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England’s Mark Wood reached 97.1mph during a dynamite spell on day two of the second Test but the West Indies held their own in the face of a pace bombardment at Trent Bridge.
Wood bowled the three fastest overs on record since ball-tracking began in 2006, averaging over 94mph on each occasion, and left the Nottingham crowd gasping in awe as his top speed flashed up on the big screen.
But for all his back-breaking efforts across two stints in the morning and afternoon, he went wicketless as the tourists posted a battling 212 for three in reply to England’s 416 all out.
Spinner Shoaib Bashir picked up his first two wickets on home soil, cashing in on Wood’s hard work before lunch, and Gus Atkinson bounced out captain Kraigg Brathwaite before the fightback took hold.
Alick Athanaze hit a career-best 65 not out and Kavem Hodge added 58no as they batted throughout the afternoon session in a 128-run stand.
Wood and Atkinson pummelled the pair with short balls but could not bust down the door. Wood came closest, getting an outside edge from Hodge only for Joe Root to squander the chance at slip and later cracking Athanaze flush on the helmet as he ducked into a 92mph bumper.
Wood did not take the new ball in the morning session but his was the name on everybody’s lips after his four-over blast at the newly-named Stuart Broad End.
His first spell, which did not contain a single delivery under 90mph, was the fastest registered in English conditions in 18 years of reliable data.
The Durham quick, whose last competitive appearance came India in March, has all three places on the podium, following previous stints at Lord’s in 2021 and Headingley during last summer’s Ashes.
Opener Mikyle Louis was the man to face his fieriest effort, dropping his hands and weaving out of the way as it zipped through in a 97mph blur to wicketkeeper Jamie Smith.
Having survived Wood’s onslaught, Louis relaxed enough to go after the more friendly-paced off spin of Bashir and hacked uppishly into the leg side. Harry Brook held an expertly-judged catch and Wood had to settle for an unrecorded assist.
Bashir, who bowled tidily having not been called upon at all during the first Test last week, claimed a second just before lunch when Kirk McKenzie perished to a risible shot.
Atkinson also opened his account, bouncing out visiting skipper Kraigg Brathwaite for a well-judged 48 as he flapped a catch to short leg.
From 89 for three at lunch, the Windies added 123 in the afternoon with Athanaze particularly pleasing on the eye. He stroked 10 boundaries and crashed Bashir for six into the leg-side in a maiden half-century. Hodge held firm too, passing 50 for the second time in his fourth Test.
He should have been caught by Root on 16 but a regulation chance squirmed free to deny Wood a well-earned wicket.
He and Atkinson continued to pound out short balls in a bid to unsettle the pair but, other than a couple of mis-hits and Athanaze’s blow to the helmet, England were not able to break through.
