The third and final Test between England and the West Indies featured a hilarious moment on Day 2 at Edgbaston, with a comedic exchange between former cricketers Stuart Broad and Michael Atherton. Broad recently joined the Sky Sports commentary team after retiring from the game following last year’s Ashes, while Atherton has been a long-standing member of their elite broadcast lineup.
During their final session commentary on Day 2, Stuart Broad mischievously directed the cameras to capture Michael Atherton napping briefly in the commentary box earlier that day.
Atherton and Broad chuckled as they watched the clip of Atherton sleeping, with Broad finding it especially amusing. Then Atherton said, jokingly, that he’d fallen asleep listening to Broad’s commentary.
With the commentary box full of smiles, England were in a stable position at stumps after overcoming a disastrous start on Day 2.
Despite restricting the West Indies to 282 in the first innings, the hosts suffered an early collapse, slumping to 54/5 at the start of the second day. However, England’s stalwart Joe Root responded with a masterful 87 off 124 balls, singlehandedly wresting back control of the match from the visitors.
Joe Root surpassed Brian Lara to become the seventh highest run-scorer in Test cricket history, crossing the 12,000-run milestone during his innings. Root received strong support from captain Ben Stokes, who contributed a rapid 54 runs.
Keeper Jamie Smith’s sparkling 95, combined with his 106-run partnership with Chris Woakes (62), propelled England into the lead in a potentially match-winning performance.
England posted 376 in their first innings, establishing a commanding 94-run lead. They then tightened their grip on the match by taking two early West Indian wickets in the second innings. At stumps on Day 2, the West Indies were in trouble at 33/2, trailing by 61 runs. Having already secured the series with convincing wins in the first two Tests, England will now aim to complete a 3-0 whitewash over the visitors at Edgbaston.
