The West Indies twice had England just where they wanted them only todrop their guard and squander their significant early advantage in thefinal session of the opening day of the second Test at Lord’syesterday
Tony Cozier30-Jun-2000The West Indies twice had England just where they wanted them only todrop their guard and squander their significant early advantage in thefinal session of the opening day of the second Test at Lord’syesterday.From the solidity of 79 without loss at lunch and the prosperingassurance of 170 for two at tea, they declined to 267 for nine whenplay was halted for the second and final time with four balls stillavailable.They were undone by a familiar pair. Darren Gough and Dominic Cork,returning to the scene of his emphatic Test debut on the same groundin the corresponding Test five years ago, each took four wickets asthe innings subsided.The West Indies would not even have reached as far as they did had notFranklyn Rose arrived at 216 for seven and, as in the first Test atEdgbaston, laid about the bowling for half-hour in which he thumped asix and four fours in a run-a-ball 29.The end of the day was in utter contrast to the beginning.In their contrasting ways, openers Sherwin Campbell and AdrianGriffith had, by the first interval, erased England’s supposedadvantage of winning the toss and bowling first under a blanket ofmisty, grey cloud.Positive from the start, especially in their running between thewickets, they comfortably and purposefully posted 79 off the first 30overs in the first session, forcing stand-in captain Alec Stewart togo through his five main bowlers, all dealing in pace, but unable tofind the expected swing and lacking direction.England had missed three sharp chances in the slips – from Campbell at20 off Darren Gough and at 35 off Dominic Cork; and Griffith at 19 offCork – and were so deflated that another half-hour or so of the samewas all that was needed to further crush their spirit.Wasted wicketInstead, Griffith wasted his wicket second ball on resumption. Takingon Andy Caddick’s strong, accurate return to the keeper from long-legas he tried for a needless, dicey second run, he was run out by afoot.The manner was identical to his dismissal against New Zealand inWellington last December when Dion Nash’s similarly fast, flat throwfrom third man cut him short at 45.Returning to the team in place of Chris Gayle, he had batted with calmassurance for 27, but such misjudgements are unforgiveable at thislevel and in this situation.It obliged Campbell to change his tempo as he was joined by thebelligerent Wavell Hinds. He contented himself with the support role,contributing 29 out of their partnership of 82 that consolidated theWest Indies’ position on a pitch that lacked the assistance Englandhad expected.Hinds quickly launched himself into booming drives through the offside, off front foot and back, taking three boundaries off successiveballs from the medium-pacer Craig White and ending occasional offspinner Michael Vaughan’s brief interlude with two boundaries down theground.Gough hit Hinds on the forearm before he had scored, and he and Corkpeppered him with bouncers, noticing an uncertainty that Hinds willneed to overcome. But, as always, he was ready to put bat to ball.All the while, Campbell nudged his way towards what should have beenthree figures. He fell 18 short, failing to control a hook from a Corkbouncer that was too high for the stroke and hoisting a catch to longleg, ending three-and-three-quarter hours during which he hit 11boundaries with cuts, cover-drives and leg-glances.His loss was a setback but, at 170 for two at tea, with Hinds indominant mood and Brian Lara his partner, the West Indies stilldefinitely held the initiative.It then changed dramatically, as it so often does, when Lara touchedan expansive off-drive off Gough in the third over after tea andStewart’s gloves closed jubilantly around the catch.The light, always marginal, had become even murkier by now and a breakof 35 minutes for it to improve allowed Gough and Cork to have awelcome breather.They came back charged up, generating pace, pounding in bouncers,finding the direction that had earlier eluded them.They shared the next four wickets that went for 35 on resumptionbefore Rose’s counterattack.Cork gained umpire Venkataraghan’s verdict on an unconvincing appealfor a catch at the wicket off Hinds, whose fourth half-century in hislast four Tests occupied two-and-a-half hours and included ten fours.In the next over, captain Jimmy Adams took the third of the nine ballshe received on the pad from Gough and umpire John Hampshire ruled theball would have hit, not missed, leg-stump as it appeared it mighthave.Ridley Jacobs, gloving a hook, and Curtly Ambrose, prodding to shortleg, fell cheaply to Cork, but Rose’s assault altered things.Matthew Hoggard, the young, bustling fast bowler on Test debut, tookover from Gough, and was blasted for 16 on an over – meaty hooks forsix and four and a couple of flicks for two and another four.Gough quickly returned to claim Rose, lbw moving too far inside hisstumps, and Shivnarine Chanderpaul, who could do nothing to halt theslide, taking 61 balls over 22 before he dragged his drive back intomiddle stump.Chanderpaul, so stricken by a strained muscle in his right forearmthat he had been unable to bat even in the nets since the first Test,had been given a fitness test in the nets in the morning and, withtreatment, was chosen.It was a calculated gamble but his experience and recent form wereclearly too valuable to ignore, even for a player whose injury wassaid on Tuesday to need a lengthy rest.Taking a cue from Rose, Reon King gathered three valuable boundariesbefore the light closed in again. But, given their start, the dayended unsatisfactorily for the West Indies.