ST GEORGE’S (Grenada): A devastating spell from seam bowler James Anderson set England up for a nine-wicket triumph in the second Test against West Indies on Saturday as the tourists went 1-0 up in the three-match series.

A fiery Anderson ripped through the West Indies middle-order batting in the opening session of the fifth and final day, making excellent use of the new ball to record figures of four for 43.

The Lancastrian also claimed two catches and ran out Jason Holder as the home team were bowled out for 307 having resumed on 202 for two at the National Cricket Ground.

That left England chasing a small target of 143 to win and captain Alastair Cook (59 not out) and Gary Ballance (81 not out) helped them clinch their first test victory on foreign soil since beating India in Kolkata in December 2012.

To add to West Indian misery promising all-rounder Holder was stretchered off the field after landing badly on his ankle in his delivery stride.

While there will be a Caribbean inquest into the way the home team collapsed, most of the credit for the momentum shift must go to Anderson. He claimed the important wicket of Kraigg Brathwaite for 116 after the centurion could not keep down a sharply rising delivery and was caught by Joe Root in the gully.

In addition, the paceman removed Shivnarine Chanderpaul for seven and Marlon Samuels for 37. The veteran Chanderpaul was brilliantly taken at first slip by Cook after the catch was parried by second slip Ian Bell, while first-innings century-maker Samuels was caught behind by Jos Buttler

Anderson also caught Jermaine Blackwood with a spectacular effort at mid-off for 10 off Chris Jordan, ran out Holder for two and snaffled up Kemar Roach’s chip to mid-on as he fell to off-spinning all-rounder Moeen Ali for 10.

Moeen also trapped West Indies skipper Denesh Ramdin lbw for 28 and removed last man Shannon Gabriel in identical fashion.

Makeshift opener Jonathan Trott was the only batsman to fall in England’s second innings.

He went for a duck after chopping a delivery from Gabriel on to his stumps.

Scoreboard

WEST INDIES (1st Innings) 299 (M.N. Samuels 103; S.C.J. Broad 4-61).

ENGLAND (1st Innings) 464 (J.E. Root 182 not out, G.S. Ballance 77, A.N. Cook 76, I.J.L. Trott 59; D. Bishoo 4-177).

WEST INDIES (2nd Innings, overnight 202-2):

K.C. Brathwaite c Root b Anderson 116

D.S. Smith b Anderson 2

D.M. Bravo c Buttler b Broad 69

M.N. Samuels c Buttler b Anderson 37

S. Chanderpaul c Cook b Anderson 7

J. Blackwood c Anderson b Jordan 10

D. Ramdin lbw b Moeen 28

J.O. Holder run out 2

K.A.J. Roach c Anderson b Moeen 10

D. Bishoo not out 15

S.T. Gabriel lbw b Moeen 0

EXTRAS (B-8, LB-2, NB-1) 11

TOTAL (all out, 112 overs) 307

FALL OF WKTS: 1-3, 2-145, 3-224, 4-238, 5-239, 6-257, 7-260, 8-282, 9-307.

BOWLING: Anderson 22-7-43-4; Broad 21-2-71-1; Moeen Ali 24-9-51-3; Jordan 21-6-69-1 (1nb); Stokes 8-0-34-0; Root 16-7-29-0.

ENGLAND (2nd Innings):

A.N. Cook not out 59

I.J.L. Trott b Gabriel 0

G.S. Ballance not out 81

EXTRAS (W-1, NB-3) 4

TOTAL (for one wkt, 41.1 overs) 144

Fall of wkt: 1-2.

BOWLING: Roach 7-1-18-0; Gabriel 7-3-20-1; Holder 1.4-0-11-0 (1w); Samuels 12.3-1-54-0; Bishoo 8-0-32-0 (3nb); Brathwaite 5-1-9-0.

RESULT: England won by nine wickets.

UMPIRES: S.J. Davis and B.N.J. Oxenford (both Australia).

TV UMPIRE: B.F. Bowden (New Zealand).

MATCH REFEREE: A.J. Pycroft (Zimbabwe).

MAN-OF-THE-MATCH: Joe Root.

FIRST TEST: North Sound (Antigua), match drawn.

THIRD TEST: Bridgetown (Barbados), May 1-5.

Published in Dawn, April 27th, 2015

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