England fast bowler Steve Harmison (centre) raises his hand to acknowledge the congratulations from his teammates after taking seven wickets for 12 runs, to destroy the West Indies on the fourth day of the first Test at Sabina Park, yesterday. - Junior Dowie/Staff Photographer
THE FIRST Test match of the Cable & Wireless Series ended dramatically at Sabina Park yesterday with England, led by a vicious assault from Steve Harmison with strong support from Matthew Hoggard, demolishing the West Indies by 10 wickets to take the lead in the four-match contest.
With everything pointing to two days of intense action and a thrilling finish following three days of excitement, the Test match, to the surprise of the full house, was over 17 minutes before lunch on the fourth day.
Harmison, a tall, gangling fast bowler from cold Durham in the north-east of England, revelled in Jamaica's brilliant sunshine while preening himself with a career-best seven for 12 in 11.1 overs to nail the Windies for 47.
All 10 wickets fell for 39 runs in 22.1 overs in 133 minutes.
Final score: West Indies 311 and 47; England 339 and 20 without loss.
The second innings total was the West Indies' lowest total ever four less than their 51 against Australia at Queen's Park Oval in 1999.
It was also the lowest Test team total ever at Sabina Park.
Following England's demise for 46 at Queen's Park Oval in 1994, yesterday morning's batting failure conjured the second lowest total in the history of West Indies/England contests.
The 25-year-old Harmison, who picked up the first three wickets and then four of the last five who at times bowled with six slips and two gullies also returned the best figures ever in a Test match at Sabina Park.
Cricket, it is said, is a game of surprises, and with everyone talking about the strong batting of both sides and the weak bowling of both sides, yesterday's amazingly quick finish to the Test match was, without a doubt, a surprise. In fact, it was more than a surprise.
With only two batsmen getting into double figures and five failing to score, it was so swift, so decisive, that it stunned into disbelief, not only the dejected home town fans but also the delighted, overjoyed Barmy Army.
HAPPY HARMISON
"I am happy, I am ecstatic," said one of the army's flag-wavers, "but to tell the truth, I never expected it to be over so quickly."
No one did, probably not even Harmison who, with the match starting 30 minutes early in order to make up for lost time, with the Windies resuming on eight without loss, and with the pitch still lively, rocked the home team with three wickets in three successive overs.
He removed Chris Gayle, caught at third slip by Graham Thorpe at 13 for one, trapped Ramnaresh Sarwan leg before wicket for his second zero of the match at 13 for two, and bowled Shivnarine Chanderpaul off his bat and between his legs for zero at 15 for three.
MIDDLE ORDER FLOUNDERED
At that stage, the fans were still in it, and when captain Brian Lara stepped out of the pavilion and walked to the wicket with deafening cheers echoing around the ground, there was hope that the West Indies star batsman would have rescued them.
England, however, were on the rampage and in the next over, it was 16 for four when Lara, on zero and going back and across to pacer Hoggard, edged a catch to second slip where Andrew Flintoff held the ball as the England fielders ran around as if the contest was over.
With the big four Gayle for nine, Sarwan for zero, Chanderpaul for zero and Lara for zero gone, the fourth day, still in its first session, the fifth day to come, and the West Indies still 12 short of England's first innings total, it was good as over.
LITTLE RESISTANCE
In the following over, Hoggard made it 21 for five when he held on to a return catch to send Devon Smith packing, and the only questions then were whether the West Indies could somehow get past England's lowest total against them or past their previous lowest total.
Fortunately for the West Indies, with the total on 45 for nine, Corey Collymore was bold enough to drive fast bowler Simon Jones into the offside for the two runs that prevented them for falling for the lowest total in matches between the two teams.
Unfortunately for the West Indies, however, Fidel Edwards, like Gayle, Sarwan, Chanderpaul, Jacobs, Tino Best and Adam Sanford, was no match for Harmison, and with only five runs needed to pass their 51 against Australia, the innings was over the number 11 driving hopefully and edging a catch to Marcus Trescothick at first slip.
Set 20 runs to win, Trescothick and captain Michael Vaughan went out and calmly knocked them off in 2.4 overs.
WEST INDIES 1st innings 311
(D.Smith 108; M.Hoggard 3-68)
ENGLAND 1st innings 339 (M.Butcher 58, N.Hussain 58; T.Best 3-57)
WEST INDIES 2nd innings (overnight 8
without loss):
C.Gayle c Thorpe b Harmison 9
D.Smith c & b Hoggard 12
R.Sarwan lbw Harmison 0
S.Chanderpaul b Harmison 0
B.Lara c Flintoff b Hoggard 0
R.Hinds c wkp Read b Jones 3
+R.Jacobs c Hussain b Harmison 15
T.Best c wkp Read b Harmison 0
A.Sanford c Trescothick b Harmison 1
C.Collymore not out 2
F.Edwards c Trescothick b Harmison 0
Extras (lb4, nb1) 5
TOTAL (all out, 25.3 overs) 47
Fall of wickets: 1-13, 2-13, 3-15, 4-16,
5-21, 6-41, 7-41, 8-43, 9-43
Bowling: Hoggard 9-2-21-2; Harmison 12.3-8-12-7; Jones 4-1-10-1 (1nb).
ENGLAND 2nd innings:
M.Trescothick not out 5
M.Vaughan not out 11
Extras (lb1, b1, nb2) 4
TOTAL (for no wicket, 2.3 overs) 20
Bowling: Best 1.3-0-7-0 (1nb); Hinds 1-0-11-0 (nb-1)
Result: England won by 10 wickets
Man of the match: Steve Harmison (England)
Umpires: D. Harper, B. Bowden (TV Replays: E. Nicholls).
Match referee: M. Procter.
