Last match's centurion Dom Sibley dismissed in the very first over for without scoring

England will be riding high on confidence as they take on West Indies in the series-deciding third and final Test match at the Old Trafford in Manchester. The hosts had registered an emphatic 113-run win in the previous contest to level the series 1-1. At the same time, West Indies will also be looking to prove a point and win their first-ever Test series on English soil after a long wait of 22 years.

Coming back to the ongoing contest that is being played at the same venue i.e. the Old Trafford, it was once again not an ideal start for England as they lost their first wicket in the very first over of the match and unfortunately it happened to be a big one of star opener Dom Sibley who was the centurion of the last Test. 

After Windies skipper Jason Holder won the toss and elected to bat first, the new ball was offered to veteran pacer Kemar Roach and he did not disappoint as he kept the batsmen guessing on a wicket that provides early assistance to bowlers. Opener Rory Burns was lucky to get off the mark which meant that his opening partner Sibley had to face the music and see off the first over.
That did not happen as Roach made the batsman look unsettled right from the word 'Go'. On the final ball of that over, the pacer bowled a good length delivery as it angled a bit to the right-hander and even though Sibley wanted to flick it to the leg-side for a single, he could not succeed as he was wrapped on the pads. There was a big appeal from the Windies players as the on-field umpire raised his finger.

A confused Sibley asked Burns whether he should get it reviewed or not but to no avail as he walked back without troubling the scorers. Even the replays showed that the ball was hitting the stumps. Even though Dom Sibley failed the onus will now be on the likes of skipper Joe Root, Burns, and Ben Stokes to stabilize the English innings and take them to a mammoth first innings total.

Winner takes it all

After the Windies had drawn the first blood at Southampton, a spirited English side settled the score in the following Test at the Old Trafford. It now remains to be seen who will have the last laugh in the series-decider or whether both teams will have to share the trophy in case the contest ends in a stalemate.