England are in a commanding position as they eye a series sweep of the West Indies at Edgbaston, closing day two of the third Test 61 runs ahead, with the tourists 33-2 in their second innings.
In reply to the West Indies’ first-innings 282, Jamie Smith led the way in England’s total of 376 before falling five agonising runs short of a maiden Test hundred.
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The home side had initially appeared in all sorts of trouble at 54-5 after Ollie Pope (10) and Harry Brook (2) both fell cheaply on the second morning.
But Joe Root (87) and skipper Ben Stokes (54) first recovered the innings with a century stand through to lunch, before Smith hammered 95 off 109 balls and Chris Woakes added a 62-run flourish to secure a 94-run lead.
England’s dominance was only strengthened further with two quick wickets in the closing hour’s play as Woakes (1-8) accounted for West Indies captain Kraigg Brathwaite (0) in the very first over, while Kirk McKenzie (8) then fell to Gus Atkinson (1-16) to wrap a miserable series in which he has averaged 5.5.
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Earlier, Root passed 12,000 Test runs on his way to a 63rd Test fifty, leapfrogging West Indies legend Brian Lara into seventh among the all-time leading run-scorers in the format.
Yet he should have been gone in the second over of the day, for just three, with replays showing he would have been given out had the tourists reviewed an lbw appeal from Jayden Seales.
Shamar Joseph (2-63) removed Pope seven balls later, chopping onto his stumps, and Seales (3-79) instead earned reward for a probing opening spell by picking up Brook caught behind in his next over.
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But despite the early breakthroughs, to go with the three prized out the previous evening, run-scoring still came far too easy for England, with Root in particular quickly into his stride to make the most of his earlier reprieve, racing to a 68-ball fifty.
Stokes was soon stepping on the accelerator too, slog-sweeping Gudakesh Motie into the Hollies Stand for six as the partnership ticked past the 100 mark on the stroke of lunch.
It’s why the England captain cut a particularly frustrated figure when giving his wicket away – caught on the hook at square leg – in the third over back after the interval, having just notched his half century. Alzarri Joseph (4-122), claiming his 100th wicket, was more than happy to accept the gift.
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Smith ensured England didn’t cede the momentum, with the attacking keeper-batsman boshing Alzarri into the stands for six off just his 11th ball to signal his intent.
He and Root added a further 62 for the seventh wicket, until Motie (1-61) got one to keep low and skid through to finally see the back of Root lbw.
Smith too fell foul to a grubber from Shamar that knocked back his off stump, but not before he and Woakes put on a scintillating century partnership, either side of a rain-extended tea break, that secured England a sizeable lead against an increasingly weary looking West Indies outfit in the field.
Woakes brought up a 65-ball fifty, while Gus Atkinson (21) twice sent Alzarri into the stands before perishing when attempting the hat-trick, ending the innings.
Woakes swiftly set about his work with ball in hand, bowling Brathwaite for a duck with a devastating delivery that angled in and straightened enough to beat the edge and flatten off stump.
Atkinson then almost had a wicket first ball with a big lbw shout against Mikyle Louis (18no), and the opener continuing to live a charmed life through to the close – he nearly chopped on to Woakes, was dropped on nine by Stokes at mid-off and survived on ‘umpire’s call’ to a toe-crushing Mark Wood yorker that was sent to DRS.
England were at least rewarded with a second wicket as McKenzie nicked off to Atkinson, with the West Indies otherwise nervously nudging their way to 33-2 by stumps.
Watch day three of the third Test between England and West Indies, from Edgbaston in Birmingham, live on Sky Sports Cricket from 10.15am on Sunday (first ball to be bowled at 11am).
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