England lost Mark Wood to injury and control of the first Test to a marathon century from Nkrumah Bonner as the West Indies moved ahead in Antigua.
Wood was cast as the spearhead of the attack for this tour but instead played the role of bystander on day three, with an elbow problem reducing him to just five overs in heavy strapping during the morning session.
He did not re-emerge after lunch, instead receiving treatment from medical staff as his team-mates toiled away for meagre rewards on a sleepy pitch at the Sir Vivian Richards Stadium.
Bonner took full advantage of Wood’s absence and the collective struggles of those who remained, compiling an old-fashioned 123 that ground England down in painstaking increments. The Jamaican held court for well over nine hours and soaked up 355 balls along the way.
By the time he was dismissed by part-time spinner Dan Lawrence at the death his bloody-minded display had guided the West Indies to 373 for nine, and a lead of 62.
Bonner had a couple of slices of good fortune, top-edging Ben Stokes agonisingly short of mid-wicket with just 40 to his name and then being dropped by Zak Crawley in 73 after offering a bat-pad chance at slip.
But they were isolated moments in a knock that was defined by purpose and perseverance from a 33-year-old whose late arrival on the Test scene has added some welcome grit to the West Indies middle order.
Aided by a stubborn lower order he condemned England to an energy-sapping 157 overs in the field, ensuring the names of the absent James Anderson and Stuart Broad would not be disappearing from the conversation in the near future.
Chris Woakes and Craig Overton continued to underwhelm, failing to get the best out of the new ball for the second time in as many days and causing precious few scares. Instead, England relied more heavily than they would have liked on Stokes, who has only just recovered from a side strain dating back to the Ashes.
At the start of last he was still slated to play as a specialist batter and a couple of days later he was talking about chipping in a few overs if needed. But Wood’s absence changed the dynamics and he responded by shouldering a considerable burden.
By the close he had sent down 28 overs in total and was his side’s best bowler by a distance with figures of two for 42. Skipper Joe Root must have been worried about incurring another injury by allowing his vice-captain to tear in so often, but the contest only really came alive when he was in it.
It was Stokes who gave England a brilliant start to the day, taking the edge of fellow all-rounder Jason Holder after just four runs had been added to the overnight score of 202 for four. Holder has history in this fixture and his early departure felt important.
As it turned out, Bonner’s scalp would have been even more vital. But when he flapped Stokes to mid-wicket, substitute fielder Ollie Pope could not quite stretch his fingers under the ball.
Bonner, enjoying a profitable second coming after a brief trial in Twenty20 internationals a decade ago, went on to put on 73 with wicketkeeper Josh Da Silva as Woakes and Overton failed to threaten.
England gave themselves a chance with a double breakthrough after lunch, Da Silva lbw to Leach and Overton bouncing out Alzarri Joseph, but to end the resistance they needed Bonner.
Leach almost got him, but Crawley parried the deflected chance. The remainder of the session became a draining blockade, with 51 runs scored in 30 overs through the afternoon.
Bonner reached tea on 98 and received a gift from Leach to reach three figures, sweeping round the corner after 257 deliveries of work. It was his second Test hundred, having opened his account 12 months ago against Sri Lanka at the same ground.
On 102 and 112 he survived English reviews for close lbw shouts by Leach, but the technology finally ruled against him when it detected the tiniest of edges off a Lawrence drag down.
More concerning for England was the failure to trouble his tail-end partners, with Kemar Roach occupying 89 balls before being run out by Pope and Veerasammy Permaul taking up 87.
The Sand Castle
Director: Matty Brown
Stars: Nadine Labaki, Ziad Bakri, Zain Al Rafeea, Riman Al Rafeea
Rating: 2.5/5
Ordinary Virtues: Moral Order in a Divided World by Michael Ignatieff
Harvard University Press
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
F1 The Movie
Starring: Brad Pitt, Damson Idris, Kerry Condon, Javier Bardem
Director: Joseph Kosinski
Rating: 4/5
'The worst thing you can eat'
Trans fat is typically found in fried and baked goods, but you may be consuming more than you think.
Powdered coffee creamer, microwave popcorn and virtually anything processed with a crust is likely to contain it, as this guide from Mayo Clinic outlines:
Baked goods - Most cakes, cookies, pie crusts and crackers contain shortening, which is usually made from partially hydrogenated vegetable oil. Ready-made frosting is another source of trans fat.
Snacks - Potato, corn and tortilla chips often contain trans fat. And while popcorn can be a healthy snack, many types of packaged or microwave popcorn use trans fat to help cook or flavour the popcorn.
Fried food - Foods that require deep frying — french fries, doughnuts and fried chicken — can contain trans fat from the oil used in the cooking process.
Refrigerator dough - Products such as canned biscuits and cinnamon rolls often contain trans fat, as do frozen pizza crusts.
Creamer and margarine - Nondairy coffee creamer and stick margarines also may contain partially hydrogenated vegetable oils.
Volunteers offer workers a lifeline
Community volunteers have swung into action delivering food packages and toiletries to the men.
When provisions are distributed, the men line up in long queues for packets of rice, flour, sugar, salt, pulses, milk, biscuits, shaving kits, soap and telecom cards.
Volunteers from St Mary’s Catholic Church said some workers came to the church to pray for their families and ask for assistance.
Boxes packed with essential food items were distributed to workers in the Dubai Investments Park and Ras Al Khaimah camps last week. Workers at the Sonapur camp asked for Dh1,600 towards their gas bill.
“Especially in this year of tolerance we consider ourselves privileged to be able to lend a helping hand to our needy brothers in the Actco camp," Father Lennie Connully, parish priest of St Mary’s.
Workers spoke of their helplessness, seeing children’s marriages cancelled because of lack of money going home. Others told of their misery of being unable to return home when a parent died.
“More than daily food, they are worried about not sending money home for their family,” said Kusum Dutta, a volunteer who works with the Indian consulate.
The specs
Engine: 1.5-litre turbo
Power: 181hp
Torque: 230Nm
Transmission: 6-speed automatic
Starting price: Dh79,000
On sale: Now
T20 World Cup Qualifier, Muscat
UAE FIXTURES
Friday February 18: v Ireland
Saturday February 19: v Germany
Monday February 21: v Philippines
Tuesday February 22: semi-finals
Thursday February 24: final
Lexus LX700h specs
Engine: 3.4-litre twin-turbo V6 plus supplementary electric motor
Power: 464hp at 5,200rpm
Torque: 790Nm from 2,000-3,600rpm
Transmission: 10-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 11.7L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh590,000
Dubai World Cup factbox
Most wins by a trainer: Godolphin’s Saeed bin Suroor(9)
Most wins by a jockey: Jerry Bailey(4)
Most wins by an owner: Godolphin(9)
Most wins by a horse: Godolphin’s Thunder Snow(2)
UK-EU trade at a glance
EU fishing vessels guaranteed access to UK waters for 12 years
Co-operation on security initiatives and procurement of defence products
Youth experience scheme to work, study or volunteer in UK and EU countries
Smoother border management with use of e-gates
Cutting red tape on import and export of food
THE SPECS
2020 Toyota Corolla Hybrid LE
Engine: 1.8 litre combined with 16-volt electric motors
Transmission: Automatic with manual shifting mode
Power: 121hp
Torque: 142Nm
Price: Dh95,900
Ultra processed foods
- Carbonated drinks, sweet or savoury packaged snacks, confectionery, mass-produced packaged breads and buns
- margarines and spreads; cookies, biscuits, pastries, cakes, and cake mixes, breakfast cereals, cereal and energy bars;
- energy drinks, milk drinks, fruit yoghurts and fruit drinks, cocoa drinks, meat and chicken extracts and instant sauces
- infant formulas and follow-on milks, health and slimming products such as powdered or fortified meal and dish substitutes,
- many ready-to-heat products including pre-prepared pies and pasta and pizza dishes, poultry and fish nuggets and sticks, sausages, burgers, hot dogs, and other reconstituted meat products, powdered and packaged instant soups, noodles and desserts.
The specs
Engine: 3.5-litre V6
Power: 272hp at 6,400rpm
Torque: 331Nm from 5,000rpm
Transmission: 8-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 9.7L/100km
On sale: now
Price: Dh149,000
ELIO
Starring: Yonas Kibreab, Zoe Saldana, Brad Garrett
Directors: Madeline Sharafian, Domee Shi, Adrian Molina
Rating: 4/5
