Next level celebrappeals and Roach joins the elite... TEST MATCH TALKING POINTS

SAM MORSHEAD picks out some of the standout stories of the day's play as England took control of the third Test against West Indies at Emirates Old Trafford

Scorecard

Broad the showman

Is there a more entertaining sight in Test cricket than Stuart Broad swinging from the hip?

On Saturday morning, England’s bandana-ed No.10 produced the sort of innings which would have emptied bars if they had been open inside Old Trafford in the first place.

Driving heartily over the covers and pulling with power at anything short, Broad compiled his best Test score in seven years - a blitzkrieg 62 off just 45 deliveries - to take England from the edge of collapse to a first-innings total of real substance.

It acted as a reminder of the 34-year-old’s abilities with the bat, and a growing conviction in his own technique, which took such a battering when he was struck by Varun Aaron on this ground in 2014.

Aesthetically, it was not exactly gracious but, oh my, was it effective. West Indies, who had chugged through England’s middle order with a spell of four wickets for 18 runs in 24 balls, were left punchdrunk as Broad smacked the second fastest half-century in any Test played in this country (33 deliveries) and the third fastest by an Englishman.

By the time he was finally dismissed, heaving a Roston Chase full toss down deep midwicket’s throat, he had changed the complexion of the innings. 

The story of Broad’s batting decline is widely documented, but in 2020 he’s been the allrounder he once promised to be: a batting average of 42 and bowling average of just over 18 across five Tests. 

^{Stuart Broad raises his bat after reaching his half-century}

The curse of the overnight interview

For a long time, the suggestion of an England batsman being put up for media interviews when not out overnight would have been met with scowls and derision.

As the former BBC cricket correspondent Pat Murphy mentioned on Friday, Michael Vaughan was not even made available for a chat in 2002 after strolling off at The Oval unbeaten on 182 against India.

Instead, he was bundled secretively out of the ground by security staff, leading a spokesperson for series sponsor npower to say at the time: “It is disappointing that an opportunity to promote a magnificent innings and day's cricket has been missed." 

The England PR operation is a very different beast now, though, and at the close of play yesterday Ollie Pope - nine runs shy of his first home Test ton - sat in Sky Sports’ diary room and then in front of a written press Zoom conference within minutes of leaving the field of play.

Hopefully, what happened on Saturday morning will not affect that state of play going forwards.

Pope never looked comfortable during his brief return from the crease, was dropped at first slip by Rahkeem Cornwall and then played across a fizzing straight’un from Shannon Gabriel without adding to his overnight tally.

The Surrey youngster, shadow batting the push through mid-on he really should have played, will have to wait for his second century for his country. That surely won’t be too long.

Pope has all the ability, tenacity and mental strength to be a mainstay in this England side for years to come. Let’s hope he’ll be happy to speak about his work throughout.

^{Ollie Pope was bowled for 91}

Kemar’s groove

When Kemar Roach rattled Chris Woakes’ stumps via the bottom edge early on day two, he reached a significant milestone.

Woakes was the 200th Test wicket of a career which remains criminally underrated.

Roach became the first West Indies bowler to reach a double century of victims since Sir Curtly Ambrose way back in 1994.

He joins an illustrious list of bowling greats from the Caribbean, and when Roach’s numbers are compared against these legends of the game the calibre of his career is put into proper perspective.

The Bajan averages 27.34 and has collected his 201 scalps in 59 Tests. Andy Roberts, among the finest bowlers of his generation in the 1970s and early 1980s, claimed his 202 from 47 matches, at a slightly superior average but inferior strike rate.

Only 11 seamers worldwide have more Test wickets in the years since Roach’s debut, of whom just five have a better strike rate. 

At 32, his time at the top of the game might be a little limited - though there are examples at both the top of the Windies’ all-time list and among the opposition side at Emirates Old Trafford to suggest otherwise - and it’s not easy to guess at how many more rungs up the wicket-taking ladder he might climb, especially given the paucity of Test cricket played by the Caribbean nations in the modern calendar.

Garfield Sobers’ 235 is certainly achievable, and Michael Holding’s 249. Joel Garner, with 259 Test wickets, may also be overhauled. That would leave Roach fifth among legends. All this might be hypothetical, but that it is possible is testament to his durability and performance levels in the 11 years since his debut. 

“It’s a good feeling, getting to that bracket is an honour. I hope to keep going from strength to strength and getting more wickets for the West Indies,” he said on Saturday.

“It took a lot out of me to adjust, bowling high 80s to 90s then coming down to low 80s. It’s been tough for me but I keep working hard, keep learning every day and putting in good performances.

“A lot of hard work to come. It’s an honour to be on that list. It’s all about keeping working hard and striving to improve game after game.”

During a difficult period for West Indies cricket, and its bowling in particular, Roach is a stand-out success story.

Woakes’ woes

But for Stuart Broad’s cameo, England’s elongated tail would have been horribly exposed at Old Trafford - and this throws up the need for an urgent conversation about Chris Woakes the batsman.

Woakes is an invaluable part of the bowling attack in English conditions - 75 Test wickets at less than 23 apiece is testament to that, and there are few better exponents of lateral movement on these shores. However, over the past two years his impact as an allrounder has been substantially diluted by a trot of meagre returns with the bat.

In 2019, the Warwickshire man averaged 14.77, with a top score of 37. So far this year, he’s only reached double figures once and averages less than nine.

It’s a steep decline, but there’s no reason it has to be terminal. It is just two years since his magnificent unbeaten 137 at Lord’s against India, and batsmanship does not disappear overnight. 

Right now, though, Woakes is being employed as a Test No.7 on the basis of two-year-old form. Dom Bess has shown both in this series and during his breakthrough campaign against Pakistan in 2018 that he is more than capable, and in this particular line-up at this particular time makes much more sense at seven.

Longer term, neither really fit the mould. 

The lack of time at the crease facing a red ball may have a bearing, and the coronavirus-impacted summer has not given opportunities for those out of nick to use county appearances to rediscover rhythm.

Beyond that, however, the question needs to be asked: what can England do to avoid Woakes’ batting from continuing to freefall? 

^{Chris Woakes has struggled with the bat of late}

A watercolour dismissal

Spare a thought for Shai Hope this evening.

West Indies’ No.3 has been in a rut so uncomfortable he must be at risk of developing trench foot: no Test century since 2017, one Test fifty in two years, and no score above 25 since January 2019. 

It’s at times like these that cricketers of all abilities need a bit of good fortune. Hope got nothing of the sort on Saturday.

He had dug his way into an uninspiring innings, combative and compact. He ate up 63 balls in making 17, almost enough time to claim he had played himself in. There was genuine resolve, a desire to prove a point.

And then… Jimmy Anderson.

England’s record wicket-taker line one up to make Hope play, shaped the delivery into the pads, secured a pinch of movement off a length, and found its way into Jos Buttler’s gloves via the faintest of edges.

Hope semi-shrugged as he wandered back to the Windies dressing room, and it was impossible not to feel sorry for him.

That was one of Anderson’s watercolours, at a time when Hope desperately needed him to be chucking down crayons and playdough. 

Next level celebrappealing

If you do one thing this evening, find a video of Stuart Broad’s dismissal of Roston Chase.

We all know Broad is fond of his celebrappeal but this was next level stuff; a furious fist pump and scream of delight before the finger had even been raised.

To make things even more ridiculous, DRS showed the ball’s trajectory would have been enough only to brush off the bails.

Never change.

Out with the finger wag, in with the fist pump 👀 #ENGvWI pic.twitter.com/PnNNHHfrl4

— The Cricketer (@TheCricketerMag) July 25, 2020