CMC: MANCHESTER, England – Shamarh Brooks and Jermaine Blackwood carved out polished half-centuries, but West Indies’ fragile top order was again cruelly exposed as England levelled the three-Test series with a 113-run victory on the final day at Old Trafford yesterday.

Set an improbable 312 to win the second Test after the hosts declared their second innings on 129 for three an hour into the morning, West Indies collapsed in a heap at 25 for three at lunch, thanks to veteran seamer Stuart Broad (3-42), who produced a lethal burst with the new ball.

Brooks then top-scored with 62 while Blackwood stroked 55, the pair posting an invaluable 100 for the fifth wicket to revive the innings and the Caribbean side’s hopes of forcing a stalemate in the pivotal contest.

But once Blackwood perished in the final over before tea, West Indies wobbled again, losing their last six wickets for 61 runs to be all out for 198, with 14.5 overs and three-quarters of an hour left to survive in England’s northwest.

Fast-bowling all-rounders Ben Stokes (2-30) and Chris Woakes (2-34), along with off-spinner Dom Bess (2-59), all finished with two wickets each, firing England to a crucial victory and keeping alive their hopes of recapturing the Wisden Trophy, ahead of the deciding Test beginning here on Friday.

Man-of-the-Match Stokes had earlier set the tone for England’s dominance after they resumed on 37 for two as he blasted an unbeaten 78 from 57 deliveries, to stun West Indies in the morning session.

Dropped on 29 in the second over of the day by John Campbell at deep extra cover off speedster Shannon Gabriel, the left-hander shredded the Windies attack with four fours and three sixes as England frenetically increased their lead.

West Indies’ captain Jason Holder reacts as he leaves the field after being dismissed by England’s Dominic Bess during the last day of the second cricket Test match between England and West Indies at Old Trafford in Manchester, England, yesterday. England won by 113 runs.

Once the declaration came on the stroke of the first hour, it left West Indies with a minimum of 85 overs to survive in order to save the game and retain the Wisden, but things quickly went awry.

Campbell completed a poor match when he fell to the fifth ball of the innings for four, nicking a loose drive behind off Broad and England having to resort to DRS to have the initial not-,out decision overturned.

His senior opening partner Kraigg Brathwaite, followed about 20 minutes before lunch when he was pinned on his crease by Woakes for 12 in a clear lbw decision, and five balls later in the next over, Shai Hope was comprehensively bowled by Broad for seven by one that came back.

Needing to start well after lunch, West Indies suffered even more disappointment in the fourth over when Roston Chase shouldered arms to Broad, was struck on the back leg and sent on his way lbw for six.

BROOKS, BLACKWOOD PARTNERSHIP

Brooks and Blackwood then joined forces to stabilise the Windies innings, in a partnership that blunted England’s attack, albeit temporarily.

Already with a half-century in the first innings, Brooks exuded class and confidence in a knock consuming 136 balls in just under three and a half hours,and which included four fours and two sixes – both elegant straight hits off Bess.

Blackwood, meanwhile, punched seven fours – including three in one over from left-arm seamer Sam Curran – in an innings requiring 88 balls and a shade under two hours.

He appeared set to reach tea safely when he fended off a short delivery from Stokes and was taken low down by wicketkeeper Jos Buttler running around to the leg side off the fourth ball before the break.

That dismissal put England firmly in command, and they pressed home their advantage after the interval taken at 137 for five, Woakes trapping Shane Dowrich on his crease in the first full over after the resumption to ensure that ,the diminutive right-hander completed a “pair” in the game.

Unbeaten on 52 at tea after authoritatively reaching his third Test half-century with the second of his two sixes in the penultimate over before the break, Brooks desperately tried to repair the innings in a 23-run stand with captain Jason Holder who made 35.

However, his resistance finally ended when he lazily played back to Curran and was plumb lbw.

Holder belted five fours and a six in a 62-ball knock, attempting to inspire a last-,ditch rescue effort but once he was bowled through the gate by Bess, all hopes of salvaging a stalemate perished with him.

ENGLAND 1st innings 469 for nine decl.

WEST INDIES 1st Innings 287

ENGLAND 2nd innings

(overnight 37 for two)

B Stokes not out 78

+J Buttler b Roach 0

Z Crawley b Roach 11

*J Root run out 22

O Pope not out 12

Extras (b1, lb1, w3, nb1) 6

TOTAL (3 wkts decl., 19 overs) 129

Fall of wickets: 1-0 (Buttler), 2-17 (Crawley), 3-90 (Root)

Bowling: Roach 6-0-37-2, Gabriel 7-0-43-0, Holder 4-0-33-0, Joseph 2-0-14-0.

WEST INDIES 2nd Innings (target: 312)

K Brathwaite lbw b Woakes 12

J Campbell c wkp Buttler b Broad 4

S Hope b Broad 7

S Brooks lbw b Curran 62

R Chase lbw b Broad 6

J Blackwood c wkp Buttler b Stokes 55

+S Dowrich lbw b Woakes 0

*J Holder b Bess 35

K Roach c Pope b Bess 5

A Joseph c Bess b Stokes 9

S Gabriel not out 0

Extras (lb3) 3

TOTAL (all out, 70.1 overs) 198

Fall of wickets: 1-7 (Campbell), 2-19 (Brathwaite), 3-23 (Hope), 4-37 (Chase), 5-137 (Blackwood), 6-138 (Dowrich), 7-161 (Brooks), 8-183 (Holder), 9-192 (Joseph), 10-198 (Roach)

Bowling: Broad 5-5-42-, Woakes 16-3-34-2, Curran 8-3-30-1, Bess 15.-3-59-2, Stokes 14.4-4-30-2, Root 1.2-1-0-0.

Result: England won by 113 runs.

Series: Three-match series tied 1-1.

Man-of-the-match: Ben Stokes.

Toss: West Indies.

Umpires: Michael Gough, Richard Illingworth; TV – Richard Kettleborough.