Athanaze and Hodge frustrate England

NOTTINGHAM, England :West Indies batters Alick Athanaze and Kavem Hodge dug in to lift the touring side to 212-3 at tea on the second day of the second test, 204 runs behind England at a sunny Trent Bridge on Friday.

Athanaze was unbeaten on 65 at the interval, his first test fifty, with Hodge on 58 in a partnership of 128 as West Indies took advantage of good batting conditions to frustrate England.

Hodge received a lifeline on 16 when he edged Mark Wood to Joe Root at first slip but the former England captain spilled the catch.

Athanaze hit one six and 10 fours and Hodge struck nine boundaries, the pair mixing watchful defence with positive strokes when the bowlers strayed in line or length.

Replying to England's total of 416, West Indies lost Mikyle Louis for 21, captain Kraigg Brathwaite for 48 and Kirk McKenzie for 11 in the morning session.

Louis tried to hit spinner Shoaib Bashir over the top and was well caught by Harry Brook running back at mid on.

Brathwaite was unsettled by a short-pitched delivery from fast bowler Gus Atkinson and popped up a simple catch to Ollie Pope at short leg.

McKenzie had a rush of blood shortly before lunch, attempting to hit Bashir over mid-off and sending the ball into the hands of England skipper Ben Stokes.

Wood produced a rapid spell on his return to the side, including one delivery of 97.1 miles per hour in the fastest recorded over bowled by an England player.

England won the first match of the three-test series by an innings and 114 runs at Lord's.