.
“And it could be as a bowling unit or a batting unit, and you lose [your focus] for an hour; you could be behind the test match and lose it.
“We should learn from that, and obviously the lesson for that is to never take anything for granted, always having the same attitude as in the first and second innings of batting and bowling.
“And once we keep that attitude of fighting every session, I think that will serve us well.”
The defeat at Trent Bridge saw the West Indies surrender the Richards-Botham Trophy, the first Test at Lord’s having ended in an innings and 114-run loss within three days.
For the West Indies, the results extended their woeful run on English soil over the last 20 years, having now lost 15 of their 19 Tests during that period.
Brathwaite conceded that his side had played well in patches across both Tests in the series, especially in the second, where Kavem Hodge struck a maiden Test hundred and Alick Athanaze and Joshua Da Silva gathered half-centuries.
Fast bowler Jayden Seales has so far taken 10 wickets, but Brathwaite said overall, the team needed to be more consistent.
“I think all-around we [haven’t] put it together as yet. Obviously, we batted well at Trent Bridge [in the first inning]. We didn’t bat well in the second inning, and we bowled well in pieces,” Brathwaite pointed out.
“Dropped chances will happen, but I think our groupings as a bowling unit weren’t as they should be.. I think once we get that percentage up, we’ll be able to create more chances and at least be able to stop the flow of runs on both sides of the wicket.”
The West Indies have been forced into a few changes, with off-spinning all-rounder Kevin Sinclair out with a fractured arm and fast bowler Jeremiah Louis, yet to feature in the series, sidelined with a hamstring injury.
Rookie paceman Shamar Joseph is also battling the flu and remains a doubt for the encounter.
TEAMS
ENGLAND – Ben Stokes (captain), Zak Crawley, Ben Duckett, Ollie Pope, Joe Root, Harry Brook, Jamie Smith, Chris Woakes, Gus Atkinson, Mark Wood, Shoaib Bashir
WEST INDIES – Kraigg Brathwaite (captain), Mikyle Louis, Kirk McKenzie, Alick Athanaze, Kavem Hodge, Jason Holder, Joshua da Silva, Gudakesh Motie, Alzarri Joseph, Shamar Joseph/Akeem Jordan, Jayden Seales
(CMC)
