DOMINICAN PAIR PUT WEST INDIES ON TOP

Second Rothesay Test (day three of five), Trent Bridge

England 416: Pope 121, Duckett 71, Stokes 69; A Joseph 3-98

West Indies 457: Hodge 120, Athanaze 82, Da Silva 82*; C Woakes 4-84

West Indies lead by 41 runs

Career best scores from Kavem Hodge and Alick Athanaze put the wind in West Indies’ sails before a breezy 82* from Joshua Da Silva blew the team into a first innings lead and a 450+ score for the first time in a decade. 

Not since a Test against Bangladesh in Kingston in 2014 have the men in maroon scored as many as the 457 they managed here thanks to their twin Dominican batters who helped secure a 41-run buffer. 

After putting on a classy 167-run partnership filled with confident strokeplay, the two friends told CWI about their close relationship including living together in Grenada for a time, and revealed just how much they enjoyed each other’s success. 

Athanaze might have fallen for 82, but was thrilled for his teammate Hodge, who upon making just the second Test century by a Dominican for the West Indies, leapt into the arms of Jason Holder, making a comedic sight of the giant all rounder holding the diminutive batter.

England made inroads at the start of day 3 getting the early wicket of Holder, however, a stellar knock by Da Silva and a final wicket stand of 71 with the aggressive Shamar Joseph (33) took the West Indies into a lead at the halfway stage. 

– CWI [https://www.windiescricket.com/news/]