Broad, Stokes fire as England beat WI to level series
MANCHESTER:COMEBACK-MAN Stuart Broad and Ben Stokes rose to the occasion to help England beat West Indies by 113 runs on the final day of the second Test here on Monday and level the three-match series 1-1.
Broad made the new ball talk and ended with three wickets while Stokes broke a key partnership after starring with the bat in the morning as the hosts bowled the visitors out for 198 in the final hour after setting an improbable target of 312.
Stokes took a wicket at the stroke of tea to give England renewed hope after West Indies had recovered to 137 for five after collapsing to 37 for four.
But a stand of 100 ended when Stokes unsettled Blackwood, on 55, with a short ball he could only glove to a diving Jos Buttler. The formalities were done in the final session despite some resistance from Shamarh Brooks and captain Jason Holder, with Sam Curran and Dom Bess dismissing the two respectively.
Broad had earlier left the West Indies reeling with three wickets after Stokes’ dashing 78 not out in the first hour set up an England declaration.
Broad struck just five balls into the West Indies second innings when he had John Campbell caught behind. Chris Woakes then had Kraigg Brathwaite lbw for 12. Broad bowled Shai Hope before lunch and got Roston Chase after it.
BRIEF SCORES:
England 469/9d & 129/3d (B Stokes 78*) beat West Indies 287 & 198 (S Brooks 62, J Blackwood 55, J Holder 35; S Broad 3/42, B Stokes 2/30, C Woakes 2/34, D Bess 2/59) by 113 runs
ICA CHIEF URGES BCCI TO ACT ON DEMANDS
NEW DELHI: Indian Cricketers’ Association (ICA) president Ashok Malhotra on Monday urged the BCCI to look into the body’s long-standing demands, saying the ageing former players cannot wait “forever”.
The demands include pension for former players who have played less than 25 first-class games, pension for widows of ex-cricketers, increase in medical insurance from R5 lakh to R10 lakh and a benevolent fund to Manoj Prabhakar. “It has been close to 10 months (since the Sourav Ganguly-led BCCI took charge) but nothing has happened for the former players,” Malhotra told PTI.
PAKISTAN’S AMIR TO JOIN ENGLAND TOUR ISLAMABAD:MOHAMMAD Amir will join Pakistan’s tour of England having originally withdrawn from the squad citing personal reasons, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) said on Monday.
The 28-year-old pulled out so he could be at the birth of his second child in August, but his daughter was born last week.
Amir will have to test negative for the coronavirus twice before travelling to England.
AUS TOUR OF ENGLAND FROM SEPT 4: REPORT MELBOURNE: Australia’s “bio-secure” tour of England comprising three T20IS and as many ODIS will begin on September 4, according to a report.
The Daily Telegraph reported that the tour will start with T20IS on September 4, 6 and 8, followed by the ODIS on September 10, 12 and 15. As per the report, the Aussies will fly in a private jet.