CHESTER-LE-STREET, England, CMC – Undermined by a three-wicket burst from seamer James Anderson, West Indies were wobbling at the close on day three of the second Test, requiring a mammoth effort to avoid a second successive heavy defeat to England.
Responding to the hosts’ 569-6 declared, West Indies struggled to 94-3 after Anderson had sliced through the top order to paralyze the innings, leaving them at 68-3 at the Riverside Ground.
Anderson bowled opener Devon Smith for seven, gained a more than fortunate lbw decision against captain Chris Gayle for 19 before having rookie Lendl Simmons caught at slip for eight, to finish with impressive figures of three for 36.
The carnage required Ramnaresh Sarwan to produce his best effort of the series and he duly obliged, playing audaciously for an unbeaten 41 to hold up England’s progress.
He has so far shared an unbroken 26 for the fourth wicket with the reliable Shiv Chanderpaul who was not-out on three, and a Herculean effort will be required from the Guyanese duo if West Indies are to avoid a clean sweep in the series following the Lord’s debacle last week.
Earlier, opener Alastair Cook made 160 and Matt Prior (63) and Paul Collingwood (60 not-out) stroked half-centuries, as England flourished after the rainy skies that caused the complete abandonment of the second day on Friday, gave way to improved weather.
England’s batsmen gathered runs with ease on a docile track and only lanky left-arm spinner Sulieman Benn with two for 146, caused any real problems.
Any thoughts West Indies had of also cashing in on the run spree were quickly dispelled in the fifth over of the innings when Smith prodded timidly at a well pitched up delivery and was bowled with the score on 18.
The embattled Gayle, yet to fire in the series after his late arrival from the Indian Premier League in South Africa, looked set for runs before his misfortune.
He took boundaries from the two final deliveries of seamer Stuart Broad’s second over and indulged himself similarly in the right-armer’s next over, as he begun to play fluently.
The talismanic opener had reached 19 off 24 balls with ease when he offered no shot to Anderson at 38 for one and was adjudged leg before wicket by Asoka de Silva. Replays showed the ball was clearly heading over the top.
Seemingly oblivious to the Windies plight, Sarwan played with abandon, punishing anything fractionally loose from England’s bowlers.
He off-drove Anderson to get off the mark and hammered the same bowler behind point for four when he got his length wrong, to count one of his six boundaries.
Sarwan added 30 for the third wicket with Simmons before the 24-year old Trinidadian gave Anderson his third wicket, caught at first slip by captain Andrew Strauss.
Sarwan continued to play daringly and survived two rain interruptions and a blow to the helmet from pacer Graham Onions when 37, to be present at the close with Chanderpaul who needed 18 balls before he could get off the mark.
Resuming the day at 302-2, with Cook on 126 and night watchman Anderson unbeaten on four, England pressed on to add a further 24 runs before losing their first wicket of the day.
Anderson, who survived a leg-side chance to wicketkeeper Denesh Ramdin off pacer Fidel Edwards on nine with the score on 317, was eventually bowled by the pacer with the score on 326.
Cook and Kevin Pietersen, who stroked a trademark aggressive 49 from 57 balls with nine fours, added 84 for the fourth wicket before the left-handed Cook eventually fell to a catch by Gayle at mid-off off Benn, after facing 339 balls and striking 17 fours.
England then got half-centuries from Collingwood and Prior to increase the West Indies woes and effect a declaration at tea.
Prior hammered seven fours off 80 balls while Collingwood carved out four fours off 83 balls, as England piled on the pressure to ensure the advantage remained in their favour.
The duo posted 94 for the sixth wicket after Benn had Pietersen caught at square cover just after lunch attempting to hit over the top.
When Prior was held by Benn at wide mid on to give medium pacer Simmons his first Test wicket, Broad cashed in with an unbeaten 28 to add another 56 in an unbroken stand for the seventh wicket with Collingwood.
England lead the series 1-0 after their convincing 10-wicket win inside three days at Lord’s last week.
