West Indies labour in huge chase

England v West Indies, 3rd ODI, Edgbaston

25 overs West Indies 110 for 4 (Chanderpaul 32*, Ramdin 6*) need 219 more runs to beat England 328 for 7 (Prior 87)

Matt Prior continued his fine form with a career-best 87 to put England on course for a huge total  

England moved closer to a series win as West Indies laboured to 110 for 4 at the half-way point of their huge run chase at Edgbaston. Stuart Broad and James Anderson continued their impressive form with an early wicket each, while Runako Morton was run out in a hopeless mix-up with Shivnarine Chanderpaul and West Indies' problems deepened when Dwayne Bravo was trapped lbw after a sparky 26.

If they were to have any realistic hope of chasing down 329, West Indies needed a big innings from their captain, but after two early boundaries Chris Gayle fell in the third over when he spooned an attempted pull to mid-on. After a brief shower, Ramnaresh Sarwan opened his account with consecutive fours off Broad only to fall in the next over when he miscued a drive to cover where Andrew Strauss held a smart one-handed catch jumping to his left. With two key players gone, Chanderpaul just tried to make sure that no more damage was done as he and Morton played cautiously.

Broad gave Chanderpaul a real working over from around the wicket, beating him three times in two overs with the line that has caused problems all tour. Broad may have had the wicket for his effort if Strauss hadn't had the one slip stood very wide when the edge was found and flew to third man.

Tim Bresnan helped maintain the pressure created by the opening pair and Morton was itching to try and break the shackles, but a breakdown in communication cost him his wicket. After pushing the ball into the covers he raced back for a second only to see Chanderpaul planted firmly in his crease and Morton had no chance to get back.

Bravo finally brought some spark to the innings with a punchy start to his knock, getting off the mark with a straight six off Dimitri Mascarenhas followed by an effortless flick through square leg. In Mascarenhas' next over Bravo launched him over wide long-off for another six, but England missed a chance to dismiss him when Matt Prior failed to gather a stumping chance in Graeme Swann's first over. But it didn't prove costly as Bresnan trapped him leg before on the back foot in the next over to confirm that this match is only heading one way.

England 328 for 7 (Prior 87, Shah 75, Strauss 52, Taylor 3-59) v West Indies

Two days ago the England bowlers excelled to set up a winning position at Bristol; this time it was the turn of the batsmen to put their side in sight of a series win at Edgbaston. Matt Prior hit a career-best 87 and added 149 in 20 overs with Owais Shah, to build on the solid base provided by Ravi Bopara and Andrew Strauss, as England amassed an imposing 328 for 7, the highest ODI total at the ground.

It was another depressingly poor show from West Indies who couldn't maintain any consistency with the ball, gave away free-hits and often fielded with little conviction. England, though, were again on top of their game as they paced the innings impressively, compiling 81 off the first two Powerplays then making use of the batting option by adding 55 in five overs as Prior and Shah made the most of the fielding restrictions. Some clean late striking meant England took 98 off the last 10 overs and it will take a huge effort for a dispirited team to chase down the target.

Bopara and Strauss began watchfully to judge how much assistance the pitch offered after all the recent rain, but it soon became clear that it was a pretty lifeless surface. Ravi Rampaul struggled with his line to gift England some early momentum, although Jerome Taylor was a more threatening prospect. Bopara found the early boundaries, but Strauss got into his stride with consecutive fours off Rampaul - a strong cut and a well-timed pull - as the bowler continued to serve up a poor mixture.

Fidel Edwards, recalled after surprisingly missing the Bristol game, was introduced for the tenth over and nearly removed Strauss, on 16 at the time, with his third ball, but Kieron Pollard spilled a tough chance at point. He'd made good ground to reach the ball, but couldn't hold on as his elbows hit the ground.

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Broad trumps Sarwan's century

England v West Indies, 2nd npower Test, Chester-le-Street, 4th day

West Indies 188 for 5 (Nash 1*, Ramdin 0*) trail England 569 for 6 dec (Cook 160, Bopara 108) by 381 runs 

Ramnaresh Sarwan's century lifted West Indies, but Stuart Broad brought them back to earth © Getty Images

Ramnaresh Sarwan claimed his fourth Test century in six Tests against England to lead West Indies' resistance on the fourth morning at Chester-le-Street, but Stuart Broad trumped his efforts with a brilliantly hostile spell on a flat deck, to revive England's hopes of wrapping up a 2-0 series victory.

In a defiant morning session played out under bright blue skies, Sarwan added 99 for the fourth wicket with Shivnarine Chanderpaul, but Broad claimed both the big guns in contrasting styles, leaving West Indies rocking at 188 for 5 at the break, with Brendan Nash and Denesh Ramdin charged with the task of saving a still distant follow-on.

First to go was Chanderpaul, who had been content as ever to play the sheet-anchor role. Until his dismissal, his only problems had come from Graeme Swann, who nearly claimed his wicket for the third time in three innings when Paul Collingwood claimed a flying one-handed catch at slip, only for the umpire to correctly adjudicate that the ball had come straight off his toe.

But in the end it was Broad who made the breakthrough in the second hour of the morning with a clever piece of bowling from around the wicket. He drew Chanderpaul forward with a good-length delivery, but rolled his fingers over the ball to create an offcutter, and Matt Prior behind the stumps did the rest.

Sarwan responded in pugnacious style, driving with typically crisp authority and shrugging off the effects of a painful blow to the nether-regions when James Anderson jagged a lifter back into his box. But once Chanderpaul had fallen, he upped his ante, and rushed to his hundred with a blazing straight drive off Broad followed by a cracking pull in front of square.

But those strokes merely stoked Broad's ire, and in a brilliant response he blasted Sarwan from the crease with a trio of vicious lifters, the third of which ballooned off his glove to Bresnan at slip as he attempted to ride the bounce. England were jubilant, an opening had been forged, and the afternoon session promises to be an uncomfortable one for West Indies.

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Impressive England cruise to 10-wicket win

England 377 for 32 for 0 beat West Indies 152 and 256 (Nash 81, Ramdin 66, Swann 3-39, Broad 3-64) by 10 wickets

Graeme Swann removed Shivnarine Chanderpaul cheaply again and finished with six wickets in the match © Getty Images

With more than two days to spare, England began a Test series on a winning note for the first time in 14 attempts and won at Lord's for the first time since 2005 as they wrapped up a convincing 10-wicket success against West Indies. A positive sixth-wicket stand of 143 between Brendan Nash and Denesh Ramdin made England work during the afternoon session, but either side of that there was precious little resistance as they were left a simple target of 32.

This was England's first victory in a live Test since they beat New Zealand, at Trent Bridge, last June, since when they have only once bowled a side out twice. This time England's bowlers shared the honours with Graham Onions adding two more scalps to his impressive debut haul, while Graeme Swann took his match tally to six and in the process removed Shivnarine Chanderpaul for the second time in the game.

When the home side were beginning to get a little frustrated by the efforts of Nash and Ramdin, Stuart Broad made his impression on the innings with an impressive display of aggression towards the lower order which ended with the removal of Nash for a fine, gusty 81 that enhanced his battling reputation. At the ended of one of the many frustrating days of toil in the Caribbean Broad pleaded for a pitch with some more assistance, so it was important that England made the most of conditions in their favour.

However, what was particularly impressive was how a young unit worked together with the swing of Anderson being complemented by the extra bounce of Onions and Broad. Swann's return cemented his standing as England's premier spinner, and only Tim Bresnan - limited to seven overs in the match - was left without a real chance to make an impression, though he did take a fine gully catch to dismiss Fidel Edwards.

After their horrendous collapse of 8 for 53 yesterday West Indies needed to restored some respectability. Showers delayed the start by an hour and initially there was some solid resistance from Lendl Simmons and Devon Smith. However, that all changed when Onions replaced Broad at the Nursery End and Simmons tried one of his favourite leg-side clip, but failed to keep the ball down and Alastair Cook snapped up a smart catch at square leg.

Next over Swann was introduced into the attack to have a crack at his bunny, Smith, but he gained an even more valuable scalp. One ball after being cut away for four, as Chanderpaul escaped a pair, he found the inside edge and the ball ballooned off pad into the hands of Ravi Bopara at silly point. Chanderpaul's tally of four runs in the match was the lowest of his career.

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Bopara ton holds England together

England v West Indies, 1st npower Test, Lord's, 1st day

 

England 289 for 7 (Bopara 118*, Swann 7*, Edwards 4-53) v West Indies

 

Ravi Bopara was an immediate success after being promoted to No. 3 as he held England's batting together at Lord's  

Every time England have started a series in recent memory it has been preceded by talk of new eras before failing, often spectacularly, to deliver but Ravi Bopara's assured century, in his first innings at No. 3, suggests that this time might be different. It was a vital innings as the home side wobbled against the pace of Fidel Edwards, who claimed three quick wickets to rattle the middle order, but Bopara found crucial support from Matt Prior and Stuart Broad as honours ended even on 289 for 7, although West Indies rued a batch of dropped catches.

Bopara's display stood out for its maturity and calmness. He scored a hundred in his previous Test innings before being dropped and has now been thrust back in such a key position. He was also one of the clutch of players to have recently returned from the IPL and, while it wasn't the best of days for all of them, Bopara and Edwards showed that the adjustments can be made.

The No. 3 position has become the most vexing position in England's batting order since Michael Vaughan vacated it towards the end of last summer. The last hundred from the position was Vaughan's 106 against New Zealand in the corresponding fixture last summer. Ian Bell and Owais Shah were unable to take their opportunity and so the mantle has been passed to Bopara, the most exciting of England's new-look selections, and he has responded in full to the confidence shown by Andy Flower and Andrew Strauss. This will be his position for the Ashes.

He had two lives, on 76 and 100, as West Indies' fielding fell apart in the final session and survived a perilously close lbw on 40 against Sulieman Benn that was heading towards middle. However, his strokeplay, especially his driving, was classy from the beginning and he showed the best footwork of England's top five.

His hundred arrived off 207 balls after a fairly length wait in the 90s, but even then his nerves didn't show. After tucking the ball into the leg side he calmly saluted the ground before making a rectangle symbol, imitating writing to his team-mates - he wanted his name on the honours board straight away. That's confidence for you.

West Indies missed a real chance to take a grip on this match. Edwards' post-lunch spell of 6-2-15-3 reduced them to 109 for 4 and when Prior fell shortly after tea a total of 193 for 5 could have gone either way. But the visitors were then struck by a spate of dropped chances - still a problem in this improving West Indies side - as six were put down in the final session. Broad was dropped five times in making 38, with Chris Gayle guilty for one at first slip, alongside the two lives given to Bopara.

Three of those chances came off Edwards, who deserved better support after producing the spell that put West Indies on top during the middle session. For the first two hours the bowling had been too short on a pitch offering little, despite Gayle's decision to bowl, and Andrew Strauss had been their only success when cutting at Jerome Taylor. There had clearly been a team talk during the interval about bowling fuller and it worked with great effect.

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