Paul Collingwood hails tireless England after gruelling day three

GEORGE DOBELL IN ANTIGUA: The interim head coach described the tourists' bowling effort as one of the best he has seen in Test cricket, as West Indies surged into a 62-run lead

Paul Collingwood has praised his England side for “one of the best efforts I’ve seen in Test cricket” after a tough day in the field in Antigua.

England were unable to prevent West Indies from building a first-innings lead on the third afternoon but, despite not being able to bowl them out in 157 overs, Collingwood felt his bowlers demonstrated a “superb attitude” in demanding conditions.

In particular, he was impressed that they managed to concede just 171 runs in 90.1 overs across the day. 

And he was especially full of praise for Ben Stokes, who came into the game expecting to play a reduced role as a bowler, but who has so far delivered 28 economical overs.

“Am I disappointed in the bowlers? Absolutely not,” said Collingwood, England’s interim head coach. “I thought today was probably one of the best efforts I've seen in an England shirt in Test cricket.

“To go for 170 runs and five wickets on that today is a pretty good effort, especially backing that up from two sessions in the field yesterday. I thought the fitness levels the guys showed and the attitude in the field was exceptional.

“It was tough, hard work out there. It's a placid pitch. It's a docile pitch. I think all of us expected it to break up a lot more than it has done and start turning. 

“Sometimes you can look at the scoreboard and see you haven’t bowled them out but I thought the attitude was superb today.

It was a day of near-misses for the tourists (Randy Brooks/Getty Images)

“I think if you know anything about cricket, then you'll realise how that pitch is playing. And when that's ball goes soft it's not doing much. 

"You've seen all the way throughout the day the efforts the bowlers have put in right to the last ball. And of course, it's disappointing not to bowl them out. But you can't fault the effort.”

Collingwood admitted there had been concern in the England dressing room about the volume of overs bowled by Stokes.

“Yes, of course, it was a concern,” Collingwood said. “He’s a battler. He wants to be in the competition and when you lose overs from somewhere else, he’ll want to makeovers up.

"That’s what sort of character he is. He wants to put his body on the line all the time. He loves playing for England and he wants to win games.

“I’ve captained him before and he’s very difficult in those situations. He wants the ball.

"As much as you tell him not to bowl and be careful he’s proven today that the work that he’s done over the last few weeks to get his body right has been exceptional and thankfully today he’s come through it.

“On pitches that aren’t doing anything you want him to do a holding role and he played that role really well."

“It's fair to say that he declared himself fit to bowl in this first innings. None of us were expecting that many overs out of him.

Obviously, we had to be pretty cautious with the approach but then Ben being Ben, he went out there and felt great.

"He’s done everything so far on this tour to get himself fit. His attitude has been absolutely superb. And he’s shown today what kind of a warrior he is.”

Collingwood had warm words, too, for Jack Leach, but did not provide an especially confident update on the fitness of Mark Wood.

“Jack went superbly,” he said. “If he bowls like that on wickets that are more responsive then he’s going to take wickets. He was accurate, he had dip on the ball and everything he gave was really good.

“On pitches that aren’t doing anything you want him to do a holding role and he played that role really well. To bowl 40-odd overs and for Ben Foakes to only take five balls off him shows how much the pitch was turning – pretty much nil. He’s done a great job for the team today.

“Woody is pretty sore at the moment. We're going to have to assess him overnight and see if he is going to be available for the second inning.

Bonner struck a Test-best 123 on day three (Randy Brooks/Getty Images)

“He didn't feel that confident this morning and then he got it strapped up and bowled a good spell for us. We'll get the anti-inflammatories into him overnight, get him iced up and see how he is tomorrow.

“You need those kinds of guys, 90mph guys who can reverse swing the ball in these conditions. They are gold dust. So it will be disappointing if he's not involved in the second innings.”

Nkrumah Bonner, meanwhile, admitted there had been moments when he feared a career in cricket might pass him by but insisted he had retained faith in his ability.

Bonner made his Test debut a little over a year ago at the age of 32 and despite a first-class average of 28. He now has two Test centuries and an average well in excess of 40.

“Sometimes,” he replied when asked if he had experienced fears about the sustainability of a career in the game. “There has been ups and downs for me but I always keep the faith and keep believing and finally it’s paid off.

“All of my runs are always gritty. I’m not a free-scoring guy. I’m very disciplined. My power is my concentration.

“It was very emotional, for sure. Cool bumps take up all of my body. Getting some runs against England is always a good feeling, especially against a team under some pressure, it’s a good feeling.”