ANTIGUA AND BARBUDA : Kemar Roach and captain Jason Holder led another rout of the England batting line-up as the West Indies completed a crushing series-clinching 10-wicket victory after tea on the third day of the second Test at the Sir Vivian Richards Stadium in Antigua on Saturday.
Trailing by 119 runs at the start of the second innings after Darren Bravo’s ultra-patient half-century extended the West Indies first innings total to 306 in the morning, England were demolished for 132 with Roach and Holder claiming four wickets each.
Openers Kraigg Brathwaite and John Campbell then enjoyed the formality of knocking off the 14 runs required for victory in 2.1 overs, Campbell sealing the result in style by hoisting James Anderson for six over midwicket.
Following on a 381-run hammering of the visitors in the first Test in Barbados a week earlier, the result gave the West Indies the series 2-0 with the final match of the rubber starting next Saturday in St Lucia.
West Indies have also reclaimed the Wisden Trophy, symbol of supremacy in Test series between the two teams, after almost 10 years in England’s hands.
These two comprehensive victories also mark the first occasion since the 1994 tour of the Caribbean that the West Indies have beaten England in successive Tests.
“We’re hungry for success,” said a delighted Holder.
“This group has been together for a while and we have been doing some exceptional things. The way we ended last year was disappointing and everyone wanted to turn things around.”
A dejected England captain Joe Root said: “It’s been frustrating. I think we’ve been outperformed once again and that’s quite hard to take.
“As a bowling group I thought we worked exceptionally hard. Scoring under 200 isn’t going to win you many games of cricket.”
While Roach (four for 52, match analysis of eight for 82) and Holder (four for 43) claimed the main bowling honours, fellow pacer Alzarri Joseph’s contribution was especially significant given that he decided to continue playing the match despite the passing of his ailing mother, Sharon, early in the morning.
He claimed the wickets of Root and debutant opener Joe Denly just before the end of the afternoon session after Holder made the first two breakthroughs in removing Rory Burns and Jonny Bairstow after an opening partnership of 35.
Roach, who earned the “Man of the Match” award, then took over in tandem with Holder after tea, triggering England’s final slide to humiliation by bowling Ben Stokes off the inside-edge as six wickets tumbled for 44 runs, Joseph taking a diving, sprawling catch at mid-on off his captain to dismiss Anderson and end another abject batting display by a team ranked number three in Tests.
