England 28 runs short of victory

TODAY West Indies cricket supporters are destined to endure yet another embarrassing defeat of the regional team. The Caribbean cricketers left the Queen’s Park Oval a dejected lot yesterday and a glance at the scoreboard would have revealed that the visiting England team is a mere 28 runs shy of taking an unassailable 2-0 lead in the Cable and Wireless series. Today is the the final day of the five-day match. SCORES: West Indies 208 & 209 vs England 319 & 71/2. After faltering in the morning session, adding just 19 runs to their overnight 300 for six, the English struck back through pacer Simon Jones who took five wickets for 57 runs to bowl out the West Indies for 209. This set themselves a winning target of just 99 runs.

Hopes of a miracle for the West Indies disappeared after the first over bowled by Tino Best. The aggressive Barbadian bowled England opener Marcus Trescothick for four, with the score on eight. After this skipper Michael Vaughan and Mark Butcher flayed the bowling to kill off any hopes the home team had of effecting an improbable win. But near the close, which came after six o’clock, Adam Sanford trapped Vaughan leg before for 23 but Butcher was defiant on 33 not out. Keeping him company was Nasser Hussain on five not out. England made their 71 off just 10 overs and would have got the winning target yesterday but the umpires drove the reluctant batsmen off the field in the gloom at 6.02 pm deeming the fading light too dangerous for play.

The umpires had earlier offered the batsmen the option of going of because of the light but they refused. However when the light began fading rapidly the umpires called off play much to the disappointment of the English players. England got a first innings lead of 111 runs despite Pedro Collins removing Graham Thorpe for 90. Collins finished with four for 71, while Best took three for 71 and Chris Gayle two for 20. The West Indies got off to a reasonable start with the openers posting 34 runs for the first wicket. However the intervention of Jones from the Gerry Gomez Media Centre End, triggered a collapse that crippled the West Indies. In quick succession Jones removed Gayle for 16, Devon Smith for 17 and Ramnaresh Sarwan to a dubious leg before decision for 13. The West Indies slipped to 56 for three  and skipper Lara in a “tactical move” sent in wicket keeper Ridley Jacobs at number four.

The move paid rich dividends as Jacobs and Shivnarine Chanderpaul added 102 runs for the fourth wicket. Jacobs brought up his half century off just 65 balls with eight fours in 121 minutes. While he attacked, Chanderpaul was very quiet and they supplemented each other very well. Jones in his second spell then removed Jacobs for 70 and the rot set in again. Skipper Brian Lara was next in and Vaughn immediately introduced Steve Harmison, his tormentor, into the attack. He sent back Lara with his first ball, leg before for eight. The skipper is now averaging just 20 runs per innings in his last seven Tests. Chanderpaul’s vigil then ended at 42 courtesy Andrew Flintoff who quickly added the wicket of Dwayne Smith for 14. Hoggard and Jones then wrapped up the West Indies innings to set up the match nicely for England. Today West Indians will be hoping for rain to save their beleaguered team.