West Indian batsman Dwayne Bravo raises his bat after reaching his 50 on the third day of the first Test match against England at Lord's yesterday. The West Indies reached 363 for seven at stumps in pursuit of England's first innings score of 553 for five declared. Bravo made 56. LONDON (CMC):
SHIVNARINE CHANDER-PAUL drew on every ounce of his 13 years of international experience to fashion an obdurate half-century that was the cornerstone of West Indies avoiding the follow-on, after Monty Panesar crippled their top-order batting in the opening Test against England yesterday.
Chanderpaul was undefeated on 63 when stumps were drawn on the third day at Lord's, after Dwayne Bravo and Denesh Ramdin also helped themselves to half-centuries which propelled West Indies to 363 for seven, replying to England's first innings total of 553 for five declared.
Chanderpaul and his two young deputies defied an England attack hamstrung by the conspicuous absence of Matthew Hoggard with a groin strain, and lacking direction and penetration from new-ball partner Steve Harmison and his county teammate Liam Plunkett.
The mantle fell to Panesar, whose place in the final XI was under a cloud before the match, and he gave England hope of a huge lead when he exposed West Indies' frailty against high-class spin bowling with four wickets for 108 runs from 31 overs.
Remained unflappable
Chanderpaul - his mind probably flooded with memories of his previous two innings at the world famous ground of 128 not out and 97 not out - dropped anchor and remained unflappable until the end.
Bravo joined him for a sixth-wicket stand of 92 either side of tea and Ramdin stayed to add 83 for the seventh wicket before his dismissal in the penultimate over of the day.
The West Indies limped to 187 for five, after Panesar removed Devon Smith with his first ball of the match about 10 minutes before lunch, and then had successful lbw verdicts over the visitors' captain Ramnaresh Sarwan, his vice captain Daren Ganga and Runako Morton in the afternoon period.
Sarwan showed little nerves in 35, Ganga spent three hours over 49 that kept things together early on and Morton failed to ease concerns about his ability to play spin in a knock of 14.
Exploded
Bravo then linked up with Chanderpaul and carried West Indies to tea on 217 for five before he exploded after the break with an array of strokes.
He broke Panesar's spirit with his enterprise that included a lofted straight hit for the first six of the match that carried him to his 50.
Bravo however was caught at deep mid-wicket in the next over miscuing a hook to give part-time medium-pacer Paul Collingwood to give him his second wicket in Tests.
At the same time, the Ivory Coast striker Didier Drogba was handing Chelsea the English FA Cup with a goal in the second period of extra time against Manchester United down the road at Wembley, Ramdin and Chanderpaul were engaged in a titanic battle to extend the life of the West Indies.
For close to two hours, the two batsmen resisted the English. Chanderpaul reached his 50, when he edged Collingwood between the 'keeper and slip for the sixth of his seven fours.
Ramdin then rattled on to his 50 from 62 balls with successive boundaries off Harmison - a crunching pull and a searing off-drive - in the fast bowler's 22nd over. Plunkett however, removed Ramdin just before the close, when he wrong-footed the Windies' wicketkeeper with a ball moving away and had him caught at second slip.
Things started to happen
Earlier, Ganga and left-handed opening partner Chris Gayle circumspectly navigated the opening overs from Harmison and Hoggard, after England declared at their bedtime total.
The two West Indies openers had spent close to an hour resisting the two Hs before Plunkett provided England with the breakthrough, when he bowled Gayle for 30 with a well-pitched, full-length delivery.
Plunkett has so far taken two for 81 from 23 overs.
Smith came to the wicket and played as busily as he always does. A couple of rasping cover drives off successive balls from Hoggard boosted his confidence.
Things appeared to get a little easier for West Indies when Hoggard hobbled off the field after bowling the first ball of his 11th over, but England captain Andrew Strauss introduced Panesar and things started to happen.
Smith playing down the wrong line to a well-flighted delivery was bowled to leave West Indies 83 for two.
Sarwan came to the crease for his first innings as West Indies captain and eased the tension with three boundaries - a cut through backward point off Panesar, along with a straight drive and a back-foot cover drive off Harmison in the last over before the interval. Sarwan and Ganga carried West Indies to 97 for two at lunch, but Panesar, bowling unchanged throughout the afternoon period, put the skids on the West Indies with his collection of wickets.
He however, ran into three West Indians determined not to fall victims to a full monty.
- AP
SCOREBOARD
England first innings 553 for five dec.
West Indies first innings
C. Gayle b Plunkett 30 D. Ganga lbw Panesar 49 D. Smith b Panesar 21 R. Sarwan lbw Panesar 35 S. Chanderpaul not out 63 R. Morton lbw Panesar 14 D. Bravo c Cook b Collingwood 56
D. Ramdin c Collingwood
b Plunkett 60 D. Powell not out 0 Extras: (16lb, 16w, 3nb) 35 TOTAL: (for seven wkts) 363
Overs: 98. Batting time: 510 minutes.
Fall: 1-38, 2-83 3-151, 4-165, 5-187, 6-279, 7-362.
Bowling: Matthew Hoggard 10.1-3-29-0, Steve Harmison 22-1-95-0 (4w, 2nb), Liam Plunkett 23-5-81-2 (4w), Paul Collingwood 11.5-2-34-1 (1nb), Monty Panesar 31-2-108-4.
