England’s Chris Woakes celebrates with teammates after taking the wicket of West Indies’ Mikyle Louis, caught out by Jamie Smith during day 5 at Trent Bridge on July 21.
| Photo Credit: Reuters
West Indies collapsed in the evening session as England won the second Test by 241 runs with rookie spinner Shoaib Bashir taking 5-41 after hundreds from Joe Root and Harry Brook set up the series-clinching win at Trent Bridge.
Root (122) and Brook (109), the long-reigning king of England’s batting unit and his heir apparent, reeled off classy centuries to pave the way for a sprint to victory on the fourth evening of the Test.
Root hit his 32nd Test ton on Sunday to move only one century behind England great Alastair Cook.
England took an insurmountable 2-0 lead in the three-test series.
Chasing an unlikely target of 385 after England’s second-innings 425 all out, the tourists were demolished for 143 in just 36.1 overs as Bashir did the damage.
The 20-year-old, who did not get a single over in the first test at Lord’s, justified the selection gamble that saw him fast-tracked ahead of the established Jack Leach this summer as he took the role of fourth-innings finisher.
Bashir removed Kirk McKenzie, Kavem Hodge and Alick Athanaze in the space of three overs to derail the tourists before cleaning up Jason Holder and last man Shamar Joseph.
“I think what Bash has done today is to show the world what he can do,” England captain Ben Stokes said.
“That wicket hardly offered anything for a spinner throughout the whole test match and look at what he was able to do today.”
It was a perfect finale for England’s first home test without Stuart Broad or James Anderson since 2012. England’s attack was in clinical mood as it forced a dramatic West Indies collapse from 61 without loss to 91-6.
Chris Woakes got things moving by dismissing both openers, Mark Wood added a dash of raw pace and Gus Atkinson picked up two.
But it was fitting for Bashir, the youngest member of a revamped XI, to apply the killer blow as he clean bowled Joseph.
Captain Kraigg Brathwaite top-scored for West Indies with 47 before he was caught behind off Woakes (2-28). Holder scored 37.
Earlier, England already had a healthy lead of 207 and seven wickets in hand at the start of the fourth day. Yorkshire duo Root and Brook stretched their partnership to 189 as both men progressed to impressive hundreds.
A sprinted single on 99 showed Brook’s hunger to experience a first test hundred on home soil. Brook’s four previous tons had come at Rawalpindi, Multan, Karachi and Wellington, but his fifth will go down as a special one in front of his own fans.
Root was more measured, scoring with a gentle ease that made the job look remarkably straightforward. The shot that took him to three figures was just his seventh boundary, though he quickly followed with a trademark reverse scoop to remind onlookers of the higher gears at his disposal.
By the end of his stay Root had moved up to eighth on the all-time test run-scorers list, just 13 away from West Indies great Brian Lara.
Brook flat-footed on the cut and Root chipped to cover, but they had already done more than enough. The hosts finished on 425, taking a slice of history as the only England side to pass 400 in both innings of a test.
It was an unlucky 13 overs for England with the new ball as the West Indies openers rode their luck to make a bright start to their chase.
But when it changed, it changed fast. England took wickets in each of their next four overs, turning solid foundations into sand.
England won the first test at Lord’s by an innings and 114 runs. Edgbaston will host the third and final test, starting Friday.
