Brathwaite, Blackwood centuries stymie England in third Test

Centuries by West Indies’ Kraigg Brathwaite and Jermaine Blackwood stymied a frustrated England on day three of the second Test in Barbados on Friday in a match that increasingly seems headed for a draw.

Their 183-run fourth-wicket stand lifted West Indies to 288 for four in their first innings, still 219 runs behind England at stumps.

Blackwood, who would have gone lbw for a duck if England had reviewed the decision, finally went shortly before the close for 102, plumb lbw when not offering a shot to spinner Jack Leach.

Barbadian Brathwaite was an immovable object as he played with the utmost of caution in taking 278 balls to reach his 10th test century.

He received a warm ovation upon reaching his ton at his home ground even from many England fans in a mostly full Kensington Oval.

Opener Brathwaite has been on the field for every minute of the first three days, displaying a powerful sense of concentration that has never wavered.

He was 109 at stumps, with nightwatchman Alzarri Joseph on four. Though he has a mediocre batting average of barely 33, Brathwaite has been a West Indies mainstay for more than a decade and knows how to occupy the crease.

Lucky Blackwood

He was supported on Friday by a sometimes lucky Blackwood, who should have been sent packing twice and England both times had only themselves to blame.

The Jamaican was rapped on the pad by Ben Stokes for what would have been a duck, but England erred in opting not to review the on-field not out call because ball-tracking showed it would have hit the middle of leg stump.

Blackwood had another life on 65 when bowled by a yorker, a no-ball call foiling what would have been debutant Saqib Mahmood’s first Test wicket.

The England bowlers toiled honestly but lacked the cutting-edge penetration needed to beat the bat regularly on a placid pitch, with none of their pacemen averaging much more than 80 miles-per-hour (130 kph).

Spinner Leach sent down 44 tidy overs, landing the ball on a proverbial dinner plate with monotonous regularity but only occasionally beating the bat.

After last week’s first Test in the three-match series was drawn, the current contest also seems most likely to end in a stalemate unless England can pick up some quick wickets on Saturday morning.

The day had started well for England when they picked up two wickets in a morning session highlighted by several extremely close lbw calls.

Leach had Shamarh Brooks (39) caught at backward point by a mis-hit cut, while Stokes trapped the dangerous Bonner lbw for nine, the on-field decision standing when a review showed that the ball would have clipped the top of middle stump.

Blackwood later survived another close lbw decision before lunch.