Having come in with the scoreboard showing 71 for 5, Justin Kemp playedthe sort of audacious innings that he has become renowned for, smashing an89-ball century as South Africa turned a tough situation into acomprehensive 106-run triumph. Kemp had made just 35 from 62 balls when hedecided to step it up a notch. When he did, India had no answer.”We were just trying to play as well as we could,” he said, when askedwhat his thoughts has been when he arrived at the crease. “I only realisedthat I could get a hundred when I got to 99. [Andrew] Hall played well andmade it easy for me.”Kemp and Mark Boucher had pulled off a similar feat in the recentChampions Trophy, when they helped take South Africa from 42 for 5 to amatch-winning total against Pakistan. “I’ve done it before and that makesit easier,” he said. “The dropped catches helped.”Of late, South Africa have sent Boucher in at No.6 with Kemp followinghim. When asked if this innings might prompt a rethink and lead to apromotion up the order, Kemp wasn’t unduly bothered. “I’ve done well whenI come after 35 overs,” he said. “That’s a decision the coach and captainhave to make. That’s not an issue at all. I am just happy to contributewith the bat.”He said that the length the Indians bowled in the final overs had playedinto his hands. “We got the ball rolling in the last 10 overs,” he said.”The Indian bowlers changed tactics and went pretty full. That was perhapsa mistake. I think the ball just short of a length was difficult to play.They were bowling pretty full. When I hit my first six off Zaheer Khan,suddenly they changed tactics. It was a lot easier when the guys weretrying to bowl yorkers.”Not having had the best of years, Kemp was happy to be back in the battinggroove, having made his reputation with some blistering knocks againstEngland two seasons ago. “India [Champions Trophy] was quite tough,” hesaid. “We only played four games in a month. It was just a matter ofspending time in the middle.”Having spent a bit of time in the middle, it will make my job easy comingin the death overs. That’s my job in the side and I’ve got to do it to thebest of my ability. If I get an opportunity like this it’s a bonus.”India can only hope that Kemp doesn’t get opportunities like this too often.
Greg Chappell, the Indian coach, has said that opening the bowling with S Sreesanth, the Kerala fast bowler, would be among the new tactics and methods tested during India’s forthcoming one-day series against Sri Lanka.”The objective was really to try a few things we are planning to use against Sri Lanka. We looked at a few different tactics and a few different bowling combinations,” Chappell was quoted as saying by PTI. “More than likely that Sreesanth would open the attack in the games that he plays. But we are likely to try different combinations at different times. But at this stage, we would be using him as an opening bowler, yes.”Chappell was happy with the preparatory camp at the National Cricket Academy in Bangalore and said that the team had got a lot out of it. “We are in pretty good shape, mentally and physically. The group is looking pretty good. We will only find out when we get there. But from the point of view of preparation, everyone is quite happy.”Rahul Dravid and Virender Sehwag missed the camp because they had only just returned from the Super Series in Australia. They will join the team in Nagpur ahead of the first one-day international against Sri Lanka. Chappell said that Dravid’s and Sehwag’s poor performance in the Super Series did not affect India’s chances against Sri Lanka or South Africa. “I don’t think any of them [World XI] performed all that brilliantly. So, it was one of those things. I don’t think it has big bearing on what’s going to happen in the next few weeks.”Chappell also stressed the importance of disciplined bowling because of the batsmen-friendly pitches in India. “It’s a matter of bowling the ball in the right areas, accepting that some overs, some balls, some games are not going to work out very well. What we need is to make sure that we have four or five bowlers bowling well each day. From the young bowlers’ point of view, they have to learn from their experience.”Chappell added that Anil Kumble, Ashish Nehra and Mohammed Kaif, all of them currently undergoing rehabilitation, were a few weeks away from returning to competitive cricket. He also said that Yuvraj Singh and Murali Kartik had come down with fever over the last two days.
The pitch at the Wankhede Stadium was the focus of attention in the newspapers after India’s 13-run win against Australia in a Test which lasted just a shade over two days of actual playing time. While most writers agreed that the pitch was a shocker, many believed that it still could not explain Australia’s capitulation for 93 in the face of a meagre fourth-innings target of 107.”There were demons in the pitch, but Australia batted like they were in a horror movie; as if gooey green monsters were snapping at them every ball,” wrote Harsha Bhogle in The Indian Express. “It was a shocking pitch but the best batting line-up in the world cannot be decimated in under 15 overs. Nothing can be that bad; not even this horror at the Wankhede Stadium.””Australia’s fourth-innings collapse was lamentable,” Peter Roebuck commented in the Sydney Morning Herald. “Bad habits returned with foolish shots played and the hard graft ignored.” Writing in Sydney’s Daily Telegraph, Robert Craddock was more scathing: It was the worst botched chase in Australian cricket history.”The Indians rejoiced in their face-saving win, but there were words of caution about the means taken to reach the ends. Not surprisingly, they came from a seamer. Writing for The Hindu, Javagal Srinath said: “India’s desperation for such a result is understandable. But while winning in India, one should start working on the strengths that are required to play abroad on bouncy tracks. Indian cricket should not get carried away with the success on the home soil.”Australia sorely missed Shane Warne on this pitch, and the fact that Nathan Hauritz was the second-best spin option in the squad came in for some harsh comment as well. “By selecting only one tried and trusted tweaker for a tour of India, Trevor Hohns and his colleagues took a fearful risk,” observed Roebuck. “Hauritz took 2 for 87 on this turning track … but they [his two wickets] were also the result of outfield catches as opposed to deadly deliveries.”The man most under scrutiny was Polly Umrigar, the curator, and he maintained that the pitch wasn’t to blame for the bizarre game. “I can’t understand why [Ricky] Ponting chose to use the heavy roller before both innings … It’s common knowledge something heavy will ensure the wicket breaks quickly,” Umrigar told the Kolkata-based Telegraph newspaper. “I accept the wicket helped the spinners, but I don’t agree it ever was dangerous … Moreover, the turn wasn’t there from the first ball, was it? Our spinners did better simply because of their class.”The final word, though, went to Sourav Ganguly. Out of the Test with a groin injury, he nevertheless took a parting shot at Ponting, who had missed the first three Tests himself with a broken finger. Writing in Mid Day, a Mumbai-based tabloid, Ganguly asked: “Did Ponting’s thumb injury take more time than normal to heal or did his record against Harbhajan and Kumble have something to do with it? We should not be jumping to conclusions, but his record in India is indeed pretty ordinary.”He followed that salvo with another, referring obviously to the Indian team’s complaint about the Nagpur wicket: “Will Ponting and co. be criticised for the big fuss they made about the wicket which spun and cost them the match? Or do we have to start learning to live with the idea that rules will be different for touring sides to India and for the home team captain?”
Former Victorian player, captain and coach John Scholes passed away today aged 53. The cause of death is unknown and will be subject to a coroner’s report.Cricket Victoria Chief Executive Officer, Mr Ken Jacobs, said that Scholes was a unique person and would be sadly missed. “I think today Victoria lost one of its greatest ever cricketing sons. John’s contribution as a player, junior and senior coach, as well as mentor to many young Victorian cricketers, will quite simply never be matched. On behalf of the entire Victorian cricket community, I extend our sincere condolences to Diane, as well as John’s children, Shannon and Adam”.JOHN “BARREL” SCHOLES
Played 62 matches for Victoria (3201 runs @ 30.78, 3 centuries, HS 156)
First captained Victoria aged 21 and again aged 30
Coached the Victorian Bushrangers between 1996 – 2001. Led the side to the 98/99 Mercantile Mutual Cup and to two successive Pura Cup finals in 99/00 and 00/01
All time Premier Cricket games record holder (396). Carlton (277), Fitzroy Doncaster (119)
12, 693 runs (Premier Cricket record at the time), 26 centuries, 60 half-centuries
5 Premierships (4 Carlton, 1 Fitzroy Doncaster) from 9 Grand Final appearances
Vijay Malalasekera, Interim Committee Chairman of the Board of Control for Cricket in Sri Lanka (BCCSL), said on Tuesday that the West Indies tour of Sri Lanka was very much on and that there was no cause for concern over it.”Based on various newspaper reports, we got in touch with the West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) and they indicated to us that there was no concern with regard to the Sri Lanka tour,” said Malalasekera.Cricket Board chief executive Anura Tennekoon confirmed that he had spoken to the WICB cricket operations manager Michael Hold who confirmed the tour was on.The West Indies are due to arrive on the first week of November and play a series of three Tests and participate in a one-day international triangular with Sri Lanka and Zimbabwe.Officially, however, the WICB have deferred making a "final decision” until its representatives meet Sri Lankan and Pakistani officials at the ICC meeting in Kuala Lumpur October 16-19.West Indies are scheduled to tour Pakistan from January 29-March 4 next year.
Arsenal’s pursuit of Luis Suarez this summer depends on one man. It’s not Chief Executive Ivan Gazidis, it’s not Arsene Wenger, it’s not their Liverpool counterparts or even Suarez himself, unfortunately for the Gunners it’s a star of a different summer transfer saga on the opposite side of North London – that’s right, it’s the Welsh Wonder Gareth Bale. But whether the Tottenham talisman stays put this transfer window or makes his long-awaited move to Real Madrid, it’s hard to see a positive outcome for Arsenal.
It’s looking more and more likely that GB will become a Los Blancos player by the end of the summer. The 24-year-old is one of a number of Premier League stars who have coincidentally been reported injured and subsequently absent from pre-season fixtures at the same time as serious doubts linger over their futures, along with Suarez as well as Manchester United’s Wayne Rooney.
It suggests Bale’s not in the right frame of mind to put on a Spurs jersey, even for non-competitive affairs, but most damning is Chris Coleman’s inclusion of the winger in his Wales squad for next week’s international friendly clash with the Republic of Ireland, implying that Bale’s perhaps not so injury-stricken after all. At the same time, Tottenham director Sir Keith Mills admitted to the Evening Standard earlier this week: “If a player is desperate to leave, it’s very difficult to force him to stay. We’ve seen it in other clubs. Even if he has a contract, you can’t force somebody to play for you,” whilst Spurs chairman and transfer chief Daniel Levy holidayed in Miami.
So it seems that Bale is inching towards leaving for Spain by the day, with his bags already packed and his passport in a safe but accessible location on his bedside cabinet. In terms of next season, it should bode well for the Gunners, who are desperate to not spend the 2013/2014 campaign looking nervously over their shoulders at their local rivals as they did last term. The Lilywhites have invested well this summer in Nacer Chadli, Paulinho and Roberto Soldado, but could easily find themselves unstuck without Bale’s knack of scoring match-winning goals.
That being said, Arsene Wenger, despite his declaration that the Arsenal roster can compete with or without new signings next season, still needs to sign Suarez if he’s to stand any chance of affecting the Premier League title race, but Bale’s departure could bring an abrupt end to his pursuit of the Liverpool forward.
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The Reds are determined to hold all the cards round the negotiating table, with owner John W Henry playing hardball by declaring this morning that Suarez is unavailable to any club at any price. Brendan Rodgers has been more realistic in his discussions on the Uruguayan’s future, but still expects a huge return on the Anfield outfit’s original £20million investment to spend on new recruits, and compensate for the fact losing Suarez will end all hopes of the Reds claiming fourth spot next season.
Rodgers has never uttered an official valuation for his star striker, but alluded to his price-bracket by suggesting that Edinson Cavani’s £55million move to PSG from Napoli midway through July had now become the benchmark price for strikers this summer, along with Monaco’s £53million acquisition of Radamel Falcao. But the audit of Suarez’s worth is likely to increase as we get closer to deadline day, especially if Gareth Bale makes the switch to La Liga.
Daniel Levy has already turned down a record-breaking £86million offer for the Welsh winger, and if Los Blancos don’t want to wait until January or even next summer to get their man, they’ll have to make an improved bid within the next month. Quite rightly, the Liverpool management don’t want to miss out on unprecedented transfer revenues whilst one of their closest divisional rivals cashes in, especially considering Suarez was equally as influential as Gareth Bale in the Premier League last season.
And Rodgers has already remarked that the Welshman’s fee will affect his forward’s price tag: “Every player has a valuation but you have to look at the market. With Gareth Bale they are talking about £100m and Gareth Bale and Luis Suarez were arguably the two best players in the Premier League last season.You can’t say that Gareth Bale is valued at over 100 per cent more,” the Liverpool gaffer recently told reporters from Sky Sports News.
Granted, the Tottenham man has specifically unique qualities and a certain aestheticism about him that makes him so electrifying to watch and capable of pulling in the punters world wide. He is very much seen as the future of the beautiful game, in terms of his pristine athleticism at least, and at the age of just 24, has the world at his feet.
But Suarez too, can claim a unique style and equal pedigree. The Liverpool man out-scored and out-assisted Bale’s efforts last term, but his ability spans well beyond consistent end product. The Uruguay international is not only one of the best finishers in the English top flight, he’s also one of the best creators, generating 90 opportunites to score for his team mates last term according to OPTA, one of the best dribblers, averaging 2.9 successful dribbles per game, and by far the hardest working centre-forward off the ball.
There are few strikers in Europe who can claim to synergise the roles and abilities of a natural poacher and an attacking midfielder so well, and like Bale, Suarez is very much a world-class player – the only difference is the latter was putting in his individual and talismanic displays at a club that couldn’t even escape the Premier League’s bottom half until the turn of the year.
So it wouldn’t be that surprising if Liverpool demanded £60million, £65million or even £75million for Suarez, considering firstly the campaign he had last season, and secondly the impact his departure will have on the Merseyside club’s immediate future. And with Arsene Wenger yet to improve on his rather limp £40million plus a quid bid made earlier in the summer, it remains unlikely the Gunners gaffer will match Liverpool’s current valuation of £55million, let alone what it could rise to if Bale moves to Real Madrid and the Lilywhites cash-in big time. By the end of the summer, even Arsenal’s club record-breaking £40million and a pound bid could look horrendously out-dated.
But saying an unlikely situation occurs, where Gareth Bale decides he’s not ready for La Liga and Daniel Levy somehow manages to keep the Bernabeu wolves at bay, it doesn’t bode well for the Gunners. Spurs have been knocking at the Champions League door for the last four years in the Premier League, and now with Bale in full swing, as well as three additions to the starting XI this summer, it seems unlikely Arsenal will be able to stave off the Lilywhites’ threat for another season, especially without new recruits.
And plans to sign Suarez will have to be thrown completely out of the window. New Real Madrid president Florentino Perez is desperate to flex the Spanish giants’ financial muscle this summer, and if he can’t land Bale, he’ll almost certainly turn his attentions to Suarez – the only world class striker excluding Wayne Rooney readily available at this point in the summer, and Los Blancos are yet to source a replacement for former Arsenal target Gonzalo Higuain, who is now with Napoli.
The club make a point of sourcing the top performers of any given footballing year every summer, as part of the Galacticos programme that has seen Zinedine Zidane, Cristiano Ronaldo and Kaka join the Bernebeu for monumental fees in recent years. Having already missed out on Neymar this summer to Barcelona, and with Bale staying put in North London, the Madrid outfit will be desperate to splash the cash on Suarez, to make a statement of their financial strength and institutional power rather than any particular footballing reason.
And as if the lure of playing at such a prestigious club wasn’t enough to end Arsenal’s chances of attracting Suarez to the Emirates, any offer Perez is willing to make for the Liverpool striker’s services will blow Arsene Wenger’s £40million to £50million valuations for 26 year old completely out of the water.
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So what is Wenger to do – w ith his hopes of signing Suarez depending almost entirely on another player at another club, but neither outcome looking particularly favourable from the Gunners’ point of view?
Well, there’s not a lot you can do in a lose-lose situation; perhaps he should have been more bold in his pursuit of Gonzalo Higuain, or more realistic about the prospect of signing a striker from a divisional rival for comparatively cheap whilst every other European forward is jumping ship for ground-breaking fees. He could wrap up the Suarez deal before Bale’s fate and more importantly his fee is decided, but that will take meeting Liverpool’s current valuation for Suarez, which at this point seems incredibly unlikely.
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South Africa will assess the security situation in Karachi before anyfinal decision is taken on the status of the last ODI, scheduled in theport city for October 29.Twin suicide bombings directed at the motorcade of former prime ministerBenazir Bhutto last week killed 140 people and injured hundreds.Bhutto was returning to the country after eight years of self-imposedexile.”A South African security official will go to Karachi today to assess thesituation on the ground there,” Ahsan Malik, PCB’s director communicationssaid. “He is expected to report back tomorrow afternoon after which thesituation will become clearer.” One PCB official will also travel withhim.Various high-level meetings have been held between the South Africancontingent and local security officials, as well as the interior ministry.Speculation has been rife about the fate of the last ODI since the blasts.One report in , a leading English daily, said the game islikely to shift to Lahore, where the first two ODIs were played, thoughnothing has yet been finalised.South Africa have already played a Test and a warm-up in Karachi, afteravoiding it altogether on their last tour in 2003.
The oldest batsman in the Test side showed he still knows how to make a huge score just a day after Dennis Lillee voiced concerns the ageing top order could cost Australia the Ashes. Justin Langer was unbeaten on 188 when he declared Western Australia’s first innings closed 200 runs short of Tasmania’s total as he pushed for an outright result at the WACA.With Tim Paine and Michael Bevan (46) flying in the second innings – Tasmania were 5 for 149 at stumps with a lead of 349 – both sides will be battling for victory on day four. Langer had also scored freely, bringing up his hundred in 140 balls, including 20 boundaries, before declaring at tea with the score 5 for 353.The runs continued to pile up quickly when Luke Ronchi joined Langer and smashed 47 not out from 29 balls, 30 of which came in the space of two overs. Ronchi, who reached 40 from only 18 deliveries, hit eight fours and a six in a breathtaking cameo.In the first session Shaun Marsh made 50 before he was the first man out on day three, trapped lbw by Brendan Drew. Brett Geeves then made inroads into the Warriors’ middle order with two wickets in an over.When Tasmania began their reply Paine built on his first-innings 215 by racing to 56 from 77 balls before he was out lbw attempting to sweep the left-arm spinner Aaron Heal. Heal also troubled Michael Bevan and Dan Marsh to collect 3 for 36 from ten overs.The Tigers selected their squad for the Ford Ranger Cup match against the Warriors on Friday. They made no changes to the side that lost to Queensland by nine wickets on October 11.Tasmania FR Cup squad Michael Di Venuto, Tim Paine, Travis Birt, George Bailey, Michael Bevan, Daniel Marsh (capt), Luke Butterworth, Brett Geeves, Brendan Drew, Adam Griffith, Xavier Doherty, Ben Hilfenhaus.Western Australia FR Cup Squad Luke Ronchi, Justin Langer (capt), Marcus North, Shaun Marsh, Adam Voges, Chris Rogers, Sean Ervine, Peter Worthington, Brett Dorey, Ben Edmondson, Steve Magoffin, Aaron Heal.
Lord MacLaurin has reopened the TV rights debate by saying the ECB was right to hand Sky the contract for showing England’s home Tests – and he says that cricket should stay off the list of “crown jewels”, too. In a letter to The Times, MacLaurin, the former chairman of the ECB, writes that “Sky made a very substantial bid [£220million] which was far and away the best financial deal for cricket. The ECB had no option but to accept it.”To put Test cricket back on the “A” list would be a financial disaster for the game. All cricket followers are thrilled with out “joint Ashes” win. But we need money to keep up the momentum.”England’s recent Ashes triumph prompted a debate in the media regarding TV rights, with the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, Tessa Jowell, coming under increasing pressure to try to reinstate cricket on the list of “crown jewels” covered by terrestrial TV. She has now hinted that this may take place in 2008 or 2009 when the list will be reviewed.But MacLaurin says that the ECB were right to negotiate for the home Tests to be removed from category A status (terrestrial only) to category B, as the increase in revenue from a satellite provider such as Sky has been vital for the game’s improvement.”In 1996, the BBC had the television rights for a very small fee, English cricket was at a low ebb and there was little money in the game,” he wrote. “My colleagues and I set about bringing money into the game with the ambition of both our men’s and our women’s teams being the best in the world by 2007.”England contracted players, we built the Academy at Loughborough, we engaged Duncan Fletcher … as well as introducing the two-division championship, divisional limited-over competitions and the Twenty20 competition. None of this could have happened without the Channel 4 and Sky money.”
Stephen Harmison marked a stunning return to form on the second day of the final Test at The Oval, grabbing eight wickets in the day, including 6 for 46 in West Indies’ first innings, to go with his Test-best 36 not out in a 60-run last-wicket partnership with James Anderson. West Indies were then demolished for 152, and despite a wonderful unbeaten cameo from Chris Gayle, they are staring down the barrel of an innings defeat – and a 4-0 series whitewash – at 85 for 2, 233 runs behind.It was a fine display from Harmison, who had claimed only eight previous wickets in the series. Today, rhythm returning with every wicket, he added eight more, including his 100th in only his 23rd Test.Things had looked very different first thing, as West Indies had threatened a fightback with an early double strike, with both Geraint Jones and Andrew Flintoff dismissed without adding to their overnight scores. Corey Collymore deceived Jones with his fifth delivery of the morning, moving one away and taking the edge. Ramnaresh Sarwan held a tidy catch at third slip, and Jones was out for 22 (313 for 6). Fidel Edwards then dished up another short one at Flintoff, who went for a one-legged pull but mistimed to mid-on, where Jermaine Lawson took an excellent one-handed catch tumbling backwards (321 for 7).Giles dominated his partnership with Hoggard, collecting several fours off Collymore, Fidel Edwards and Dwayne Smith. Not too far behind, Hoggard was off the mark with a nice clip off his legs for four off Collymore, and followed that up by whipping Dwayne Bravo to the midwicket boundary. Two overs later Hoggard was at it again, hitting Bravo for three more fours to take his partnership with Giles to 50.After bringing up England’s 400 with a scampered single off Lawson, Giles brought up his fifty with a four and a two off Bravo. Two more took him to 52, but Giles could do no better, edging Bravo to Lara, who held the catch this time (408 for 8). Lawson finally got his man in the next over, as Hoggard mistimed a drive straight to Sylvester Joseph at cover (410 for 9), but Michael Vaughan chose not to declare, and Anderson and Harmison came back out to bat after lunch.They immediately set about the bowlers with even more contempt than Giles and Hoggard. Harmison clipped and pulled Lawson for two fours in the first over back, and then smashed Bravo over long-off for a huge six. Harmison then heaved Lawson over midwicket for another six, and smashed Bravo over long-on for his third. A single to third man by Anderson brought up the fifty partnership for the tenth wicket, and Harmison moved past his own previous-highest score in Tests with a pull off Bravo that raced to the midwicket boundary.Anderson joined in the run-fest with an unbelievable Adam Gilchrist-style uppercut over the slips for four, but the fun finally ended in the next over, as Anderson missed a swipe at Gayle and was bowled for 12. After a last-wicket stand of 60, All 11 English batsmen reached double figures – the first time this had happened since 1928-29.West Indies’ reply got off to a shaky start, as Gayle was sent back to the pavilion following a thin edge off a short, leg-side delivery from Harmison (19 for 1). Harmison struck again in his next over, with Giles taking a simple catch at gully after Sylvester Joseph was squared up by a short, fast one (22 for 2). Flintoff came on for Hoggard at the Vauxhall End, and in his second over Sarwan edged to Andrew Strauss in the slips and was out for 2 (26 for 3).Shivnarine Chanderpaul fell in the first over after tea, pulling Hoggard to square leg, where Robert Key took a stunning one-handed catch diving to his left (54 for 4), but Lara was intent on attacking: cutting and driving Hoggard for fours two overs later, and then pulling Flintoff powerfully for consecutive boundaries on the leg side. Lara then crashed Flintoff through point as he moved closer to a vital fifty.But wickets kept tumbling at the other end. Bravo had moved quietly to 16 with some well-timed strokes on the off side when he tried an over-ambitious pull at a Harmison bouncer, and Jones held the resulting top-edge (101 for 5). Lara brought up his half-century with a slightly streaky edge to third man off Anderson, but Carlton Baugh lost his concentration after the drinks break, guiding the simplest of catches to Strauss at third slip to depart for 6 (118 for 6). With Smith in hospital undergoing a precautionary x-ray on a side-strain he picked up while fielding, and therefore unable to bat, Collymore came out into the middle to join Lara.Running out of partners, Lara stepped up a gear, unleashing his trademark cover-drive on Anderson, and cutting Harmison down to third man. But the procession at the other end continued, and Collymore lasted just seven balls before edging to Marcus Trescothick in the slips to give Harmison his first five-wicket haul of the series.With Edwards in, and only Lawson to come, Lara chipped Anderson just short of Key at mid-on, and then decided to take on Harmison, slamming him through the covers and then behind square on the leg side. But Harmison won the duel next ball, as Lara’s attacking instincts got the better of him, and he lofted another pull to Ian Bell at fine leg (149 for 8). Confused calling lead to Edwards’s run-out for a duck in the next over, and West Indies were forced to follow on – an embarrassing 318 runs behind on a good pitch.
Coming out to bat for the second time in the day, Gayle clipped two fours off his legs in the first two overs of the second innings, but this was merely a taster of what was to come. Refusing to lie down and die, Gayle crashed all six deliveries of Hoggard’s next over for fours – the first time this has happened in Test cricket – with not a slog in sight. Time after time the ball raced to the boundary, through midwicket, to long leg and through the covers off both the front and back foot.Vaughan immediately changed Hoggard for Giles, and Harmison for Flintoff, but Gayle wasn’t finished. After taking stock of the bowling, he drove and pulled Flintoff for two more fours, and one over later, for a third to reach his fifty from only 36 balls.But Joseph couldn’t match Gayle’s firepower: and nor did he have any answer to Harmison’s. He fell to a fast, brutish short ball that took the edge and flew to Jones, who took a tumbling catch (73 for 1). That was Harmison’s 100th wicket in Tests, and in his next over he made it 101 as Ian Bell took a blinder in the gully to dismiss Sarwan for 7 (81 for 2). Lara and Gayle played out a nervous two overs to the close without any further scares, but all signs point to England applying the whitewash some time tomorrow.Liam Brickhill is editorial assistant of Wisden Cricinfo.