Tue, Jun 08, 2004 - Page 19 News List

England takes control of Test; West Indies rampant

REUTERS AND AFP , LONDON AND KINGSTON, JAMAICA

England took total control of the second test on a wearing Headingley pitch on Sunday after New Zealand collapsed from 75 for one to 102 for 5 in their second innings at the close of day four.

The tourists were still 15 runs adrift of England, who made 526 in their first innings, and reeling from the news spinner Daniel Vettori had suffered a suspected hamstring tear. Scott Styris was on seven while Jacob Oram had made four.

England had earlier piled on the runs after some sloppy New Zealand bowling with Geraint Jones notching his maiden test century from only 146 balls and Andrew Flintoff weighing in with a composed 94.

Steve Harmison and Matthew Hoggard did the damage with the ball for England, taking advantage of a deteriorating pitch.

Nathan Astle (8) was trapped lbw by Hoggard and nightwatchman Daryl Tuffey (7) lasted seven balls before spooning a simple catch to Jones off Harmison.

Opener Mark Richardson was out for 40, gloving a steep Hoggard ball to Jones and Brendon McCullum, promoted to three, was caught acrobatically by Marcus Trescothick for 20 after a good length ball from Harmison.

Stephen Fleming, back as opener because of Michael Papps's broken finger, clipped a Flintoff delivery to Andrew Strauss at short leg when on 11.

England, resuming on 248 for four in the morning session, took advantage of New Zealand's bowling deficiencies, which were exacerbated when Vettori was forced from the field with a hamstring strain. It was not clear whether he would be able to finish the Test.

Jones, playing in only his third test, hit a flurry of ambitious strokes but his luck finally ended when he cut a Chris Cairns delivery into the safe hands of Fleming to be out for exactly 100.

Flintoff displayed his growing maturity with a cultured innings before he attempted to strike a six to reach his century but was caught at mid-off by Chris Martin off Styris.

The Lancashire all-rounder, so often an all-or-nothing attacking batsman in the past, relied on timing rather than brute force in a measured innings.

WEST INDIES VS BANGLADESH

Their bowling battered into submission by Ramnaresh Sarwan and Shivnarine Chanderpaul, Bangladesh lost three early wickets to leave West Indies in a formidable position after three days of their second and final cricket Test on Sunday.

Sarwan hit an undefeated 261, his highest Test and first-class score, and Chanderpaul scored an unbeaten 101, his 10th Test hundred, to allow West Indies to declare at 559 for four with a first innings lead of 275.

With 20 overs available before the close, Bangladesh slumped to 66 for three in their second innings when stumps were drawn to fortify West Indies' position in the Test.

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