England closed the opening day of the first Test in a strong position but it took a century from Ian Bell and half-centuries from Joe Root (83) and Ben Stokes (71 not out) to rectify early damage done by the West Indies pace bowlers, who reduced the innings to 34 for three at one point.
Bell made 143 before he was dismissed in the penultimate over of the day, sharing stands of 177 for the fourth wicket with Root and 130 for the fifth with Stokes, England finishing the day on 341 for five. But there was no joy for Alastair Cook, who was bowled for 11, nor the returning Jonathan Trott who edged to slip in the first over for a third-ball duck.
As far as the Caribbean is concerned Bell’s career has come full circle. Six years ago, following the innings defeat in Jamaica, Bell was dropped for the rescheduled second Test after that at this same Sir Vivian Richards Stadium had to be abandoned after 10 balls. It was, he now says, a pivotal moment in his career, and he showed it by his celebration on reaching three figures. It was his first overseas Test hundred in 23 matches and the 22nd century of his Test career.
“Coming here to Antigua in 2009,” he said after play, “when we moved grounds, I got dropped after Jamaica and that formed a massive turning point in my career. I knew that when I came here for another Test tour I wanted to make this one count.
“I had to work very, very hard to get back into the team after that tour and it has meant a lot to me looking back on that. To come back and score a hundred at the place I got dropped is very satisfying. I know there is a lot more to do in the rest of my career but looking back that was a key part. It was the right decision to drop me.
“Certainly all the work I’ve done to get back has been in the back of my mind. I’ve done a lot of hard yards away from the cricket behind the scenes so for me personally to come back and score a hundred was one of the things I’ve always wanted to do and I’m happy I have achieved it.”
Until he edged the new ball behind off Kemar Roach, Bell’s innings had been chanceless, a masterclass in construction and one he rates very highly.
“At 34 for three you’d take that any time. In terms of rhythm for me it was right up there and I’ve not felt like that for a while. So it was good to go there and make a difference.
“I thought it was a strange decision to make with the toss and we didn’t expect them to bowl first. I could see why because we had to play well before lunch. The pitch was a little bit tacky and they bowled very well in those two hours so we had to bat very well.
“It certainly became good for batting on in the last two sessions. I thought in that first hour or two with that wicket I could easily have nicked one as well. It was doing enough and I thought they bowled very, very well. But that can happen. It was my day.”
