Jonny Bairstow joins list of England centurions in West Indies

Bairstow’s 109 not out was the 70th Test century in the Caribbean by an England batter.

Rebecca Johnson
Tuesday 08 March 2022 17:42 EST
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Jonny Bairstow made a brilliant unbeaten 109 against West Indies
Jonny Bairstow made a brilliant unbeaten 109 against West Indies (Action Images via Reuters)

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Jonny Bairstow joined the list of England batters to score a Test century in the Caribbean.

His unbeaten 109 helped rescue England from 48 for four to end day one 268 for six.

Here, the PA news agency takes a look at some memorable Test tons scored by England on tour in the West Indies.

Andy Sandham – 1930

England won the toss and elected to bat first and Sandham scored an incredible 325 runs across 10 hours at the crease before being bowled by Herman Griffith to help build a first-innings total of 849, Les Ames adding 149.

The hosts were bowled out for 286 and England declared on 272 for nine – Sandham scoring 50 – before the match was drawn as the West Indies finished 408 for five in their second innings.

Sandham, who turned 40 three months later, never played another Test.

Dennis Amiss – 1974

With the West Indies already 1-0 up in the 1974 series, England scored 353 in the first innings in the second Test at Kingston before efforts from Lawrence Rowe (120), Roy Fredericks (94) and Alvin Kallicharran (93) saw the hosts declare on 583 for nine.

Amiss’s knock of 262 not out in the second innings helped England secure a draw as the rest of his team-mates fell around him, with the next best score coming from John Jameson (38).

The 1974 series finished 1-1 when England won the final Test following three straight draws.

David Gower – 1981

England endured a difficult tour of the Caribbean in 1981 and were thrashed in the first and third Tests – first by an innings and then 298 runs, respectively, but had drawn the fourth Test.

The visitors were up against one of the best bowling attacks in the world in the form of Michael Holding and Colin Croft, who would go on to take 41 wickets between them in the series.

In the fifth and final Test, England made 285 before Clive Lloyd’s side responded with 442, but David Gower scored 154 not out in the second innings – one run more than Graham Gooch in the first – to help England bat out for a draw.

Graham Thorpe – 2004

In 2004 England won their first series in the West Indies since 1968, and went into the third Test 2-0 up after winning the first and third Test by 10 and seven wickets, respectively.

The West Indies were bowled out for 224 and Thorpe hit a defiant 119 not out in the first innings, effectively propping England up before they were bowled out for 226. A home collapse to 94 all out allowed England to secure victory by chasing down a target of just 93.

Despite Thorpe sealing a 3-0 win in the Caribbean, the 2004 series is best remembered for Brian Lara’s incredible record-breaking 400 not out in the final Test.

Joe Root – 2015

Root was a key part of England’s victory in the second Test of the 2015 West Indies visit, having drawn the first Test.

The St George’s match saw the hosts bowled out for 299 before Root changed the tone of the game with an unbeaten 182, a massive contribution that saw England reach 464 in the first innings.

Some brilliant bowling from James Anderson helped bowl the Windies out for 307 and Gary Ballance and Alistair Cook chased 143 to see England earn their first overseas Test victory since 2012.

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