Eng vs WI: Twitterati excited after 1st Test in COVID-19 era nears thrilling Day 5 finish

International cricket made its return in the COVID-19 era on Wednesday when England took on West Indies in the first Test of their 3-match series at the Rose Bowl, Southampton. Although England entered the match as favourites despite having no fans in the stadium, West Indies seemed to have come in with a lot more to prove than the hosts. The visitors haven't disappointed fans in the Caribbean and most neutrals alike as the Jason Holder-led team dominated Ben Stokes and co. for a large part of the Test match.

As cricket made its way back to many television and laptop screens around the world after sports such as football, cricketers and fans alike expressed their excitement especially looking at the competitiveness West Indies provided despite the absence of the likes of Darren Bravo and Sheldon Cottrell.

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Eng vs WI: Jason Holder, Shannon Gabriel star for West Indies going into Day 5

England's stand-in captain Ben Stokes won the toss and elected to bat first in the historic Eng vs WI Test match. However, the decision backfired tremendously for the hosts as Stokes' counterpart Jason Holder not only won the 'Captain's Battle' between them by dismissing him but also sent 5 other English batsmen back to the pavilion. Shannon Gabriel took 4 wickets in the first innings to restrict England to a mere 204 in the first innings. 

Jofra Archer, who replaced Stuart Broad much to the surprise of many for the first Eng vs WI Test match, was expected to fire on all cylinders and lead England's comeback into the match. However, that wasn't to be as Jofra Archer ended up with no wickets at all in the first innings and would have to wait for the second innings to make an impact. 

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Led by wicketkeeper-batsman Shane Dowrich's 61 and Roston Chase's 47, West Indies managed to muster 318 in reply, gaining a vital first-innings lead of 114 runs. Jason Holder, who was expected to lead from the front with the bat as well, fell just for 5 as Ben Stokes got his 'revenge' with his wicket being one of the 4 West Indian scalps of his. 

Although England started the second innings positively with openers Rory Burns and Dom Sibley putting up a rare 50+ partnership in home conditions, West Indies bounced back with Gabriel picking 3 more wickets as England ended Day 4 on 284/8, being just 170 ahead in the game. With the pitch on Day 5 expected to deteriorate under the sun, West Indies are set to be the favourites if they manage to get themselves a target between 200-220 for the win. 

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England vs West Indies live streaming details for Day 5

The ENG vs WI live telecast in India will be available to viewers on the Sony Sports Network. But fans can also enjoy the ENG vs WI live streaming by logging onto FanCode by Dream Sports to watch each ball of the ENG vs WI live match. The England vs West Indies live streaming would also be available on Sony LIV, Airtel TV and cricket.com.au. The England vs West Indies live streaming will begin at 3:30 PM IST. For Eng vs WI live scores, fans can check the official England Cricket Twitter page as well.