By Tony Becca, Contributing Editor
Ramnaresh Sarwan on his way to 63 against England in the third Test at Kensington Oval, Barbados yesterday. - Dellmar
THE THIRD Test of the four-match Cable & Wireless Series between the West Indies and England at Kensington Oval is already living up to the prediction that it should be close and exciting probably even short and spicy.
Minutes before the end of the first day's play, the West Indies, two down and hunting a victory that would leave them with a chance of sharing the series, were on the run at least that is how appeared. At the close, however, and although the honours belonged to the England, it was nicely poised.
Batting first after England had won the toss and set them to bat on a lively pitch and before a record crowd estimated at more than 15,000 by the Barbados Cricket Association, the West Indies were routed for 224 with fast bowling all-rounder Andrew Flintoff returning career-best figures of five wickets for 58 runs off 16.2 overs.
At stumps at the end of an interesting day's play, England were 20 for one with captain Michael Vaughan on 12 and Mark Butcher on three.
Surrounded in their own backyard by an army of British fans, the West Indies, in trouble at 20 for two following the leg before wicket dismissals of openers Christopher Gayle and Daren Ganga, and again at 88 for three when captain Brian Lara, batting at No. 3, handed Flintoff his first wicket when he went back to the pacer and edged a catch to Mark Butcher at gully, were going great guns at 167 for three before they lost seven wickets for 57 runs in 17 overs in a dramatic collapse after tea.
EXTRA COVER DRIVE
Coming together after Lara's dismissal, Ramnaresh Sarwan, 63, and Shivnarine Chanderpaul, 50, were batting quite well, with Sarwan driving fast bowler Simon Jones through extra-cover, going back and stroking fast bowler Steve Harmison to the cover boundary as he eased past the half-century mark.
With Chanderpaul driving confidently on both sides of the wicket and hooking Flintoff to the backward square-leg boundary, they were stroking the ball nicely and they looked set to bat out the day and leave the West Indies in a good position when England, led by Harmison, who finished with three for 42 off 18 overs, struck and systematically picked off the West Indians one by one.
Eighteen minutes after the interval, Sarwan, who had stroked six well-timed boundaries while batting for 206 minutes and facing 150 deliveries, drove at Harmison and edged a catch to Flintoff at second slip to make it 167 for four.
HINDS CAUGHT
Nineteen minutes later, after getting off the mark with a lovely drive to the long-on boundary off Harmison, Ryan Hinds was gone at 179 for five the left-hander hooking the tall fast bowler straight into the hands of Jones on the long-leg boundary.
Ridley Jacobs, going back defensively to a nasty, kicking delivery from Flintoff, gloved a catch to substitute Paul Colling-wood at gully to make it 197 for six, and when Chanderpaul went back to Flintoff in the same over, played tentatively and edged a catch to Graham Thorpe at third slip after batting for 161 minutes, facing 98 deliveries and stroking five boundaries, it was 198 for seven.
Left with 12 overs to the close in which to pick up a wicket or two and balance the proceedings in a match that, as predicted, could still be close and exciting, the West Indies gave their few spectators something to cheer when in the fifth over, Fidel Edwards, opening the bowling with brother Pedro Collins, bowled Marcus Trescothick for two at eight for one the left-hander coming down late on a well on a well-pitched yorker.
Minutes before the end, Vaughan sent home the thousands of British fans, including the Barmy Army, in a good mood when, in copybook fashion, he eased his left foot forward and drove Edwards to the extra-cover boundary.
