LONDON, CMC:
In the end, West Indies failed to ruin the farewell of Jimmy Anderson after fellow pacer Gus Atkinson completed another memorable spell and propelled hosts England to a 1-0 lead in the Richards-Botham Trophy series with an innings and 114 runs win in the first Test yesterday.
Gudakesh Motie, batting at nine, ended with the top score of 31 not out for the Caribbean side and enabled the visitors to extend their second innings for a little more than an hour into the third day of the contest at Lord’s before they were bowled out for 136.
Hopes of a rearguard action from West Indies to take a little shame off their performance in the Test failed to materialise after Test newcomer Atkinson bagged three of the last four wickets and finished with five for 61 from 14 overs – and match figures of 12 for 106 to earn the Player of the Match award.
The result enabled Anderson to bring down the curtain on an illustrious international career in style after West Indies veteran Kemar Roach and rookie Shamar Joseph said before the start of the series the Caribbean side wanted to spoil the swansong for their 41-year-old fellow pacer.
COULDN’T REVERSE OUTCOME
West Indies captain Kraigg Brathwaite said there was nothing his team could do to reverse the result and now had to look ahead to the second Test, starting this coming Thursday at Trent Bridge in Nottingham.
“[This result] quite disappointing, but it’s gone now,” he told reporters during a post-play news conference. “We have two Test matches left in this series and we have got to look ahead, and we have got to stay mentally tough.”
With West Indies requiring an unlikely 171 at the start of play to make England bat again, Joshua Da Silva became the final wicket for Anderson – playing his 188th and final Test – when he was caught behind for nine in the third over of the day after the Caribbean side resumed from their overnight total of 79 for six.
Da Silva played defensively forward to a delivery that was the stock-in-trade of the retiring pacer, angling into the batsman through the air and moving away after pitching while the batsman tried to close the face of the bat, only to tickle it to his opposite number behind the stumps.
The West Indies wicketkeeper-batsman became the 704th wicket in Tests for Anderson, who leaves the international stage with the England record for wickets and the most by a pacer in the history of the format.
Anderson ended the innings with three for 32 from 16 overs and the match with four wickets to finish his career third on the all-time list for most successful bowlers behind deceased Australia leg-spinner Shane Warne, on 708, and mercurial Sri Lanka off-spinner Muttiah Muralitharan, on 800.
Atkinson mopped up the rest of the batting after he got West Indies vice-captain Alzarri Joseph caught at deep backward square leg for eight, Shamar Joseph bowled for three missing a yorker, and Jayden Seales caught at deep mid-wicket also for eight.
Motie put up the only resistance and his effort was the highest individual score in the match for the visitors, and he almost handed Anderson his 705th Test scalp on a platter when he mistimed a straight drive back to the bowler, who spilt the chance.