Windies v. Poms - 3rd. Test

[Donny]

Edwards back for Barbados

Wisden Cricinfo staff

Fidel Edwards, who missed the second Test with a side strain, has been named in West Indies' 14-man squad for the third Test in Barbados, which starts on Thursday (April 1).

Edwards replaces Adam Sanford, and the likelihood is that West Indies will go into the Bridgetown Test with a four-man pace attack, all of them from Barbados. Indeed three of them - Edwards, his half-brother Pedro Collins and Corey Collymore - come from the tiny village of Boscabel. Tino Best is the fourth member of the Barbadian foursome.

Daren Ganga, the Trinidad & Tobago opener who made two Test centuries against Australia last year, has been included in the squad as cover for Devon Smith, who has a finger injury.

West Indies squad for third Test
Chris Gayle, Devon Smith, Daren Ganga, Brian Lara (capt), Ramnaresh Sarwan, Shivnarine Chanderpaul, Dwayne Smith, Ricardo Powell, Ryan Hinds, Ridley Jacobs (wk), Corey Collymore, Tino Best, Fidel Edwards, Pedro Collins.

[Donny]

Logie goes on the offensive

Wisden Cricinfo staff


As if the unrest in their camp could get any worse in the build-up to Thursday's crucial third Test in Barbados, West Indies' coach Gus Logie has gone onto the attack, accusing his team of lacking the mental strength and discipline to succeed in Test cricket.


Logie, who was a member of West Indies' all-conquering squad of the 1980s and 1990s, insists that the players are given all the raw materials to succeed, but that they refuse to accept the responsibility and work ethic that comes with the territory. "We have to ask, are we mentally strong enough?" said Logie. "Can the bowlers bowl the right line, can the batters make the right choices? The players must have a passion for the team and a responsibility for themselves.

"Discipline has always been a problem," Logie told the BBC. "I think you could go back in the archives and you'll find it was always a problem, it's just that we were much more successful then. I think it's a reflection of the society we live in. The schools are undisciplined - I think we have to realise that we are failing our young people."


Logie's strained relationship with his captain Brian Lara hardly helps the harmony. They have not seen eye-to-eye since they played together for Trinidad, and Logie revealed that he had considered resigning along with the manager, Ricky Skerritt, in the aftermath of the second-Test defeat. But he felt that the buck stopped short of his role. "I do not see the coach of a West Indies team as the one wholly and solely responsible for making decisions out in the middle," he said, in what has been perceived as a dig at Lara. "What we are hoping ... is that everyone is singing from the same page."


In the meantime, the new West Indies team manager Tony Howard has the onerous task of smoothing over the various grievances in the ranks, and has promised to adopt a no-nonsense approach. "In the short term I expect to see a halt in the haemorrhaging," he said. "In the medium term I expect to see a change in the way we carry ourselves, and hopefully that will translate onto the pitch."

[Donny]

"Logie's strained relationship with his captain Brian Lara hardly helps the harmony. They have not seen eye-to-eye since they played together for Trinidad, ..."

This is an understatement. A big one. These are professional sportsmen. Wouldn't you think the absolute first issue Logie and Lara would've tackled was their relationship ??

What was the point of appointing a coach who had a rift with the captain which apparently has endured for 20 years !!??

[Donny]

This Test starts at 12.05 a.m.

[Donny]

England retain winning team

From correspondents in Bridgetown, Barbados - Fox


ENGLAND will field an unchanged XI in the third Test with West Indies which starts tomorrow.

Michael Vaughan, whose side lead the four-Test series 2-0, said today: "It's great that we can play the same team for the third straight Test because it has not happened for some time now and so that should breed some confidence in the team."

Vaughan hopes that this confidence will translate into a third straight victory that will make his side the first England team to complete a Test series victory over West Indies in the Caribbean since 1968.

"The players are very focused and are just doing their jobs as normal," said Vaughan said.

"There has been no talk of 2-0 at all over the last few days.

"They simply see this Test as a huge match in Barbados with a huge English following and we have to play a good game of cricket and, once we do this, we all know what the results will be.

"We are 2-0 up and a clean sweep of the series is an achievable goal if we play really well. We are just focusing right now on this match in Barbados, if we play well and have a bit of fortune, we should have a good chance of a sweep, but it will take a huge team effort."

A series victory in the Caribbean will also be a major boost for English cricket, said Vaughan.

"We are in a fantastic position leading 2-0, but I keep saying that this side is nowhere near the finished article," he said.

"We have a young set of lads and we are looking at 60 per cent being the finished article, so we are a long way off from where we want to be, but we are progressing pretty nicely."

Despite the results in the series, Vaughan has described West Indies as a very talented bunch of cricketers.

"They have been in some very good positions in both Tests and both matches could have gone either way," he said.

"But in the tough moments in both matches, we came through them. In the tough moments for the West Indies side, we have been able to get on top of them and drill home our advantage and that's been the difference between the two sides."

England team: Michael Vaughan (capt), Marcus Trescothick, Mark Butcher, Nasser Hussain, Graham Thorpe, Andrew Flintoff, Chris Read, Ashley Giles, Matthew Hoggard, Simon Jones, Steve Harmison

[Donny]

Vaughan won the toss and sent the Windies in to bat.

West Indies team:

CH Gayle, D Ganga, RR Sarwan, *BC Lara, S Chanderpaul, RO Hinds,
+RD Jacobs, TL Best, PT Collins, CD Collymore, FH Edwards.

England team:

ME Trescothick, *MP Vaughan, MA Butcher, N Hussain, GP Thorpe,
A Flintoff, +CMW Read, AF Giles, MJ Hoggard, SP Jones,
SJ Harmison.

[Donny]

Mmmm. Time will tell but if Gayle and Ganga can get through this early stuff, the Windies could have a good first day.
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Hoggard gets Gayle for 6. Lara comes in at first drop - at last !!
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Harmison traps Ganga (11), l.b.w. No shot offered. 2/20

[Donny]

Lara (36) and Sarwan added 68 for the 3rd. wicket and Sarwan (63) and Chanderpaul (50) put on a further 79 for the next but it was all downhill from there as Flintoff took 5/58 and Harmison, 3/42.

At stumps, England was 1/20. Trescothic's dreadful run continues as he went for 2, to Edwards.

[Donny]

Flintoff fires to give England control

The Wisden Bulletin by Freddie Auld


Andrew Flintoff emerged as England's hero with a thoroughly deserved Test-best 5 for 58 as West Indies collapsed to 224 all out on the first day of the third Test at Bridgetown. Flintoff also helped to justify Michael Vaughan's decision to bowl first, as West Indies lost their last seven wickets for only 57 runs. England then ended a good day's work at 20 for 1.

Flintoff has earned himself the title of England's unluckiest bowler thanks to the number of missed chances off his bowling. However, today he finally got some recognition for his whole-hearted efforts – although he still had his usual quota of dropped catches. He took the big wickets of Brian Lara and Shivnarine Chanderpaul, who, along with Ramnaresh Sarwan, were the only batsmen to put up a fight for West Indies.

England's bowling – and fielding – wasn't at its best. The attack tended to bowl too short, and there were three dropped slip catches. However, West Indies couldn't capitalise on that, and despite a strong middle session, they had another day to forget.

After the Windies had slumped to 20 for 2, Sarwan and Chanderpaul managed to steady the ship. Sarwan, the vice-captain, played sensibly, and added 68 resuscitating runs with Lara. He hit seven boundaries in his 19th Test half-century, and played shots all round the wicket, but without ever quite letting loose. Sarwan also put on 79 with Chanderpaul, until he drove airily at a full ball outside off from Stephen Harmison for Flintoff to take a head-high catch at second slip for 63 (167 for 4).

Chanderpaul played one of his characteristic gritty, bitty innings. He stuck around for over two hours, but it should have been much less than that: at 10, he dangled his bat at another good-length delivery from Flintoff, and Mark Butcher, at third slip, fluffed a straightforward chance. However, Flintoff got his man later in the day, in the middle of the collapse, caught at slip – this time by Graham Thorpe, for 50 (198 for 7).

The middle session was West Indies' sole highlight in between more abject performances with the bat. While all eyes were on how the man of the moment Harmison would perform, it was the under-rated Matthew Hoggard who was the more threatening of the two, and he got England going. He was rewarded for his accuracy when he zeroed another one back into the left-handed Chris Gayle's pads, and Rudi Koertzen sent him on his way, even though the replays suggested the ball would have missed leg stump (6 for 1).

Daren Ganga, dropped early on by Thorpe and reprieved when seemingly trapped plumb in front by Harmison, couldn't make the most of his let-offs. He finally padded up to one from Harmison that cut back in sharply. Hair lifted the dreaded finger, although the replays again suggested it would have missed off stump (20 for 2).

Lara, as if to make up for his much-criticised decision to drop down to No. 6 in Trinidad, purposefully strode out after Gayle's wicket. He took his time to get going, but then began to show signs of returning to his best with some belting cover-drives off both feet.

But just as Lara was threatening to break loose, Flintoff struck gold. He forced Lara to prod forward at a full-length ball, and this time Butcher held on to the chance at gully (88 for 3). While England celebrated, Lara stayed there for a few seconds, holding his head in frustration at his loose shot and lack of footwork.


Flintoff will take all the plaudits, but it was Harmison who took the big wicket of Sarwan after tea, to prompt the major collapse. After Sarwan fell, Harmison literally bounced out Ryan Hinds. After clunking him on the helmet with a nasty short one, Harmison banged in two more throat-balls. Hinds took on the second one, but only spooned a catch to Simon Jones at fine leg (179 for 5).

Then it was Ridley Jacobs's turn to get the short stuff, and he found a Flintoff fireball too hot to handle, fending it away to England's specialist substitute, Paul Collingwood, running in from point (197 for 6). Collingwood was on for Matthew Hoggard, who had succumbed to cramp. Another slip catch accounted for Pedro Collins, who edged Jones to Marcus Trescothick (208 for , and West Indies had lost five wickets for 41.

Tino Best, dropped second ball by Butcher off Flintoff – no surprises there – added 17 valuable runs, but then the on-off Flintoff-Butcher combination worked for the second time, as Best gloved a catch out to the slips (224 for 9). That was Flintoff's fourth scalp, and no-one was going to deny him that magical fifth. Fidel Edwards was the man who happened to be in the way, and when he tickled the ball behind to Chris Read, Flintoff was tickled pink. The emotion on his face was clear to see – even Duncan Fletcher, England's usually taciturn coach, managed a smile.

The only blemish for England was another failure for Trescothick, bowled by Edwards for 2 – he's now scored only 20 runs in his last six Test ininngs – but Vaughan and Butcher saw out the rest of a long and satisfying day for England.

[Donny]

At the top of this page, it says: Edwards back for Barbados.

He's back all right. England are 3/33 and he has both openers and Butcher.
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3/59 as Thorpe and Hussain steady.

[Donny]

Thorpe saved England from humiliation with 119 n.o. as wickets tumbled around him.

Edwards finished with 4/70, Collins, 3/60 and Best took 2/26

At stumps, The Windies were 1/21. Gayle was out to Harmison for 15.

[Donny]

Thorpe ton rescues England

From correspondents in Bridgetown, Barbados - Fox


GRAHAM Thorpe's 13th Test hundred and questionable tactics from the opposing captain helped England to wriggle free from the West Indies' vice on the second day of the third Test today.

Thorpe was undefeated on 119 and gained valuable support from the lower order to give England a two-run, first innings lead, replying to West Indies' first innings total of 224, after their innings appeared in strife earlier in the day.

When bad light stopped cricket 3.4 overs early, West Indies had reached 21 for one after opening batsman Chris Gayle was bowled for 15 by Steve Harmison in the same over that he hit the fast bowler for three boundaries.

Gritty left-hander Thorpe batted for close to 3-1/4 hours, faced 217 balls and struck 13 fours to take the teeth out of the West Indies attack that had reduced England to 155 for eight just before tea.

"I do not think I will ever go above what I did against South Africa at The Oval last year, but this is right behind it," Thorpe told reporters.

"It was tough day and the team needed a performance from someone and I was glad that I could put my hand up and do it. We were under pressure.

"At the beginning of the day, we were looking to bat well and get some sort of a lead, but it did not happen. The West Indies bowled well and kept the pressure on us all day.

"It was not until the last two partnerships that we were able to open up and get level with them which is a huge bonus just to get close to them."

After the tea break, Thorpe batted intelligently to shield Simon Jones and Steve Harmison from the brunt of the West Indies attack, and it did not hurt that West Indies captain Brian Lara employed some questionable bowling choices.

With the fast bowlers working diligently to restrict the visitors and England's tailenders exposed, the West Indies captain gave Chris Gayle an extended spell with his part-time off-spin from the Marshall End and later replaced him with Ryan Hinds for a few more.

By the time Lara decided on an all-pace attack, Thorpe and, indeed, England had already bolted through the barn door and reached the safety of a negligible first innings lead.

Fidel Edwards with four wickets for 70 runs from 20 overs was the pick of the West Indies bowlers.

Pedro Collins captured three for 60 from 26 overs and Tino Best took two for 26 from 14 overs.

Early on, the momentum was clearly with West Indies after England continued from their overnight position of 20 for one.

Three wickets in the morning period had put West Indies in the favourable position with England going into lunch on 71 for four.

England had a slice of fortune in the first half-hour when Ramnaresh Sarwan dropped the visiting captain Michael Vaughan on 12 at second slip off the last ball of Best's second over, the third of the morning.

Two balls later, West Indies were in a celebratory mood when Butcher chased a wide, short, rising ball from Edwards and was caught at first slip for five.

Vaughan, with a string of low scores in the series, was under pressure to produce and Edwards and Best continued to play on the nerves of the England captain, who top-edged a hook at a short, rising ball and was caught behind for 17 trying to break free.

England were 33 for three, but Hussain and Thorpe batted positively to turn the strike over and present a challenge for the West Indies bowlers of having to constantly shift their line to accommodate the right-hand/left-hand combination.

But the West Indies' bowlers continued to bowl tightly and Corey Collymore, who had bowled tightly without much fortune in the previous two Tests, made the breakthrough when Hussain was bowled for 17.

After the interval, West Indies continued to make inroads to England's batting and restricted them to 162 for eight at the tea break.

Tino Best made the breakthrough when Andrew Flintoff was caught at cover for 15, Chris Read was lbw to Fidel Edwards for 13, and Ashley Giles was caught at third slip off Pedro Collins before the score had reached 150.

Just prior to the break, Collins added the wicket of Matthew Hoggard lbw without scoring and West Indies were in a comfortable position.

After tea, Thorpe snuffed it out with his resolute batting and the tail-enders that stung West Indies with their defiance.

England, who have a 2-0 lead, will clinch their first series win in the Caribbean for 36 years if they win in Bridgetown.

[Donny]

Hoggard gets Ganga then a short time later gets Sarwan, Chandapaul and Hinds in consecutive deliveries !!

A TEST HAT TRICK !!!!!!!!

5/45

[London Dave]

6 for 50 now, Jacbs gone......wont make 100, unless Lara, who's crook, goes beserk!

[Donny]

Freddy Flintoff joins the party. 6/48.
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Rain. Merciful rain. 6/58. Lara 19 n.o. Lunch.