Jonny Bairstow hits hundred on day two of England warm-up game against Cricket West Indies President’s XI  | Cricket News

England declared on 466-6 in their first innings, with Jonny Bairstow finishing unbeaten on 106 and Dan Lawrence hitting 83; the home side reached 48-2 by the close of play, with Jack Leach claiming the only wicket along with a Craig Overton run out

Jonny Bairstow celebrates his century on day two of the warm-up game against a Cricket West Indies President’s XI in Antigua

Jonny Bairstow hit a fine, unbeaten century on the second day of England’s Test warm-up game against a Cricket West Indies President’s XI in Antigua.

Bairstow picked up where he left off in Sydney, where he scored England’s only century of a torrid Ashes campaign before sustaining a fractured thumb that ruled him out of the final Test in Hobart.

Bairstow (106no) played himself into form ahead of next week’s first Test against the West Indies, bringing up his ton just before the tea interval as the tourists declared on 466-6.

That left a full session for England’s new-look seam attack – James Anderson and Stuart Broad both controversially overlooked for this trip – to make inroads but they could not do so.

The home side reached 48-2 by the close, with the first of England’s two breakthroughs – Jeremy Solozano for 17 – coming courtesy of a Craig Overton run out off his own bowling, before Jack Leach bowled Shayne Moseley (20), beating the batsman’s booming drive.

Chris Woakes and Ollie Robinson shared the new ball, just as they did in the Ashes opener at The Gabba in December when Anderson and Broad were not deemed fit, but they were unable to create any real mischief.

They shared 14 overs but managed no more than a late shout for caught behind off Robinson. Root would have liked to call on some extra pace but with Mark Wood off the field and Ben Stokes so far only bowling in the session breaks, he
was unable to do so.

England have suggested Wood was merely resting, taking his turn out off the field in what is a 12-a-side contest, and there has been no mention of an injury to the quick.

Earlier, Bairstow – who resumed the day four not out – was the star of the show, with the Yorkshireman imposing himself on a weary home attack with 13 boundaries and a six in two dominant sessions of batting.

Bairstow was the fifth England batsman to pass fifty in the innings, following Zak Crawley (62), Alex Lees (65), Root (54) and Dan Lawrence (83). Woakes too would surely have followed suit on his 33rd birthday but was left unbeaten on 49 when Root called his side in.

Lawrence clobbered an early six to turn his overnight 46 not out into a fifty, and he then peeled off a series of drives and cuts as he quickly advanced towards a hundred, only to find a rising delivery from Colin Archibald to slip 17 runs short.

Bairstow, however, would not be denied and he reached his century just before tea when flicking a Preston McSween delivery off his hips and down to the fine-leg boundary.

Ben Foakes was the only other England batsman to fall in the day, somewhat gifting his wicket away for 25 when picking out square-leg off Shermon Lewis.