It was slightly strange sight to see James Anderson sitting in the pavilion at Trent Bridge doing a crossword with head coach Brendon McCullum while a Test match was going on.
This is the first Test match in a dozen years where England are not playing with Anderson or Stuart Broad in their team at home and their bowling attack exposed some areas that may need fine-tuning.
West Indies frustrated the hosts on day two of the second Test with Kavem Hodge scoring a maiden ton as the tourists closed on 351-5, just 65 runs behind.
Trent Bridge posed England with a different test to Lord’s, with their bowling on a sun-baked wicket described by Sky Sports pundit Broad as “indifferent” as they struggled to find the same rhythm they strung together in the series opener.
Gus Atkinson – who starred on debut last week with a 12-wicket match haul – was entrusted to bowl with the new ball for just the eighth time in first-class cricket, and managed to bounce out West Indies skipper Kraigg Brathwaite after Stokes deployed a short-ball plan.
Wood breaks record before injury worry
One of the main highlights for England was Mark Wood’s pace and aggression. He clocked 97.1mph and broke the record for the fastest over by an England bowler in a home Test.
Wood’s pace offered the spectators real theatre with Stokes and Joe Root encouraging them to get behind the bowler.
However, he remained luckless throughout the day, inducing 20 plays and misses but failing to take a wicket, with the closest he came when Root dropped Hodge at slip on 16.
Wood pulled up one ball into his 15th over and left the field late on but England assistant coach Paul Collingwood expects the seamer to be “fine”, adding: “He had a smile on his face at the end.
“I think if he was worried it’s something serious he’d be pretty distraught but he seems pretty chipper.”
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Joe Root dropped Hodge on 16 to deny Mark Wood a wicket in Nottingham
Missed opportunity for England?
Shoaib Bashir was largely excellent with his line and length as he picked up his first wickets on English soil but West Indies capitalised on the bad balls he did offer up.
The England dressing room won’t mind that, given their Bazball philosophy, but it allowed the tourists to eat into the hosts’ lead and bounce back from their Lord’s thrashing.
“It may feel like a day of missed opportunity slightly as there were patches where the ball swung,” said Broad.
“But these guys have played a lot of cricket at Trent Bridge and know that on days two and three it is tough to get wickets if the sun is out. I think England were slightly indifferent.
“Wood was absolutely magnificent and to finish with no wickets after so many plays and misses, extreme pace and great theatre. You could see in his body language that there was pure frustration.”
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England spinner Shoaib Bashir picked up his first wickets at home as Mikyle Louis and Kirk McKenzie played poor shots
Mistake to start with Woakes after lunch?
England also chose to open the bowling with Chris Woakes after lunch, instead of using the pace on offer from Atkinson or Wood, so was that a misstep?
“I was surprised Woakes opened up after lunch. If I was the West Indies, I’d be thinking he’s probably the one I’d like to face,” said former Australia international Mel Jones.
“Then the bowlers’ lengths started to drag back because of the pressure the West Indies started to apply.”
England will need to adjust to the post-Anderson and Broad era, particularly as they build towards the Ashes in 2025/26.
It was a challenging day in the field and it is a work in progress but who better to learn from than Anderson as their mentor?
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An emotional Hodge celebrated wildly after scoring his first Test century for West Indies
England’s Test series vs West Indies
Watch day three of the second Test between England and West Indies, from Trent Bridge in Nottingham, live on Sky Sports Cricket from 10am on Saturday (first ball to be bowled at 11am).
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