England vs West Indies, 2nd Test, West Indies tour of England, 2017 - CommentaryENG vs WI, 2nd Test, West Indies tour of England, 2017 - Commentary

KP: Can't think of when last Windies win a Test match in England? -- 2000 at Edgbaston.

Krishna Chaitanya: Windies are scripting a new tale here. Showing the world that they can bat long, that they can bowl their hearts out to get the opposition out.That even though once lost they can find their way back home and above all showing the world that THEY CAN WIN.

Saristh: Can anyone tell me what were the odds of Windies winning this Test before this game? -- Don't know about the odds. But no one at had given Windies a chance even before the start of the series.

Divyu: Why a test match can't be played in flood lights? If a one day can be played. -- They just did, at Edgbaston.

Anbu: Do you think England should have batted till all out as me? -- No. Root did the right thing. He went for a win.

Algy: I'm an England supporter - but really hoping West Indies to win!!! -- Most of them are.

Jagadeesh: It will be awesome if Windies win this thriller. Whose side you are on???? -- Cricket's side.

Parth: No extra overs if result is close? -- Nope. 13.5 overs only.

nuka shrinivas: What an awesome session of Test cricket.. love this.. heart says Windies, but brain says whoever keeps calm nerves should win. Whatever may be the result.. cricket will be the ultimate winner.. and we fans are enthralled.

Shivam Joshi: If there isn't sufficient light, will 90 overs be completed in flood lights or not? -- The floodlights are already on. So, we will get all the allotted overs.

Wilfred: New ball leaks runs, why England take the cherry? They don't want wickets? -- It also brings wickets, Wilfred.

Bala Ramana says: "Time for some big hits?" --- Well, Blackwood was nearly out three times in the recent over

Ratheen says:: "Can light play a spoil sport? Any updates there" --- Is overcast. We will have to wait and see

VK says:: "I have pulled my IPL friend, holding his collar in front of the TV set, saying, "I will show you what test cricket is!" Hopefully the next 25 overs will live up to my expectations. Can't wait for the new ball."

Salam Javed says:: A victory here will bring smile to all cricket lovers

Gabriel says:: Will Joe Root bowl today???

Yuktesh says:: This match is going towards an ODI finish! And Windies are goooood at that!

Pranay Reddy says: If West Indies and Bangladesh go on to win their respective matches, this week will be remembered as "Renaissance" period of test cricket!

Devansh Saraswat: Amazed by the grit and determination showed by these two lads. The way Windies players have pulled themselves up after that last defeat is quite commendable.

Manmohan Tiwary: Test cricket pushes people to the limit and tests their for mental strength and character, not just their endurance level for a day. A good Test sucks you in session by session, until you're left cursing that you must return the next day to find out what happens next. Just like this match. -- Super thrilled, eh?

Merviq: 40 Overs x 3 runs = 120 + 2 sixes from Holder = 132.

PRANAV CHHABRA: "Never forget what you are.The rest of the world will not. Wear it like an armor and it can never be used to hurt you again." I think these lines were said in the Windies dressing room. Hoping for a Caribbean win.

Anthony Lobo: Really impressed with what WI has done today and that too against England in England and after loosing the toss. well done WI. Fingers crossed though...

abhiee: Chaderpaul is also batting on 76 in the same country. In County cricket of course -- Gee, what coincidence

Kaushik Rangarajan: My Goodness..!!! what a comeback by the young Windies team after criticism and these two batsmen taking their team marching towards victory. Must have learnt lessons!! Aren't they?

Anami Gupta: Test match going into the final Session of the final Day with all the 3 result Possible. That's the beauty of Test cricket.

Bindusar: Are England bowlers getting tired or is the pitch easy to bat on or are the Windies batsmen just playing well? -- Surely, a combination of all three

Ananthu Tantry: This partnership reminds me of the g'old'en days when Chanderpaul and Sarwan used to help Windies out of dangerous situations.

Pal: Irrespective of the outcome, this is a very spirited comeback from West Indies! I really hope they win it.

Avnish: What is this survival talk for WI? They can win from here. 208 in 62 overs, RRR 3.35, CRR 3.35!

Krishna: In Nolan's Style, "Hope" is the weapon and Survival is the victory for Windies

Simon Veh says: Almost every team based field sport has instant repercussions for bad behavior, from time outs to send offs to long term bans. I think Cricket should start with the instant short term send offs. Imagine a bowler asked to leave mid way through his over, or even a batsman, the consequences are hard

Shubham Yadav says: @cricbuzz I feel that the idea of giving demerit points to players on the field on the basis of their behavior is fair enough but should be done in a better way. Things tends to happen in a game out of frustration or excitement but one should not be penalized to an extent that they miss out on games.

Parth says: "England did a similar thing against India by declaring in 2008 with a lead of 387, with 4 sessions to go and the rest is history. WI needs a "Sehwagish" performance to get this one."

SRK: It has been quite a busy day, juggling between work and all the many tabs on Cricbuzz

Lizzy: I can't believe how many people watch Test cricket in England. The crowd is like how it would be in a T20. Great to see, but don't they have something more important to do? -- As confirmed by our correspondent Rob earlier, Today is a Bank Holiday and ticket prices have been reduced to just £15 per adult and £5 for kids.

Vijay: Go Windies Go (at least now publish my comments)

Amit: Can anyone plz tell me how many times exactly has Root been dismissed on the score of 72? I've seen that quite a lot. -- Surprisingly, it's the first time he got out on 72 in Test cricket

Sanket: This has been a Cook like innings from Dawid Malan

HIMESH PANDIT: The main difference between the WI and England is the slip catching.England are far ahead of WI in terms of catching. Every time Root and stokes had been dropped and they have taken full advantage of that and taken their team out of trouble

Pradyut V Hande says: One short, quick burst from Gabriel to prize out Stokes could just be the medicine the doctor orders.

Rohan Muzumdar says: What captaincy by Holder, throwing the ball to Bishoo after eternity and that too when 2 left handers are at the crease, Wow!

Sahil Jain says: While everyone is talking about the 4th innings, WI first need to bowl out England.

Kaul says: Recently, in the last 3-4 years, it has always been a trend, If West Indies bat well in one innings, they are bound to collapse in the other. Now here Wi batted well in first innings, so they are not going to cross 200 in 4th innings

mickey says: i'm backing WI in this test, this series is alive... and so will be ODI series with gayle and samuels back... at least better than IND-SL series. great that WI are fighting hard.

mohd says: As a realist, I don't think WI will be able to chase anything above 200. And their recent history also shows that. Stay tuned to verify my predictions.

Ranjeet says: "Root has got 32 fifties and 13 tons in 59 games while Smith has 20 fifties and 20 tons in 55 games. Don't know who is more consistent" --- Well, class.

Madhav Dasari says: "There is no chance in this pitch for spinners. Why Not Bishoo?" --- The ball did spin yesterday but the pacers have been the harbingers of Windies' recovery, so perhaps continuing with them makes sense

Kp says: "It seems you people are tired of a long day, not taking any have your says." --- we have bottled it, clearly

Himesh pandit says: I think fielding is the main cause of concern for the WI team as the bowlers are bowling their hearts out and are testing the batsmen through their napping lines consistently. Every time Root has been dropped, he's cashed on that. Similarly Stokes was also dropped twice and he made a century.

Santana says: "Where's Bishoo?" --- In that part of Holder's brain where people are all but a memory, perhaps

Ruckus says:: "Bish-who?"

Sachin Bansal says: "Does England have a settled batting order going in the Ashes or are they still trying the different combination with Cook, Root, Stokes & Bairstow being the only sure starters?" --- There's a competition for the opening slot, and then the third seamer, who can either be Roland-Jones or Woakes

Bharath says: Seems like Stoneman might be the opener in the Ashes. He is batting well here under pressure.

Eldwin says: "A good ol' partnership of 100 odd could bake the West Indies here"

Sreeshailam G says: "Just to follow you guys, why're we digging about Stoneman?" --- Umm, not sure I have the answer for that but doesn't hurt to know more about Cook's latest opening partner. Ashes in sight, too

shalin says: "Do you fancy an innings win for Windies?" --- Far-fetched. I think because Windies bat last on this pitch, except for a dramatic collapse from England, and so the game hasn't gone too far away from Root and Co.

SKR: FRIENDS or How I Met Your Mother? --- Have you seen the latter's finale? Shambolic. Have you guys seen The Office?

Himesh pandit: Windies have given England the taste of their own medicine by having a big partnership of 246 runs between Braithwaite and Shai Hope like the way England did in the first innings of first Test

Mayank: "and what about sarabhai vs sarabhai. it was good" --- A categorically middle-class comedy

Frank Underwood: Warner, Blackwood and Matthews. That's three wickets across three tabs, all at once.. -- Whoa! Nice spot, Frank

M BALAJI VISWANATH: SUPERB innings from Jason Holder. After so many days WINDIES had scored 400+

Himanshu: I like how the English crowd is clapping for WI innings and batsman as well, this shows how they enjoy cricket unlike other places where people are just to support their teams and didn't applaud for good cricket if their team loses!!!

Saristh: "What all TV series have you watched? I find those references the best part of your commentary" --- I have no friends

Aparna T: Windies strategy should have been to see through jimmy Anderson overs & attack other bowlers from start of the day.

Subhash: England have missed Toby-Roland -Jones in this game. Woakes has been a pale shadow of his old self: pace has been generous and has bowled a tad short too. I take nothing away from Windies' batsmen, though.They should try to bat as long as possible: they shouldn't be complacent.

PRASANTH: "I have seen a lot of GOT references from you. Who do you think will sit on the Iron Throne?" --- I think it'll be Podrick Payne. Clearly, he's the most liked at the King's Landing!

JAY: CODE DECODED TO BLACKWOOD : BOUNCERS ON BODY LINE AND HE WILL DANCE ON BOWLERS' TUNE. He certainly didn't like your comment, Jay. Murdered a Anderson short ball through mid-wicket couple of balls ago

Raja venkatesh: This duo should take the lead at-least to 150 from now. then they will have the fair grip on the match ...What do you think @Cricbuzz ? -- Fair point. Anything over 150 would be more than handy with pitch still doing some tricks

GANESH: Jason Holder should play aggressive cricket

Supraksh: Gary Sobers & F Worrell(West Indies)--Highest 4th wicket partnership for West Indies is 399 against the same opposition England at Bridgetown in 06/01/1960. Hope that Shai Hope and Brathwaite can come closer to it or can break it!!!

Supraksh says: "West Indies batsmen, and bowlers too, have befittingly replied to the criticism they have faced over the last week. Fear that England may be handed an innings defeat." 

Amey says: "Any forecast of rain? That's the only thing which can unsettle the nicely set match" --- sunny right now and looks fine for the rest of the match, too

Ben says: hitting rock bottom doesn't mean you have to stay there. West Indies are proving that right now

Tanmay says: "Doesn't matter who wins, but this kind of innings will surely provide a boost to the Caribbean batting which is often vulnerable to a collapse. We might witness more clinical performances by the Windies in the longer format in due course of time."

Rajat says: "Do you earn more than me?" --- Do you earn in the currency of overs, too?

Abhishek: Well, can you tell us how much you earn? -- A goodnight's sleep if the Test match ends early

Harsh: I think it is the time for England to bring back their spinner. -- Message delivered to captain Root

Ravi Kumar: Just checked in - this is looking good for WI. Fingers crossed though!!

Subhash: What a refreshing sight this, and promising. Great to see two youngsters digging it out for their country: one flamboyant and the other stubborn. Hope these two bat long, for West Indies' Cricket sake, for Test Cricket's sake.

Nikhil: What does it take to do the job at cricbuzz ?? -- Eat cricket, sleep cricket! REPEAT!

Himesh pandit: If Windies can take a lead of around 130-140 then England will be under the pump I think and at the same time if WI can take 3-4 early wickets in 2nd innings then it will be really difficult for England to bounce back in the game as their batting order is heavily reliable on Root, Stokes and Cook.

Devansh Saraswat says:: "Why is the standard of Indian umpiring not up to the mark? We are a country of 1.2 billion people, so surely there is no dearth of talent. Why don't we have more Indian umpires in ICC's Elite Panel?"

Tejdeep says: "I always had a doubt how you guys give us the commentary this fast! Do you have a proper office or do you work from home?" --- We have an office but need to consult my colleagues on whether it's proper...

Harshad says: "I must admit I enjoyed watching Darren Sammy's side. They used to fight till the end, despite limited resources. Actually despite all odds they were very close to winning the 1st test in 2012, when England were 4 for 50 odd runs chasing 192. And had 1st innings lead in the 3rd test which eventually was drawn due to rain"

Smit says: "Was that a halfhearted countdown from CB?" --- Yep, because my two-year old cousin had hijacked the keyboard

Subhash: Windies did justice to their talent with the ball, but they will have to bat to their full potential if they want to sneak their noses ahead in this game. A big first- innings total will put England under pressure. I feel this game is in nicely poised.

Hareesh: If WI can end the day without a loss of wicket...that would be perfect for them.

Manohar Samuel says:: "England went from 258/7 to 258-all out"

Abhishek: Test cricket becomes boring when they tend to get a one sided affair with no fightbacks ,the Ind vs SL and Ind vs Windies the standouts! The fightbacks in Eng vs SA or Ind vs Aus are a treat! The ruthless bowlers vs the patient batsmen ! The league system would be better with some better matches!

shalin says: "@cricbuzz How about batting team scoring runs at a requisite run rate or putting a cap on the number of overs they can bat just like in ODIs?"

Ian says: "The 'moon ball' bowled by English spinner Jeremy Snape, would seem appropriate" 

Ayush says: "I have been solving all sorts of problems on gravity and moon and you talk about it for your cricket benefits" --- Well, you must be a bowler.

Hari says: "I don't think timings are the only reason for diminishing audience for test cricket, One main reason is the pace of the game. Most people wants some entertainment instead of sitting and sipping coffee or coke somewhere in the crowd, waiting for a boundary or a wicket." --- fair point, Hari. We, as a generation, have become impatient. The question is how can Test cricket adapt.

nikhil says: "even this generation cricketers are trying hard to play test cricket. just heard bumrah saying about his dream to play the longer format and goes with the other players as well. so there is no threat to test cricket." --- no threat Nikhil, surely, but we are trying to concentrate more on the spectator side of things, because that is what will govern the future

Edwin Aldrin says: "There's no atmosphere on the moon which makes the contest even more gripping!" --- And the gravity is one-sixth, so expect everything to be a full toss. What fun.

KP says: "The biggest reason of diminishing test audience I see is the time of play. Whereas shorter formats start late at night in the host countries, where the public can go after their work commitments, it doesn't work that way in test cricket" --- What can be changed in the day-night Tests?

Neil Armstrong says:: "Why not play a Test championship on the moon so that the conditions would be alien to everyone! It would surely rekindle the interest and draw the attention of sat night fans" --- Or you can just head to VCA stadium, Nagpur for a Test surface like that

PRASANTH says:: "Toss may be replaced by giving the choice of batting or bowling to visiting Captain" --- That has been a practice in County cricket

ad says:: "i don't think the idea of neutral venues will be implemented as the popularity of the sport will reduce even more. Imagine an India vs Australia match in the West Indies, which implies zero attendance." --- Or maybe more attendance!

Raghav Suryadevara says:: "League-structured Test Cricket is imminent"

Pranay Reddy says: "Although the day-night tests have been successful, I believe the idea would wane with time. Also, I envisage 4-day matches replacing 5-day ones. The idea of neutral venues might also get implemented on a trial basis to nullify the home advantage!"

Abhimanue says: "T20 & One-Days can never offer the type of entertainment that Tests do. It's a 5-day battle with so many factors determining the outcome. You aren't just fighting the opposition, but the 22 yards, the wearing ball, tactics, strategy, nerves. Mad slogging can only entertain Sat night fans..." --- But doesn't Test cricket's sustenance also depend on the interest the Sat. night fans generate?

Midhun Prasenan says: "The best way to keep test cricket interesting is to divide the teams into two divisions. If the matches happens to end on third and fourth days, everyone will lose interest"

Gopal says: "I believe the next step of Test cricket's evolution will come outside the playing surface. Eventually even this great sport of ours would have to cede to the consumer-is-king philosophy. But it need not be the worst of things. Tests could be propagated with a promise of wholesome family entertainment experience at the venues. Does that mean a DJ blurting out Despacito at Cape Town? Maybe not. But if there was scope to draw people with a five-day package with cricket at the centre of entertainment, perhaps it could work. The idea of watching the game from a pool (at the Gabba) seemed like something I could get used to. What about rotating seats? Like in an amusement park - your viewing angles constantly change!" --- Yeah, we could certainly do with some wacky, Gopal

Pravakar: "Don't know with others but nowadays I find test cricket more interesting than ODIs" --- Any reason you see into it, Pravakar?

Cricbuzz discusses: Let's start a conversation. How do you guys see Test cricket changing, evolving, in say the next fifteen years? Do you see more mechanized supervision of the game? Or the format becoming a daredevilry, thanks to T20s? Or do you see Test cricket not surviving at all and leagues taking over? Gets your brains racing to the impossible and send in your responses/opinions using the 'Have your say' option on our website. Fire away!

Donald Trump: "Hey Raju!" --- Hello Donald. What's up?

Hari: "I read in preview that the pitch is good for batting, now what's making this difficult for England? Have they got bored of their monopolistic performance of first Test?" -- What about assuming that the Windies have turned up awake for this Test

Shikha: "The third seamer from West Indies has been their real let down today. He just doesn't look threatening. Sadly he is the captain as well." -- That has been the problem right from Sammy's era

Rajesh: "Seems like England need the services of Bhuvneshwar to stop this WI wicket hunt." -- The Sri Lankan authorities would be more than happy to book a chartered plane to deport him.

Akmal: "Why are England not able to find a better opener and No.3 yet??" -- Because the yardstick for comparison is Joe Root.

Subhash: "Get Root here and watch how England crumble! Mighty impressed from Shannon Gabriel: pace paired with accuracy, can't think of one loose ball from him. Hope Holder steps up too." -- He's done the right thing in stepping up by taking himself off

Abdul: "What's the difference between cross seam and scrambled seam?" -- Cross seamed is when the circumference of the seam is at right angles with the fingers gripping it. The scrambled seam has the stitches at an angle

AK: "Why is Darren Bravo not in the team? He has been in great form in the CPL." -- He has been guilty of talking against the twitter route in abuse

Jassi: "Somebody said that West Indies do not have an advantage bowling first. :0" -- Well, well. There is a reason I am not an astrologer.

Sonu: "You didn't mention one thing. Cook got out on the first ball of Gabriel which he faced." -- Nice spot. You'll be sent a portion of our salary.

Abhishek: "Why are England not giving chances to Butler as a pure batsman?" -- They're probably trying out their options before the Ashes party is picked. And Buttler is almost a certainty for that

JP Joshi: "Do you think it was good for West Indies to lose the toss at and bowl first?" -- Well for a change Leeds is bright and beautiful today. Plus, there isn't a blade of grass on the wicket. Take your call.

Mohit negi: "Can Cricbuzz please tell me where Haseeb Hameed is?" -- Hidden at Old Trafford helping Lancashire in the County Championship

Commentary not available for this match