ENGvsWI: Fiery Moeen and sloppy Windies hand England control of 2nd Test

Leeds: Moeen Ali’s superb counter attacking 84 coupled by a sloppy West Indies fielding effort helped England snatch control from the visitors on the fourth day, declaring its second innings on 490/8 and setting the tourists a tough target of 322 to win.

England earned its supremacy — and a chance at a second straight series victory of the summer — through half-centuries by captain Joe Root (72), Dawid Malan (61), Ben Stokes (58), Moeen Ali (84) and Chris Woakes (61 not out).

Although none of them went on to dominate the innings with a century, the English batsmen put together a series of partnerships to fight back from a 169-run first innings deficit, and from 94/3 early in their second innings to put on the highest second innings total without a player getting a hundred.

They ultimately took the game away from the West Indians after tea on the fourth day. They were 7 down for 327 when Moeen and Woakes joined hands and stitched together a vital 117-run stand for the 8th wicket to completely change the course of the Test match.

"It was a fantastic day," Ali said.

After being in control for the first three days, West Indies is now up against it and needs the second-highest total to win a test at Headingley, and the highest since Don Bradman's Australia team made 404-3 batting last in 1948.

West Indies was 5/0 at stumps after Kraigg Brathwaite and Kieran Powell survived six tricky overs at the end of the day, and a couple of loud England appeals.

In a sign of things to come on a wearing pitch, and illustrating the final-day challenge facing the West Indies, Ali bowled one over of spin at the very end of the day and immediately looked dangerous.

England already leads the three-match series 1-0 after victory by an innings in the first match. Another win at Leeds will mean two series wins out of two for England this summer ahead of the Ashes in Australia at the end of the year.

Root and Malan set up England's second innings push against the West Indies with their stand of 118 for the fourth wicket, and Malan and Stokes put on 91 to continue England's comeback.

But Ali's fiery 84 from 93 balls down the order, with 14 fours, firmly changed the momentum of the test in the final session of the day. He put on 117 with Woakes for the eighth wicket, and Woakes and tailender Stuart Broad added another 46 before Root declared.

West Indies captain Jason Holder and their fielders must take some responsibility for the English comeback. West Indies dropped England captain Joe Root twice – in both innings, gave Malan a life and let the hosts sneak in easy singles, not to mention the odd boundary which should have been stopped. To top it all Holder didn’t take the new ball straightaway nor did he use specialist spinner Devendra Bishoo often enough. 

"We let them slip away and now we have to really fight hard to save this test match," Chase said.