Record-breaking Brathwaite leads West Indies to draw and sets up third-Test decider

SCORECARD | WTC STANDINGS

Brathwaite followed up his monster 489-ball 160 from the first innings with a resolute and unbeaten 56* as West Indies secured a draw on the fifth day in Barbados.

The West Indies captain faced an astonishing 673 deliveries in the Test, the most ever by a West Indian in a single match, surpassing Brian Lara’s previous record of 582 balls against England at St John’s in 2004.

Only seven players since the end of timeless Tests in 1939 have ever faced more deliveries in a Test than Brathwaite’s extraordinary stint.

A second-innings bowling effort from England was spearheaded by Jack Leach (3/36) and Saqib Mahmood (2/21) to leave West Indies 135/5.

But the 30-year-old Brathwaite denied the visitors again and was congratulated by a frustrated England as Joe Root shook hands inside the final hour.

England had started the final morning on 40/0 with a lead of 136, and immediately showed their intentions for the day with an aggressive start from openers Alex Lees and Zak Crawley.

But the one-day nature of the strokeplay on a fifth-day pitch saw wickets fall at regular intervals throughout the morning. And a trio of short-lived rain delays also hampered England’s progress throughout the first session.

The runs still flowed at a greater rate than the rain before lunch for England, with Crawley (40), Dan Lawrence (41), Ben Stokes (19) and Jonny Bairstow (29) helping England reach 185/6 by the time the third weather intervention forced lunch to be taken.

And England declared during the interval to leave West Indies facing the prospect of surviving for two sessions with the target realistically out of reach – a similar scenario to the first Test in Antigua a week ago.

Not for the first time in this series England turned to Leach to spearhead the attack, and this time the left-armer did find an early breakthrough, removing opener John Campbell for 10 to give the tourists hope.

Test debutant Mahmood, who quietly impressed on his first appearance in whites for England, boosted hopes of a win among the well-oiled traveling fans when he bagged an excellent brace with his first spell of the innings.

The right-armer caught the edge of Sharmah Brooks’ bat and had Root to thank for the catch after the initial chance could only be parried by Crawley.

And it was Root again who snaffled the chance when a fine rising delivery caught out Nkrumah Bonner.

West Indies were reeling on 39/3 after 12.1 overs, with England’s tails up and plenty of fielders around the bat to heighten the pressure.

But Brathwaite and Jermaine Blackwood took the wind out of England’s sails with another fine partnership, following on the back of their effort in the first innings.

The 50-partnership between the pair soaked up 150 deliveries and left the visitors in a race against time, and a race against the setting sun, to get the remaining seven wickets before the close.

Two more for Leach kept the game alive going into the final hour, with Blackwood caught for 27 by a kneeling Bairstow in an unusual fielding stance at gully, and Jason Holder expertly snaffled by a diving Lawrence for a 24-ball duck.

But West Indies defended their way towards a draw as the floodlights flickered into action and spinners twirled from both ends, with Joshua da Silva unbeaten on 30* and Brathwaite still there on 56* when Root opted to shake hands early.

The two battling draws for the home side means that the series will head to the third and final Test in Grenada with the scores still all-square.

And it’s a quick turnaround again for the players, with the series decider starting in four days’ time on Thursday 24 March.