Root a thorn in Windies’ side

England's Joe Root registered a century on the first day of the second Test cricket match against the West Indies at the Kensington Oval in Bridgetown, Barbados, yesterday.

The West Indies bowlers may have put in one of the hardest first day shifts in a long while, as their toiling effort only accounted for three England wickets, while the visitors amassed 244.

Root continues his good form from the first Test where he also scored a century in Antigua. This was after England won the coin toss.

Root will resume today on 119, as the visitors took advantage of what could only be described as a 'belter' of a flat batting track at the Oval.

It wasn't all doom and gloom for the West Indies early on, as they got an early wicket when Jayden Seales found the edge of opener Zack Crawley for a duck, with just four runs on the board.

Root joined opener Alex Lees and they made it clear that they were in no rush to get runs, as England went to lunch with just 47 runs on the board in 30 overs.

The duo upped the tempo in the post-lunch session and took the score to 80 before Lees was trapped in front by spinner Veerasammy Permaul for 30.

That would be the only respite the home side would get for some time, as Root rode his luck on two occasions to first bring up his 50 off 121 balls, then he got to three figures after tea off 199 balls with 11 fours.

Root's 25th Test century may not have been had skipper Kraigg Brathwaite reviewed an inside edge when Root was on 23 and then wicketkeeper Joshua Da Silva put down the captain down the leg side off Kemar Roach when on 34.

Root and Dan Lawrence added 164 runs for the third wicket, and just when Lawrence was looking to bat out the day, he drove the penultimate ball of the day from Holder to Brathwaite at cover for a well-played 91 from 150 balls with 13 fours and a six.

Despite the slow day for the home side, assistant coach Roddy Estwick is optimistic heading into today.

"It is a very good batting pitch with not a lot of pace or sideways movement," he said. "It is not a typical Barbadian pitch, but we have to work with what we got. We have to come [today] and make that second new ball work for us."