England moves into position to win 2nd test against Windies
Manchester: England moved into a strong position to win the second test and tie the three-match series after declaring with a lead of 311 before reducing the West Indies to 25-3 by lunch on the final day at Old Trafford on Monday.
Stuart Broad removed John Campbell (4) and Shai Hope (7) either side of Chris Woakes trapping Kraigg Brathwaite (12) lbw in the final half-hour of an action-packed morning session that went completely England's way.
England has a minimum of 74 overs to bowl under gray skies in Manchester and survival was the main aim for the West Indies, whose victory target of 312 looks unfeasible.
Ben Stokes went into limited-overs mode after England resumed on 37-2 and picked up quick runs before an early declaration 11 overs later.
Stokes (78 not out off 57 balls) smashed two sixes over long-off as the big-hitting allrounder and England captain Joe Root put on 53 runs in the first 43 balls of the morning before Root was run out for 22 effectively sacrificing his own wicket to get Stokes back on strike.
Alongside Ollie Pope (12 not out), Stokes still had time to slog Jason Holder down the ground for another six, pushing the lead past 300, before Root called them back in from the pavilion with the team on 129-3.
England had made 92 runs off 66 balls, effectively taking the game away from the Windies.
The early declaration gave England two new balls to get the victory and the team has already made big inroads with the first, with Shamarh Brooks (2) and Roston Chase (0) seeking to repair the West Indies' innings by lunch.
Broad, who has five wickets for the match on his recall to the team, snagged Campbell after a last-second review by Root, with UltraEdge showing a slight nick behind that wasn't heard by the on-field umpire.
Brathwaite didn't even bother reviewing his lbw removal, even though the ball from Woakes struck the back pad above the knee roll.
Then Broad got one to jag back in and beat Hope all ends up, the ball striking the top of off stump and leaving the batsman almost off his feet.
The second new ball will be available after 80 overs for England, which lost the first test by four wickets on the final day in Southampton.
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Heavy rain, hailstorms likely to lash Uttarakhand on Tuesday; IMD issues warning
Dehradun/Pithoragarh (PTI): The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has issued a warning for heavy rain and hailstorms across several districts of Uttarakhand on Tuesday, as temperatures remained markedly below normal in the region.
Heavy rainfall is likely at isolated places in Dehradun, Haridwar, Tehri, Pauri, Nainital, Champawat, and Udham Singh Nagar districts. Most places across all districts are expected to receive light to moderate rain or thunderstorms, while higher reaches are likely to witness snowfall, officials said on Monday.
The weather department warned of thunderstorms accompanied by lightning, hail and intense spells of rain in six districts, including Dehradun and Nainital. Gusty winds with speeds reaching 40-50 kmph are also expected at isolated locations in these areas and other hilly districts.
In the state capital, Dehradun, the sky is forecast to remain partly cloudy with light rain and thunderstorms accompanied by gusty winds of 30-40 kmph.
The maximum and minimum temperatures in the city are expected to hover around 31 degrees Celsius and 19 degrees Celsius, respectively.
Maximum temperatures during the past 24 hours remained markedly below normal in the hills and appreciably below normal in the plains. While no significant change in temperature is expected over the next 2-3 days, the IMD predicts a rise of 3-5 degrees Celsius during the subsequent 3-4 days.
Rainfall was recorded in several areas after 8.30 am today, with Ramnagar receiving 31.5 mm and Nainital recording 26.5 mm. Other areas, including Pithoragarh, Khatima and Champawat, also reported moderate precipitation.
Authorities have stopped a batch of 36 Adi Kailash pilgrims at the Dharchula base camp and placed the high-altitude yatra route on high alert following heavy rains and hailstorms in the district on Monday.
Dharchula SDM Ashish Joshi said the pilgrimage was halted due to adverse weather conditions. The issuance of new inner-line passes has been suspended until the weather normalises.
With 1,700 passes issued so far, pilgrims already at higher camps are being monitored for safety, the official added.
