Lessons learned from hard-fought Test defeat

West Indies were left to wonder what might have been following a harsh lesson on the fourth day at Trent Bridge.

Three and a half days of competitive, hard-fought, and at times stunning Test cricket from the Men in Maroon was usurped by a runaway final session that saw England win the match by 241 runs.

Set a target of 385 after bowling England out for the third time in three innings, West Indies made a confident start.

Captain Kraigg Brathwaite and Mikyle Louis added a second fifty plus opening stand at a good rate, but once Chris Woakes broke the partnership England charged through the order.

Off-spinner Shoaib Bashir ripped through the engine room that had batted so brilliantly in the first innings to leave Kavem Hodge and Alick Athanaze with distinctly different emotions second time around.

Jason Holder’s 37 and 14 from Joshua Da Silva briefly held England at bay but the momentum was with the home side and when Shamar Joseph was the final wicket to fall with the score on 143 the game was up.

It was a bitter pill to swallow for a West Indies team that had played with such character to bounce back from the first Test.

Even earlier on the fourth day Jayden Seales had again showed his whole-hearted skill and commitment in taking 4-97 to wind up the England second innings, including the wicket of Harry Brook for 109.

Brathwaite admitted it was an experience his players simply had to learn from as they continue to develop as a Test side.

He said: “The main thing is to learn from this. It is gone, it is history and we can’t bring it back. Test cricket always brings challenges and it is important we learn from the different situations we find ourselves in.” (CWI)