Print

Mail

wiki links

Monty gives England the upper hand

England gained the upper hand on the second day of the third Test against West Indies on Friday, with bowlers Monty Panesar and Ryan Sidebottom combining to help the home team to a 175-run first innings lead.

Spinner Panesar took four wickets in the final session and Sidebottom grabbed 3-45.

West Indies bowled England out for 370 on the second day at Old Trafford before collapsing to 229 all out after tea. England were 34-1 at stumps.

The tourists lost their last six wickets for 13 runs in 44 balls as Panesar took 4-50 alongside left arm seamer Sidebottom, who took 3-45.

Top scorer Shivnarine Chanderpaul watched from the other end as Dwayne Bravo, Danesh Ramdin, Darren Sammy and Jerome Taylor were out for the addition of nine runs.

Chanderpaul was the next to go for an innings-high 50, clipping Panesar to Andrew Strauss at first slip, and the tailenders added just four more runs between them.

"I'm very disappointed," West Indies coach David Moore said. "We went from a very good position at tea to a very poor position. I expected us to bat for the day but the batters didn't back up the bowlers."

England had been bowled out before lunch after Ian Bell helped rally the team with 97 after starting the day on 296-7, adding 74 with some lusty blows from the tail.

It was the first time in the four Test series -- which England lead 1-0 -- that West Indies bowled out the home side.

Late on Friday, England returned to the field for six overs of their second innings and immediately lost Andrew Strauss, who was out leg before wicket to Fidel Edwards for a duck. He scored six in England's first innings and has averaged 15.4 after five innings in this series.

Alastair Cook was not out 12 and Michael Vaughan unbeaten on 10 at stumps. England's total of 34-1 included six no balls from Edwards.

Panesar took his first wicket of the innings -- and his 50th in Test cricket -- when No. 3 Devon Smith (40) hit the ball into his pad and Bell took a low catch at silly point.

He said a chat from England coach Peter Moores and bowling coach Allan Donald in the tea break had helped focus the bowlers.

"They said we should show more aggression and intent and we did that as a unit," Panesar said. "It's important to get the ball in the areas you want to get it in."

Smith had enjoyed a 41-run partnership with Chanderpaul, who missed the last Test with a knee injury. The Guyanese left hander reached his 42nd half century off 66 balls with a single through midwicket off Sidebottom.

He added 41-runs for the fifth wicket partnership before Bravo edged a delivery from Sidebottom to wicketkeeper Matt Prior, leaving West Indies on 216 for five.

West Indies had missed Chanderpaul's experience in the second Test, which they lost by an innings and 283 runs. Chanderpaul hit 70 at Lord's in the rain-affected first Test draw.

Panesar's strong afternoon overshadowed a mixed day for Steve Harmison. He trapped West Indies captain Daren Ganga leg before wicket in the first session in an over that went for 11 runs. After lunch, he was hit for consecutive fours by Chris Gayle in an over that went for 14.

Harmison also removed Runako Morton (35), with the ball bouncing high onto the bat to Strauss at first slip, breaking a 67-run, third-wicket partnership with Smith.

Liam Plunkett prompted Gayle to slice to gully, where he was caught low by Cook for 23.

Earlier, in England's first innings, Harmison added another 28 runs with Bell to take their eighth-wicket partnership to 39. Sidebottom was clean bowled by Edwards for 15, and Panesar was not out 14.

Corey Collymore finished with 3-60, with Fidel Edwards taking 3-94.
This story has been viewed 1008 times.