England are on the verge of a thumping win over West Indies at Chester-le-Street, following a fine double-pronged attack from Steve Harmison and Monty Panesar. At tea, England needed a further 86 to win, reports Cricinfo.
The second session was almost a mirror image of yesterday when England's batsmen capitalised on a woeful display from West Indies' seamers. Today, it was England's bowlers who seized the initiative after the interval, prompted by the delayed introduction of Panesar to the attack. However, the strokeplay - if that isn't too generous a description - of some of West Indies' batsmen was nothing short of calamitous. Between lunch and tea, they lost 6 for 88.
Dwayne Bravo appeared to be the only man from whom Chanderpaul would receive sensible, solid support, and went on the attack - to England's seamers in particular. But he was unsettled and frustrated by Harmison's shock-and-awe tactics before lunch and, soon after the interval, went out all guns blazing. An audacious and perfectly placed hook over square leg got him moving, before he slapped Harmison over extra cover for another four. But at a time when West Indies simply needed him to block, block, block, he couldn't rein in his attacking instincts and skied Panesar to mid-off.
It was Harmison's wicket as much as Panesar's, though, and England's belittled fast bowler finally appears to have worked himself into form. During a long, unbroken 12-over spell, he was disciplined, fast, straight and hostile. On a couple of occasions his wicketkeeper, Matt Prior, could have benefited from a ladder such was the bounce he was extracting - on a spongy fifth-day pitch, too.
The floodgates now open. Marlon Samuels came and went in a hurry, edging Panesar to Paul Collingwood at first slip, and Denesh Ramdin was bowled by an absolute corker. As though magnetised to his leg-stump, the ball veered into Ramdin's pads before spitting past a seemingly watertight forward defensive. Panesar was unstoppable, bowling with mesmerising control, the ball looping and dipping at the last moment. Perhaps Vaughan isn't yet comfortable regarding Panesar as his most potent fifth-day-weapon, hence his slight delay in introducing him today, but that ought to change for the India series. He is fast becoming deadly in all conditions.
While the dominoes tumbled at one end, Chanderpaul remained fiercely resolute at the other and began to open his shoulders, wary of the brittleness of West Indies' tail. And how brittle. Daren Powell produced a wretched shot against Harmison - even worse than his pitiful attempt in the first innings - trying to spoon him over cover. And Fidel Edwards was bowled through the gate, his off-stump sent cart wheeling by the same bowler who, by now, was in excellent rhythm.
After cracking Panesar for a couple of fours, Chanderpaul's vigil ended when he was bowled by one which slid under his sweep shot. It was the first time he had been dismissed in over 18 hours, and also handed Panesar his sixth five-wicket haul.
England edged their way to 24 for 1 by tea, not altogether convincingly, but they're well on their way to a very impressive win.
England 400 and 111/3 (21.4 ov); West Indies 287 and 222 (Chanderpaul 70, Panesar 5-46); England won by 7 wickets.
Panesar turns the screw on West Indies
FE Team | Published: June 20, 2007 00:00:00 | Updated: February 01, 2018 00:00:00
Share if you like