England team didn’t off to an expected start on their tour of Caribbean. The host West Indies thrashed them by 381 runs to take a 1-0 lead in the three-match series. Joe Root failed miserably in the opening game, where England’s first innings was concluded for just mere 77 runs on the board. Kemar Roach was the main reason behind this collapse of England.
Meanwhile, Root has survived an injury scare going into the second Test at Antigua. According to the news published by The Guardian, he was struck twice on his hand while practicing in the nets ahead of the game. Though, he was lucky to get away with those blows and was later cleared to play in the match.
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The incident occurred during the second practice session of the morning, where Root was hit by a throwdown from team analyst Rupert Lewis. It hit him on the left hand after the ball reared up from a normal length. After a while, he got hit on his right thumb by the fitness coach Phil Scott and soon was seen taking medical help from team doctor Gurj Bhogal.
Afterward, the England skipper switched the nets and started practicing with team coach Trevor Bayliss. But he looked in some trouble as he was releasing his hand off the bat very often and shaking it in the pain. Though, at the end of the day, Root announced himself fit to play the second Test on the eve of the match.
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Amidst, Coach Bayliss urged his players to pull up their sleeves and show some determination in the next game. It is a ‘now or never’ situation for England, who neither played fast bowling or spin bowling well in the first Test at Barbados. First, it was Roach’s roaring pace who undone the whole batting line-up. In the second essay, spinner Roston Chase ran through their batting line-up with an eight-wicket haul.
Windies are all likely to field another fast bowler in the form of Oshane Thomas, who is known for some raw pace. The second Test match will be played from January 31 in Sir Vivian Richards Stadium, Antigua.
