Monday, June 11, 2007

Magical panesar seals series win

Third Test, Old Trafford, day five: England 370 & 313 bt West Indies 229 & 394 by 60 runs
Monty Panesar took his first 10-wicket haul in a Test as England beat West Indies by 60 runs at Old Trafford to secure an unassailable 2-0 series lead.

The Windies, chasing a record 455, were given hope by Shiv Chanderpaul (116no) who guided them to 379-7 at lunch.

But Steve Harmison (4-95) dismissed Jerome Taylor and Fidel Edwards in the same over to go past 200 Test wickets.

And Panesar (6-137), who removed Denesh Ramdin and Darren Sammy in the morning, had Corey Collymore caught to seal it.
The victory saw Michael Vaughan overtake Peter May as England's most successful Test skipper, with 21 wins, and clinched a third straight series triumph over the Windies.

The visitors have only pride to play for in the fourth and final instalment of the series, which begins in Durham on Friday, but they will go there having regained plenty of it in this game.


MOST WINS AS ENGLAND CAPTAIN
Michael Vaughan (2003-): 21 wins in 35 Tests (60% won)
Peter May (1955-61): 20 in 41 (48.78%)
Mike Brearley (1977-81): 18 in 31 (58.06%)
Nasser Hussain (1999-2003): 17 in 45 (37.77%)
Michael Atherton (1993-98 & 2001): 13 in 54 (24.07%)

Their final total was the eighth highest in a losing cause and, when they resumed on 301-5, they were still in with a shout while Chanderpaul was at the crease.

The experienced left-hander was the epitome of caution, particularly against Panesar, who extracted sharp turn and bounce.

One delivery to Chanderpaul which shot up and over wicket-keeper Matt Prior's head was signalled as the short ball for the over from umpire Aleem Dar.

And it was no surprise when the slow left-armer found Ramdin's edge in his second over, with Paul Collingwood doing the rest at slip.

Sammy was determined to be positive and twice carved Harmison away for boundaries on the off-side before lifting Panesar down the ground.


HIGHEST SCORES IN DEFEAT
451: NZ v Eng, 2002
445: Ind v Aus, 1978
440: NZ v Eng, 1973
417: Eng v Aus, 1977
411: Eng v Aus, 1924
402: Aus v Eng, 1981
397: Ind v Eng, 2002
394: WI v Eng, 2007
376: Ind v Eng, 1959
370: Eng v Aus, 1921
370: Eng v Aus, 2006

He was fortunate on several occasions, particularly when Andrew Strauss could not grasp the chance when he gloved to gully, before Panesar held on to a firm return drive.

That exposed, statistically, the worst tail in Test cricket and it could have got worse for the Windies had Collingwood not dropped a chance at slip off Jerome Taylor he would have been expected to take.

Chanderpaul, who had resumed on 81 off 176 balls, took 57 deliveries to get to his 15th Test century, choosing caution over any attempt to add to his 12 boundaries.

And with Taylor proving a surprisingly defiant ally for him, keeping out 45 balls, England were by no means assured of victory when they went off for lunch.

Harmison hastened the visitors' demise, however, by producing two brutal deliveries which Taylor and Edwards fended to short-leg and gully.

Appropriately enough, Panesar had the last say and ended with fine figures of 10-187 for the match, when Collymore clipped the slow left-armer to short-leg, where Ian Bell brilliantly plucked the ball.

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