Pope, Buttler lead the way for England on day one

Ollie Pope and Jos Buttler have steered England into a strong position at stumps on day one of the third and deciding Test against West Indies in Manchester.

Sent in by the tourists, England recovered from 1-1, and 4-122, to reach 4-258 when bad light brought an early end to the opening day, with Pope closing in on his second Test century on 91 not out.

Having made two changes to their XI, dropping batsman Zac Crawley and paceman Sam Curran in favour of Jofra Archer and James Anderson, England were immediately on the back foot when opener Dom Sibley was dismissed in the opening over.

Sibley, who scored a century in the second Test, fell for a five-ball duck when he was struck plumb on the pads by Kemar Roach.

Promoted to No.3 in Crawley’s absence, captain Joe Root struck just 17 runs before a poorly judged quick single became his undoing, run out by a direct hit from Roston Chase.

Second Test hero Ben Stokes, who is carrying a quad injury and playing as a specialist batsman, also failed to make a significant impact, clean bowled by Roach for 20 as England fell to 3-92.

That became 4-122 shortly before tea when opener Rory Burns (57), who had brought up his half-century from 126 deliveries, edged a Chase delivery to a diving Rakheem Cornwall, the towering off-spinner brought into the Windies XI for the first time this series.

After a few early scares, Pope found his composure and reached his own half-century from 77 balls and forming an unbroken 136-run stand with Buttler, who finished the day on 56no.

It was just Buttler's second fifty in 13 Tests, but it came at a crucial time for his side who need to win the third Test to reclaim the Wisden Trophy.

Pope’s sole Test century from his nine matches to date came against South Africa in Port Elizabeth earlier this year, and the right-hander said a maiden ton on home soil would be a "massive achievement" – particularly after struggling to adjust to the biosecure environment both teams are operating in, amid the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

"It’s a really nice feeling and a little bit of a weight off the shoulders," he said at the close of play.

"I’ve missed out in the first two games and not being able to get away from it, you walk back to your hotel room, it overlooks the cricket ground … there’s really no escape.

"You can’t go out for dinner or a coffee, you can’t see your family.

"It isn’t easy and you can think about your failures a bit more than normal.

"But the lads get around you and everyone’s tight-knit, so if anyone is mentally struggling a bit then we’ve got each other’s backs.

"Hopefully I can go on and make a big one.

"But that’s part of cricket, you have to stay as level as possible – especially as a batter – because there are as many bad days as good days, even for the best in the world. You have to deal with them in the best way possible."