England vs West Indies: Ollie Pope century puts hosts on top after day one of second Test in Nottingham

Ollie Pope was the top scorer with 121 runs as England took control on the first day of the second Test against the West Indies at Trent Bridge.

A fast-paced partnership of 105 runs between Ben Duckett and Ollie Pope boosted England after losing Zak Crawley early in the innings. The home team reached the lunch break at 134-2, while the West Indies had difficulty capitalizing on their decision to bowl first.

Joe Root and Harry Brook were also dismissed during the afternoon session, however, the visitors missed two opportunities to catch Pope, who later achieved his sixth Test century. This was his first century since his impressive 196 in the first Test against India in Hyderabad earlier in January, which contributed to their victory.

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The deputy captain of England, who scored 145 runs on the same pitch against New Zealand two years ago, was finally dismissed five overs after the tea break. Captain Ben Stokes also scored his first half-century of the season, guiding his team to a first-innings total of 416 before they were all out just before the end of the scheduled play.

Duckett Leads Comeback After Rough Start

The West Indies captain Kraigg Brathwaite got off to a great start after winning the coin toss. The bowler Alzarri Joseph took a wicket on just the third ball, causing England opener Crawley to edge the ball to slip fielder Alick Athanaze. The first two deliveries were particularly strong and challenging.

However, Duckett from Nottinghamshire led a comeback after losing early on his home field. He especially enjoyed facing Jayden Seales' bowling and hit many boundaries in his first two overs, scoring 28 runs.

The two of them, along with Pope, quickly led England to score 50 runs in only 26 balls at a fast pace of 190.30. The left-handed batsman reached his own milestone in the 10th over, taking just 32 balls to do so. He achieved this with his 11th four of the innings, landing him in third place.

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At one point, it seemed like Duckett was on track to surpass Gilbert Jessop's record for England's quickest Test century, set 122 years ago. However, his innings was cut short at 71 runs off 59 balls with 14 fours. Duckett was caught out by Shamar Joseph, giving Joseph his first wicket of the series and allowing Jason Holder to secure the catch.

Kevin Sinclair's entry into the game as a spinner in place of the injured Gudakesh Motie helped in reducing England's run-rate. This happened after Duckett was dismissed, and Pope was fortunate to be dropped on 47 by Athanaze off Seales in the last over before lunch.

The vice-captain of England reached his 13th Test 50 shortly after the start of the afternoon session. However, when the ball was changed due to it going out of shape, the West Indies quickly got a wicket.

"Pope's Steadfast Stance For Centuries"

Seales was the one who took the wicket of Joe Root. He bowled a couple of challenging deliveries, causing Root to play a poor shot that went high in the air. Alzarri Joseph was able to catch it and get the dismissal.

Pope was given a lifeline when he reached 54 in the 31st over, as neither Holder nor Kavem Hodge managed to catch the ball in the slip field. Harry Brook, who started strongly with five fours, was also dropped by Athanaze at gully off Alzarri Joseph when he was on 24.

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Sinclair was able to dismiss Brook in the 42nd over after he tried to hit a scoop-sweep shot but ended up hitting the ball with the bottom of the bat, causing it to pop up to short leg Kirk McKenzie. This ended a partnership of 59 runs for the fourth wicket and gave Sinclair the opportunity to show off his signature somersault celebration, much to the joy of the fans at Trent Bridge.

Still, Pope did not give up and, even after not being able to score a four at the beginning of the 47th over because the runs were considered leg-byes, he managed to score a century by hitting Seales to the boundary with his 14th four of the game so far.

He and captain Ben Stokes guided England to a score of 259-4 by the time tea arrived. Unfortunately, their partnership was broken when Hodge managed to hold onto a fantastic catch off of a delivery from Alzarri Joseph, causing Pope to be dismissed for 80 runs in the 58th over.

Stokes continued to score runs and reached 50 for the 32nd time in Test matches just five overs later. However, he was eventually dismissed for 69 when he pulled a shot and was caught by substitute fielder Jeremiah Lewis on the square-leg boundary. This was the spinner's first wicket at this level.

The bowler who throws with his left arm at a slow pace took his second wicket in the 78th over. Jamie Smith, who had a strong debut half-century, was not able to continue his performance as he was caught by Holder at long-on for 36 runs after hitting a six the previous ball.

Sinclair also contributed by getting involved, getting two wickets - Gus Atkinson. The West Indies decided to use a new ball in the 87th over, which led to Seales and Alzarri Joseph taking out Chris Woakes (37) and Shoaib Bashir (5). The tourists will start their response on day two in the morning.

England cricket player Ollie Pope, who has scored a century (100 runs) in a match, talked to the TV channel Sky Sports Cricket.

The day was going well, but we also missed a few opportunities which shows promise for our batting team.

"When you're given the opportunity to bat first and score 416 runs, you can't argue with those results."

Ben Duckett's performance against the West Indies bowlers was exceptional and it really helped to relieve the pressure for me.

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Ex-West Indies bowler Ian Bishop, talking on Sky Sports Cricket:

In my opinion, today could have been improved from the viewpoint of the West Indies, but it also could have been worse.

The team will be pleased that they were able to take all 10 English wickets today, but they will be unhappy with the fast pace at which England was able to score runs and maintain it throughout the day.

After a few solid performances from some batters and a century from Pope, England might look back and feel like they lost a few too many wickets.

Retired English cricketer, Stuart Broad, spoke about the honor of having the Pavilion End at Trent Bridge named after him.

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Listening to the commentary and hearing that a bowler is taking their turn from the Stuart Broad End still feels so strange to me. Trent Bridge has always been a place that has inspired me and fueled my passion for the game.

I spent my childhood watching my father play at this place. During lunch and tea breaks, I would run onto the outfield. Eventually, I had the privilege of playing for Nottinghamshire and representing England at this very ground.

I don't see it as something named after myself, but rather as a tribute to my family and our strong connection to Nottingham, the county, and the club.

England's Test Series Against West Indies

Tune in to see the second Test match between England and West Indies on day two, taking place at Trent Bridge in Nottingham. You can watch the action live on Sky Sports Cricket starting at 10am on Friday, with the first ball set to be bowled at 11am.

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