Mark Wood: England bowlers ‘tried a little harder’ to prove themselves on the second day against the West Indies | Cricket News Sky News

Mark Wood believes the England bowlers’ desire to prove themselves in the absence of James Anderson and Stuart Broad could have contributed to their slow start against the West Indies batsmen.

Anderson, who has taken the most wickets in Test cricket in England, and Brad, Wood, Chris Vokes and Craig Overton, who have taken more than 500 Test wickets, have been controversially dropped from the squad for the Caribbean tour. And Ben Stokes took charge of the game.

West Indies openers Craig Broadwhite (55) and John Campbell (35) put on 83 for the first wicket, then England were bowled out for 311 in the morning, falling to 127-4 at one point, but the hosts finished at 202. -4, Wood regrets the lack of early progress on the left.

“I don’t think it’s about being patient,” Wood said. Sky Sports News. “We have set a higher standard than patience – we have to win and play for England. If we expect an answer in five or six Tests, it will not be.

“It can happen with any bowler, we didn’t get it in the first place, maybe we tried a little harder. Since Anderson and Brad are empty, we want to try a little harder and prove that we can do it as a team.

“Maybe it’s possible, but I do not think we started well, I think the way we came back showed good character as a team. We lined up well, there was good intensity, so there were some parts of the game that I think we did well.

“Obviously we’ll talk about it, Anderson and Brad, because they’re legends, but we have to admit we did not get it right in the beginning, we will try to get it right next time.”

Ben Fox and Craig Overton celebrate the removal of John Campbell from the West Indies

All four wickets were shared around the setters, with Overton dismissing Campbell and then catching Wood’s bowling to dismiss Broadway to make the breakthrough.

Versatile Stokes then took the wicket of Shermer Brooks (18) and got Germain Blackout shortly before Vokes tea, the only highlight of the Warwickshire player’s expensive spell ending the day with a saving rate of 4.50. .

Jason Holder (43 not out) and Encruma Bonner (34 not out) alertly led the West Indies to another unbeaten 75 at the end of the second day in Antigua, and Wood was aware of England’s importance in finding some consistency. On the third day.

“I don’t think we were as consistent as we should be,” Wood said. BT game At the end of the game, he said, “Although the pitch did not provide much help, I think our length was bad.

Jason Holder deceived the England bowlers in the final session of the second day

“We were either too short or too full – we did not do it. In this situation I tried a little harder and put a little more pressure on myself to try to take the early wickets, whereas we controlled the game when we set up later.

“When Stokes and I were doing this partnership, we felt the threat, saying, ‘This is the clear plan.’ When we stuck to our plans, it was consistent and it worked well for us.”

Left-arm spinner Jack Leach’s spell went for a further 1.83, including nine maidens, to check the West Indies’ progress, though he did not ask the slow bowlers for wickets. .

It was a story like this for the England tailors on the field, giving them little help either. However, with the hosts trailing by 109 runs over England’s first innings total, Wood is confident that he and his fellow bowlers will be able to find a way to drop wickets quickly.

” [We need to] Find a way to get wickets in that wicket, ”Wood said. “It’s easy to say it’s flat ground but we have to find a way, look for opportunities, something has to happen and the first wickets are important.

“Then if we can get the new ball, that will help too, but if we can continue the reverse movement, it will give us a chance, but we have to try to move the ball one way. Or we have to go the other way.”