Twitter Reactions: Jonny Bairstow bails England out of trouble with remarkable century in Antigua Test
Bairstow brought up his eighth Test ton and remained unbeaten at stumps on Day 1.
Day 1 of the first Test between England and West Indies saw Jonny Bairstow rescuing the Three Lions with a remarkable century. Batting first at the Sir Vivian Richards Stadium in Antigua, the visitors suffered a horrendous batting collapse and lost four wickets inside 50 runs. As the likes of Kemar Roach and Jason Holder were breathing fire with the red cherry, England required a special effort to bounce back.
Bairstow provided them with the same as he slammed his eighth Test century. As a result, Joe Root’s men ended the opening day 268/6 with Bairstow and Chris Woakes returning as the two unbeaten batters. With four wickets still in the kitty and two settled batters in the middle, the visitors would at least like to reach the 350-run mark.
England have a point to prove in Antigua Test
On the other hand, the home team would like to minimize the damage. It must be noted that England’s last Test assignment saw them suffering a 0-4 defeat in the Ashes earlier this year. The horrendous campaign also propelled a complete overhaul of the coaching staff alongside some major changes in the team. Hence, the ongoing Test holds great relevance and Joe Root’s men must leave no stones unturned to finish on top.
Earlier in the day, the coin landed in England’s favour and Root had no hesitation in batting first. Debutant Alex Lees came out to open alongside Zak Crawley but none of the two could make a significant mark. The likes of Root, Daniel Lawrence and Ben Stokes played some fine shots but couldn’t convert their starts.
At 115/5, England looked in all sorts of trouble. However, Bairstow joined forces with wicketkeeper Ben Foakes and the duo stitched up 99 runs for the sixth wicket before the latter perished for 42. However, Bairstow carried on and brought up a remarkable ton. He found another substantial partner in Chris Woakes, who was unbeaten on 24 at stumps. For West Indies, Jayden Seales, Kemar Roach and Jason Holder bagged a couple of wickets apiece.
Meanwhile, let’s look at how Twitter reacted to the proceedings of Day 1:
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