Tony Becca THE THIRD Test between the West Indies and England at Old Trafford is a long way from over and England, the pre-match favourites, could still win it.
Based on yesterday's first day's play, however, with England on 296 for seven off 86 overs, the West Indies are in it.
Although it is too early to say so, despite their fragile batting, they could go on, spring what would be a big surprise, win it and level the series at one-one.
And if they do, it will be all because of some brilliant play in one memorable session yesterday - in the session between lunch and tea.
After winning the toss and electing to bat, England, after losing Andrew Strauss leg before to Jerome Taylor at 13 for one in the morning's third over, chipped to 112 for one off 28 overs at lunch and appeared set for another massive first innings total before the Windies, thanks mainly to medium-pacers Corey Collymore and newcomer Daren Sammy, struck and had them reeling at 167 for five off 54 overs at tea.
In other words, after looking like easy pickings for England's batsmen, after conceding 64 runs off the first 10 overs in a Test match, the West Indies bowlers conceded a mere 55 runs off 26 overs while pocketing four wickets.
To many an expert, pace bowler Daren Powell should have been in the team ahead of Collymore, Marlon Samuels, a batsman, should have been in the team ahead of bowling all-rounder Sammy and they may have been right.
Worst attack
A team that was dismissed for 146 and 141 in the previous Test match surely needed a batsman instead of a bowling all-rounder. A team whose attack already comprised three specialist pacers and a pace-bowling all-rounder, surely did not need another pacer and, on top of that, of the five pacers included in the team, only Fidel Edwards bowled really fast.
As it turned out, however, the West Indies selectors were right - and definitely so for at least the two hours between lunch and tea. But for the delivery which got rid of Kevin Pietersen - a short delivery which ended up in Dwayne Bravo's hands at backward square-leg, Collymore dropped the ball on a spot almost every time it left his hands and, but for a couple short deliveries to Michael Vaughan before lunch which the England captain pulled to long-on and to wide long-on, Sammy dropped the ball on the proverbial penny.
It was not fast bowling, it was not swing bowling and it was not seam bowling.It was straight and accurate bowling.
It was simply bowling that left England's batsmen, most of them no better than average, strokeless for over after over and runless for over after over. It was bowling which kept the pressure on the batsmen and bowling which led to some rash strokes and the batsmen's demise.
Brilliant catch
On top of that, led by Bravo's brilliant low catch to dismiss Alastair Cooke off Sammy, the West Indies fielding was top class during the session.
The session, however, did not belong only to Collymore and Sammy - and to an extent Taylor, who picked up the wicket of Paul Collingwood.
The session also belonged to Edwards.
Bowling fast, really fast, Edwards peppered the English batsmen - especially so Colling-wood and he had them bobbing and weaving and ducking from some well-pitched short deliveries.
It was, for a brief moment, like the West Indies/England matches of the '70s, '80s and '90s and it left one to wonder, for the umpteenth time, not only why was Edwards left out of the World Cup squad, but also why was he not selected for the first two Test matches?
In the last session, the session between tea and close, things did not go as well for the West Indies their bowlers lost their accuracy and failed to really corner England.
Based on the action between lunch and tea, however, the West Indies, surprisingly and unlike the first two matches, are in the hunt and looking good.
