Cook and Trott share timely alliance to boost England

Alastair Cook and Jonathan Trott - cropped

There were welcome runs for Alastair Cook and birthday boy Jonathan Trott as England made a strong start to their first innings on another truncated day in the second Test with West Indies.

A 10th-wicket partnership of 52 between Devendra Bishoo (30) and Shannon Gabriel (20 not out) frustrated Cook's side in Grenada and enabled West Indies to reach 299 all out following three rain delays on day two.

However, England duly reached stumps on 74 without loss as Cook and Trott - both under pressure to perform after failing as a new-look opening pairing in Antigua last week- overcame a few nervous moments against the new ball to finish unbeaten on 37 and 32 respectively.

In the course of his innings, the tourists' captain surpassed Alec Stewart to become England's second-highest run-scorer in Tests, with only mentor Graham Gooch now ahead of him.

Both Cook and Trott, who turned 34 on Wednesday, will now hope to kick on to significant scores on the third day as England aim to take a 1-0 lead in the three-match series following last week's draw.

Prior to Bishoo and Gabriel's defiance, Marlon Samuels (103) found the six runs he needed to reach three figures for West Indies, while Stuart Broad struck thrice in a pacy spell with the second new ball to complete figures of 4-61 from 24 overs.

Rain delayed the start of play for a second successive day and only 8.5 overs were bowled before another shower forced an early lunch, with the Windies having added 22 to their overnight total of 188-5.

There was a further delay after 13 balls of the afternoon session, but Samuels finally brought up his seventh Test hundred, from 226 deliveries, when he edged James Anderson (2-47) past gully for four soon after the action resumed.

Anderson gained swift revenge, inducing an edge to second slip from Samuels two balls later, and Broad then took centre stage as he found excellent rhythm while accounting for Denesh Ramdin (31), Jason Holder (22) and Kemar Roach (1).

The exit of Roach left West Indies 247-9, yet England were held up as Bishoo and Gabriel each surpassed their previous highest scores in Tests.

Bishoo produced some particularly eye-catching strokeplay before eventually falling lbw on the sweep to Moeen Ali (1-47), a dismissal that heralded the end of the innings and tea.

Pacemen Gabriel and Roach posed problems for England at the start of the evening session and the latter was unfortunate to see an inside edge from Trott fly narrowly past the stumps when the batsman had only one to his name.

Trott also survived an lbw appeal from leg-spinner Bishoo, who immediately found turn, but runs were easier to come by as the close approached - with an increasingly placid pitch aiding England's cause.

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