St. George´s:At last England´s bowlers overcame the determination of Marlon Samuels to dismiss the West Indies for 299 in their first innings second day of second test match.
On a rain-affected second day West Indies players had an entertaining last-wicket partnership which added 42 runs in the total before England dismiss the West Indies for 299.
Devendra Bishoo (30) and Shannon Gabriel (20) got their Test-best scores in lifting the home side from 247 for nine after Samuels´ dismissal for a determined 103 triggered a lower-order collapse as the tourists´ seamers made effective use of the second new ball.
Stuart Broad led the English effort, taking four for 47, while James Anderson and Chris Jordan claimed two wickets each.
It was left to Moeen Ali to close off the West Indies innings however, trapping Bishoo leg-before to end the visitors´ frustration and still leave them reasonably satisfied with the day´s work.
When the action eventually resumed in mid-afternoon, Samuels, 94 not out at the start of the day in partnership with Denesh Ramdin, reached his seventh Test hundred with his 14th boundary off 226 deliveries shortly after the second new ball was taken.
However England´s bowlers lost their discipline and the pair of Bishoo and Gabriel capitalised in taking their team to within a single of the 300-run mark.
Alastair Cook closed in on becoming England´s highest Test run-maker on Wednesday as his team began their pursuit of West Indies´ 299 all out on the second day of the second Test.
England skipper Cook and fellow opener Jonathan Trott negotiated 26 overs without real alarm as the visitors reached 74 without loss at the National Cricket Stadium.
Cook achieved a milestone during his unbeaten 37, going past former player Alec Stewart as his country´s second-highest run-getter in Test history with a tally of 8,484.
Only Graham Gooch, the former opening batsman and captain, remains ahead of him in the list of prolific English batsmen with an aggregate of 8,900.
