• England bowler Chris Woakes unsuccessfully appeals for the wicket of West Indies' Kraigg Brathwaite during Day 4 of the second Test at Old Trafford on Sunday, July 19. AFP
    England bowler Chris Woakes unsuccessfully appeals for the wicket of West Indies' Kraigg Brathwaite during Day 4 of the second Test at Old Trafford on Sunday, July 19. AFP
  • Jos Buttler of England is bowled by Kemar Roach of West Indies. Getty
    Jos Buttler of England is bowled by Kemar Roach of West Indies. Getty
  • Stuart Broad celebrates the wicket of Jermaine Blackwood. Getty
    Stuart Broad celebrates the wicket of Jermaine Blackwood. Getty
  • West Indies batsman Shamarh Brooks. PA
    West Indies batsman Shamarh Brooks. PA
  • West Indies batsman Shai Hope plays a shot. Reuters
    West Indies batsman Shai Hope plays a shot. Reuters
  • England bowler Chris Woakes after West Indies' Alzarri Joseph is dropped in the slips. AP
    England bowler Chris Woakes after West Indies' Alzarri Joseph is dropped in the slips. AP
  • Stuart Broad of England appeals successfully for the wicket of Shane Dowrich. Getty
    Stuart Broad of England appeals successfully for the wicket of Shane Dowrich. Getty
  • Dom Bess fielding for England. Getty
    Dom Bess fielding for England. Getty
  • England bowler Sam Curran celebrates taking the wicket of West Indies' Shai Hope. Reuters
    England bowler Sam Curran celebrates taking the wicket of West Indies' Shai Hope. Reuters
  • West Indies’ Kraigg Brathwaite plays a shot. PA
    West Indies’ Kraigg Brathwaite plays a shot. PA
  • West Indies batsman Shannon Gabriel is bowled out by England's Chris Woakes. AP
    West Indies batsman Shannon Gabriel is bowled out by England's Chris Woakes. AP
  • West Indies batsman Jermaine Blackwood is bowled out by England's Stuart Broad. AP
    West Indies batsman Jermaine Blackwood is bowled out by England's Stuart Broad. AP
  • West Indies batsman Shamarh Brooks avoids a bouncer by England's Ben Stokes. AP
    West Indies batsman Shamarh Brooks avoids a bouncer by England's Ben Stokes. AP
  • England unsuccessfully appeals for the wicket of West Indies' Kraigg Brathwaite. AFP
    England unsuccessfully appeals for the wicket of West Indies' Kraigg Brathwaite. AFP
  • Stuart Broad bowling for England at Old Trafford. Getty
    Stuart Broad bowling for England at Old Trafford. Getty
  • England fielder Ollie Pope catches out West Indies' Alzarri Joseph off the bowling of Dom Bess. Reuters
    England fielder Ollie Pope catches out West Indies' Alzarri Joseph off the bowling of Dom Bess. Reuters
  • England's Dom Bess and Joe Root. Reuters
    England's Dom Bess and Joe Root. Reuters

West Indies and the weather stand between England and victory in the second Test


Paul Radley
  • English
  • Arabic

Ben Stokes off the field because of indigestion. The umpires having to clean the ball with an antiseptic wipe because Dom Sibley absent-mindedly got saliva on it.

Stokes and Jos Buttler opening the batting together in a Test match. And Jofra Archer going for a run in full hazmat.

These continue to be weird times for the world.

For all the uncertainty, though, some things remain the same. Rain, as ever, will throw a spanner in the works when it comes to the cricket in Manchester.

Having been deprived one full day of this second lockdown Test match – after the full programme on Saturday was rained off – England are now up against it in their bid to regain the Wisden Trophy.

They arrived at Old Trafford 1-0 down and needing victory to have a chance of winning the three-match series. They could not have done much more to bring it about so far.

After their first innings of 469-9 declared, they bowled West Indies out for 287 in reply. By the close on Day 4 they had reached 37 for two, which gave them a lead of 219 ahead of the final day.

Before play, Archer had been given permission to break his five-day, hotel-room quarantine to go for a run, so long as he wore PPE while doing so.

Clearly the mood towards the fast-bowler, who erred by breaking bio-security rules in returning home between Test matches, is thawing.

By the afternoon he was able to train on the net area, first with mask and gloves, and then practice bowling without either – but using a box of balls that only he was permitted to touch.

It can only be speculated quite how much England have missed his bowling after he was stood down for this Test.

But those who were left battled manfully to put England into a position to push for an unlikely win.

The returning duo of Stuart Broad and Chris Woakes took three wickets each, and Sam Curran took two crucial ones as well.

Thanks to half-centuries by Kraigg Brathwaite, Shamarh Brooks and Roston Chase, the tourists did cobble together enough to save the follow-on, but still faced a deficit of 182 on first innings.

Just before their innings had been wrapped up, Stokes had wandered off the field rubbing his chest in apparent discomfort.

It turned out his ailment was nothing more concerning than indigestion, and he was fit enough to go out to bat first with Buttler, as England sought out quick runs to given themselves enough time to bowl West Indies out on the final day.

That plan was scotched when Buttler dragged on for a duck from Kemar Roach, who dismissed Zak Crawley shortly after, too.

It means that Stokes and Joe Root will be at the crease together when play starts on the final day. Expect fireworks to ensue.

Fixtures
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EWednesday%2C%20April%203%3C%2Fstrong%3E%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3EArsenal%20v%20Luton%20Town%2C%2010.30pm%20(UAE)%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3EManchester%20City%20v%20Aston%20Villa%2C%2011.15pm%20(UAE)%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EThursday%2C%20April%204%3C%2Fstrong%3E%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3ELiverpool%20v%20Sheffield%20United%2C%2010.30pm%20(UAE)%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
It's up to you to go green

Nils El Accad, chief executive and owner of Organic Foods and Café, says going green is about “lifestyle and attitude” rather than a “money change”; people need to plan ahead to fill water bottles in advance and take their own bags to the supermarket, he says.

“People always want someone else to do the work; it doesn’t work like that,” he adds. “The first step: you have to consciously make that decision and change.”

When he gets a takeaway, says Mr El Accad, he takes his own glass jars instead of accepting disposable aluminium containers, paper napkins and plastic tubs, cutlery and bags from restaurants.

He also plants his own crops and herbs at home and at the Sheikh Zayed store, from basil and rosemary to beans, squashes and papayas. “If you’re going to water anything, better it be tomatoes and cucumbers, something edible, than grass,” he says.

“All this throwaway plastic - cups, bottles, forks - has to go first,” says Mr El Accad, who has banned all disposable straws, whether plastic or even paper, from the café chain.

One of the latest changes he has implemented at his stores is to offer refills of liquid laundry detergent, to save plastic. The two brands Organic Foods stocks, Organic Larder and Sonnett, are both “triple-certified - you could eat the product”.  

The Organic Larder detergent will soon be delivered in 200-litre metal oil drums before being decanted into 20-litre containers in-store.

Customers can refill their bottles at least 30 times before they start to degrade, he says. Organic Larder costs Dh35.75 for one litre and Dh62 for 2.75 litres and refills will cost 15 to 20 per cent less, Mr El Accad says.

But while there are savings to be had, going green tends to come with upfront costs and extra work and planning. Are we ready to refill bottles rather than throw them away? “You have to change,” says Mr El Accad. “I can only make it available.”

 

 

MATCH INFO

Alaves 1 (Perez 65' pen)

Real Madrid 2 (Ramos 52', Carvajal 69')