Harry Brook puts England in command in second Test

On a fluctuating third day of the second Test at Trent Bridge, Harry Brook's unbeaten fifty propelled England into a commanding position at stumps against the West Indies. England finished the day at 248-3 in their second innings, securing a lead of 207 runs. Brook remained not out on 71, alongside Joe Root who was unbeaten on 37. The duo had stitched together an unbroken partnership of 108 runs in 23.4 overs.

England initially dominated the erratic West Indies bowling, with Ben Duckett scoring a brisk 76, his second half-century of the match, and Ollie Pope contributing 51 to add to his first-innings 121. However, a change of ball brought a shift in momentum for the West Indies, as paceman Alzarri Joseph dismissed both Duckett and Pope, reducing England from 127-1 to 140-3.

Root and Brook then stabilized the innings, scoring quickly against a fatigued West Indies pace attack. England's second innings began with a 41-run deficit following a spirited last-wicket partnership of 71 between Joshua Da Silva (82 not out) and Shamar Joseph (33), which lifted the West Indies to a total of 457. This marked their first 450-plus Test innings in nearly a decade.

Zak Crawley, who was out for a duck in the first innings, was run out for three when Jayden Seales deflected a Duckett drive onto the stumps. Nevertheless, Pope regained the momentum with three consecutive fours off Seales. Duckett, in excellent form, reached his fifty off 55 balls, hitting three successive fours off off-spinner Kevin Sinclair.

However, the ball change proved pivotal as Pope edged Joseph to Sinclair in the gully, and Duckett was trapped lbw by a superb inswinging yorker. Brook responded aggressively, reaching his fifty with a stylish drive off Joseph to the long-off boundary, his fifth four in 62 balls.

Despite their struggles, the West Indies could take pride in their improved batting performance, especially after being bowled out for 121 and 136 in their innings and 114-run defeat at Lord's. This left them trailing 1-0 in the three-match series.