Jones puts England in driving seat

Published March 23, 2004

PORT-OF-SPAIN, March 22: England took a stranglehold on day four of the second Test as they reduced West Indies to 52 for two at lunch in their second innings, still 59 runs behind.

Having resumed on 300 for six, England lost their last four wickets for four runs as they were bowled out for 319, a lead of 111, but Simon Jones dismissed Chris Gayle (16) and Devon Smith (17) to edge them closer to a 2-0 lead in the four-match series.

Ramnaresh Sarwan was nine not out while Ridley Jacobs, promoted above captain Brian Lara in a tactical decision with just 10 minutes to play before lunch, was not out four.

Outplayed for the first three days, West Indies hit back strongly in the first hour to at least give themselves a chance of saving the match. Graham Thorpe and Ashley Giles took the lead past the 100 mark but Giles was the first man to go when he was caught by Smith at second slip off Pedro Collins.

Collins then denied Thorpe a 13th Test century when he tempted him to cut, a thin edge giving Gayle a catch at first slip. The occasional spin of Gayle then accounted for Jones and Steve Harmison to restrict England's lead to 111.

Matthew Hoggard and Harmison gave little away with the new ball but after taking more than five overs to score their first runs off the bat, West Indies began to look dangerous.

Gayle hit four boundaries and was looking set for another before Jones struck as an opener was bowled by a ball which kept low. Smith had looked secure in the opening stages of his innings but after reaching 17, he lost his head, attempting to drive Jones over the top and succeeding only in giving Hoggard a simple catch.

On Sunday, Thorpe put England into a healthy first innings lead. Mark Butcher (61) and Nasser Hussain (58) added 120 for the third wicket but England struggled early on before Thorpe took over in the final session to see his side to 300 for six at the close.

Scoreboard

WEST INDIES (1st Innings) 208 (C.H. Gayle 62; S.J. Harmison 6-61).

ENGLAND (1st Innings, overnight 300-6):

M.E. Trescothick c Sanford b Best 1

M.P. Vaughan lbw b Collins 0

M.A. Butcher c Jacobs b Best 61

N. Hussain b Best 58

G.P. Thorpe c Gayle b Collins 90

A. Flintoff c and b D.R. Smith 23

C.M.W. Read lbw b Collins 3

A.F. Giles c D.S. Smith b Collins 37

M.J. Hoggard not out 0

S.J. Jones b Gayle 1

S.J. Harmison b Gayle 0

EXTRAS (B-5, LB-20, W-3, NB-17) 45

TOTAL (all out, 133.5 overs) 319

FALL OF WKTS: 1-2, 2-8, 3-128, 4-186, 5-218, 6-230, 7-315, 8-318, 9-319.

BOWLING: Collins 29-8-71-4 (6nb); Best 28-5-71-3 (2nb, 1w); Sanford 26-6-60-0 (2nb, 1w); Collymore 24-7-39-0 (4nb); D.R. Smith 9-0-30-1 (3nb); Gayle 16.5-6-20-2; Sarwan 1-0-3-0.

WEST INDIES (2nd Innings):

C.H. Gayle b Jones 16

D.S. Smith c Hoggard b Jones 17

R.R. Sarwan not out 9

R.D. Jacobs not out 4

EXTRAS (W-5, NB-1) 6

TOTAL (for two wkts, 18 overs) 52

FALL OF WKTS: 1-34, 2-45.

BOWLING (to-date): Hoggard 6-4-13-0; Harmison 8-3-20-0; Jones 3-0-18-2; Flintoff 1-0-1-0. -Reuters

Opinion

Editorial

Slow start
Updated 15 Jun, 2024

Slow start

Despite high attendance, the NA managed to pass only a single money bill during this period.
Sindh lawlessness
Updated 15 Jun, 2024

Sindh lawlessness

A recently released report describes the law and order situation in Karachi as “worryingly poor”.
Punjab budget
15 Jun, 2024

Punjab budget

PUNJAB’S budget for 2024-25 provides much fodder to those who believe that the increased provincial share from the...
Budget and politics
Updated 14 Jun, 2024

Budget and politics

PML-N, scared of taking bold steps lest it loses whatever little public support it has, has left its traditional support — traders — virtually untouched.
New talks?
14 Jun, 2024

New talks?

WILL this prove another false start, or may we expect a more sincere effort this time? Reference is made to the...
A non-starter
14 Jun, 2024

A non-starter

WHILE the UN Security Council had earlier this week adopted a US-backed resolution calling for a ceasefire in Gaza...