Marquee seamer, Kemar Roach, overtook the legendary Sir Garry Sobers as West Indies’ seventh-highest wicket-taker in Tests but Ben Stokes’s 11th Test hundred heaped further misery on the home side in the second Test in Barbados today.
At tea on the second day at Kensington Oval, England were 482 for six, with Chris Woakes unbeaten on 30 and Ben Foakes on 27, the pair having so far put on 58 for the seventh wicket.
Stokes, unbeaten on 89 at lunch with England on 369 for three, made 120 while captain Joe Root added only two to his interval score of 151 before falling, as West Indies enjoyed perhaps their best session of the match with three wickets.
Roach brought up his personal milestone of 236 wickets in his 70th Test when he hit Root in front in the second over after lunch.
Left-hander Stokes marched on, however, reaching triple figures 40 minutes after lunch, while adding 37 for the fifth with Jonny Bairstow (20).
West Indies then enjoyed their best period of the contest, fast bowler Alzarri Joseph removing Bairstow to a swirling catch at deep mid-wicket by Nkrumah Bonner and captain Kraigg Brathwaite accounting for Stokes with his part-time off-pin, caught in the deep by Shamarh Brooks.
England had earlier kept West Indies without success in the first session after resuming from their overnight 244 for three.
