Motie Shines as West Indies Fight Back on Day 2 at Lord’s
On a riveting second morning at Lord’s, England’s batters made steady progress against a determined West Indies attack. Left-arm spinner Gudakesh Motie emerged as the star of the session, dismissing England skipper Ben Stokes and veteran Joe Root in impressive fashion.
Resuming the day at 293/6, England added 104 runs in the opening 28 overs, with Harry Brook (50) and Root (68) leading the charge. Brook’s aggressive knock, which included several authoritative strokes square of the wicket, was brought to an end by a sharp bouncer from Alzarri Joseph.
However, Root continued to anchor the innings, showcasing his trademark elegance and timing. The England talisman brought up his 93rd fifty-plus score in Test cricket, cementing his place among the format’s top-10 highest run-scorers.
“Just before the lunch interval, the tall left-arm spinner Motie struck twice in quick succession. First, he clean-bowled Stokes with a delivery that turned sharply and found the gap between bat and pad. In the penultimate over before the break, Root was left stunned as Motie’s arm ball uprooted his off-stump, much to the delight of the West Indies fielders.”
Motie’s timely interventions halted England‘s progress and highlighted his value as a specialist spinner in the side, vindicated by his selection over the more batting-inclined Kevin Sinclair. The visitors will be hoping his guile and accuracy can help them claw their way back into the contest on the third day.
With England now holding a commanding 172-run lead, the match remains finely poised, setting the stage for an intriguing battle between bat and ball in the coming days.
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