1st Test: Nkrumah Bonner hundred lifts West Indies to helpful lead over England on Day 3

Nkrumah Bonner’s affected person and gritty knock of 123 helped West Indies take a helpful first-innings lead of 62 runs with one wicket nonetheless in hand after England made early inroads on Day 3 of the opening Test match at Antigua’s Sir Vivian Richards Stadium on Thursday.

Bonner, who’s taking part in solely his tenth Test on the age of 33, displayed the utmost care and persistence as West Indies crept to 373 for 9 wickets of their first innings at Viv Richards Stadium.

After greater than 9 hours on the crease, Bonner was out simply earlier than stumps for 123, his highest Test innings on a day when solely 171 runs have been scored at a mean of lower than two an over.

His 355-ball knock included 12 fours and one six, and he was lastly dismissed caught behind off part-time bowler Dan Lawrence, who drew a faint inside edge to assert solely his second take a look at wicket.

Bonner’s activity was made simpler by the absence of England’s quickest bowler, Mark Wood, who left the sector with an elbow harm early after sending down solely 5 overs within the morning.

While a draw might be the most definitely consequence on a lifeless pitch, Bonner’s efficiency lowered the chance of a West Indies defeat in a match nonetheless very a lot within the stability.

Earlier, he introduced up his ton from 257 balls when he swept spinner Jack Leach for 4.

It was an applicable shot given nearly all of his runs got here behind sq., and maybe the weariness of such a protracted keep on the crease helped clarify Bonner’s muted celebration.

He merely glanced briefly in direction of the heavens earlier than hugging teammate Kemar Roach. Bonner’s earlier Test century got here on the identical floor in opposition to Sri Lanka final March.

Bonner, dropped at slip off Leach when on 73, had a pair extra fortunate escapes after reaching his century. He survived two lbw critiques off Leach and was given out lbw off Ben Stokes, however the choice was overturned when a evaluate confirmed a thick inside edge.

Unusually, West Indies’ scoring tempo obtained slower with each 50-run milestone, a sign that the pitch is getting extra lifeless as the sport wears on. England captured solely 5 wickets all day, unable to simply dislodge the tail on a pitch providing no help to the quicks.

Number 9 Roach survived 89 balls earlier than being run out for 15, whereas No. 10 Veerasammy Permaul was unbeaten on 26 on the shut.