Chris Woakes urged England to pile on the pressure on West Indies after half-centuries from Ben Duckett, Ollie Pope and Harry Brook took their lead to 207, two days before the second Test in Nottingham.
Woakes, who took four wickets as the tourists extended their first innings to 457 in reply to England’s 416, admitted the first hour on Sunday morning would be crucial as Brook and Joe Root look to build on their first-class fourth-wicket stand of 108.
“You want as many runs as possible,” he said. “There are two days left to play and we want to bowl as much as possible on the fifth day when the wicket can bounce more variable.”
“The morning is going to be great. In the first hour we want to try to extend the lead to 250, 300 and then hopefully get a big lead. The more the better.”
Woakes, who seemed to be in better rhythm than in the first Test at Lord’s, defended England’s tactics against the final West Indian pair of Josh Da Silva and Shamar Joseph, who added a crucial 71.
Chris Woakes urged England to put West Indies under pressure ahead of ‘big’ Sunday
Woakes took four wickets as the tourists extended their first innings to 457
“It’s not always going to be perfect,” he said. “Fair play to them. You don’t expect the number 11 to kick a few goals into the stands.”
Da Silva, who finished with 82 points, said: “I’m not really sure what their plan was. For me, it worked. What happens in the morning determines the rest of the test.”
