England captain Root drives into the covers at Headingley during an innings of 45 not out that helped his team edge ahead of the West Indies with seven second-innings wickets remaining Gaerth Copley/Getty ImagesWhatever the result of this truly excellent Test match, it will be remarkable. In the context of their recent away form, the youth and inexperience of their team and the thrashing at Birmingham, a West Indies win would be one of the biggest upsets in recent times in the sport. An England win would be astonishing, too, in its own way, given that they have overturned a bigger first-innings deficit only four times in their history. After three days, the game is in the balance, the strength of England’s lower order, the destructive potential of the new-ball bowling, and the fragility of West Indies’ batting introduces a note of caution to a scorecard that nominally favours the tourists. Despite playing above themselves for the most…

Source: The Times August 27, 2017 20:48 UTC