From Garth Wattley in Kingston
More fire, they like here in Jamaica, especially at Sabina Park.
Yesterday, a thrilled audience got blazing action.
The magnificent Shivnarine Chanderpaul survived the heat turned on by the rampaging Brett Lee to produce a courageous 18th Test century.
And faced with the big task of checking Australia, 118 runs to the good before start of their second innings, Fidel Edwards (5-1-12-2) and Darren Powell (5-4-4-2) scorched the Aussies also, to leave them stunned on 17 for four when bad light brought a close to the third day of this First Digicel Test match.
The world champions will start today’s play 126 runs ahead, and still with the upper hand in this match. But the Windies are still very much in this match.
No neutral would dismiss them after what he saw yesterday.
Chanderpaul (118) and Runako Morton (67) with their fourth-wicket partnership of 128 in the first session; the loss of four wickets for eight runs approaching tea; Chanderpaul’s completion of his century after being felled by Lee and then the WI pacers’ removal of Phil Jacques, captain Ricky Ponting, Simon Katich and Michael Hussey in that order; were events which, for the most part, heartened the home crowd and moved them to much noise.
It was hard to pick a single highlight.
Seeing Chanderpaul slump to the ground, and stay there, moving not a muscle, temporarily unable to feel a thing, was not pretty. Neither were the anxious tears of his wife Amy, watching in the North Stand.
His five-month old son Bradley will remember nothing of that moment. He will have to be told, that after several minutes of suspense, daddy `Shiv’ raised himself and soldiered on with the job. The precautionary brain scan he would later get, would have to wait.
On 86 at the time, he went on to get 32 more before he was last out, miscuing a pull at a Stuart MacGill full toss.
No less than a standing ovation was worthy for `Chanders’ as he left the field.
His focus on his mission to bat and bat had wavered none through all the turmoil, personal and team. Even among the band of the game of gritty warriors, he is a very special breed.
Before that physical blow, Chanderpaul had already been in a fight to limit Australia’s lead after Lee, in a second spell ((11-3-23-3), had engineered a dramatic slide.
After the flamboyant Dwayne Bravo had stroked four fours and three sixes in 46 and had added 64 with Chanderpaul for the fifth wicket; Lee tempted him and Denesh Ramdin into thoughtless shots which resulted in edges to first slip and the ‘keeper.
Mitchell Johnson then got Darren Sammy caught at short midwicket and, just so, West Indies had lost three wickets for three runs in three overs.
When Darren Powell was bowled leg-stump by Lee to make it 268 for eight, the damage was four wickets for eight.
Chanderpaul was 77 when Ramdin surrendered. But with Fidel Edwards (one), who stayed with him 84 minutes and last man Amit Jaggernauth, he milked another 50 runs for the side.
The middle session and first part of the last, belonged to ‘Shiv’.
But the morning’s play was really about the rise and fall of Morton.
A spectator for the two-Test series against Sri Lanka, Marlon Samuels’ two-year ban from cricket gave the Nevisian the chance to return to the middle order after a productive regional Carib Beer Series in which he averaged 138.00.
On the second afternoon, he had batted through the last 74 minutes with Chanderpaul. It was a preview of the solid resistance he was to provide to the Aussie attack on the third morning.
Very aggressive by nature, Morton played to the situation; much like Andrew Symonds had done for Australia in their first innings. Choosing carefully the balls to attack, Morton was decisive when he decided to put bat to ball.
MacGill, punished often by the Windies batsmen, was first taken to task by Morton in his second over. The leg-spinner was tugged through the mid-on fielder and hit down the ground for fours as Morton brought up his 50 and, off the last ball, he was lofted over the long-on boundary.
Symonds was also struck mightily over long-on by Morton. But generally, it was his muscular straight driving which was his forte.
The blows against the spinners however were only possible because of Morton’s determined survival against Lee.
Sabina, the theatre for so many feats of great fast bowling in her time, was witness to another classic display by the newest Aussie spearhead.
He collected no wickets in his first spell of 6-1-16-0. But his duel with Morton was riveting.
Lee sorely tested Morton’s ego, his natural urge to retaliate, with searing bouncers. One such, the batsman took on the shoulder. His response? A premeditated attempt to pull which resulted in a top edge which flew over the wicketkeeper for four.
Lee hit back immediately with a throat ball so sharp and accurate, that only, only just, did Morton escape a trip off the ground on a stretcher as the ball all but grazed his nose.
Morton’s firm commitment to the cause was matched, as always by Chanderpaul.
By the end of the first hour, they had taken the score from the overnight 115 for three to 155 for three. And as the penultimate over to lunch began, it seemed the pair were about to complete a perfect morning’s work.
But three balls into the MacGill over, Morton made a big mistake in judgment. He tried to take MacGill over the top of mid-on again but instead saw big Stuart Clark take an athletic two-handed catch to his right.
At lunch then, taken at 197 for four, Australia had prised an opening for themselves.
Lee turned the crack into a hole after the break.
But fast Fidel and the focused Powell closed the gap again for the Windies with a fine exhibition of controlled fast bowling as the Aussies began their second turn stint at the crease, with 18 overs to face.
Edwards, bubbling still from his first innings five-for, clipped Jacques’ outside edge in the second over, and wicketkeeper Ramdin held the catch.
Next over Powell removed Ponting with Bravo’s help at third slip. In the eighth, Katich was plumb lbw as Edwards got one to pitch and go straight on and five balls later Powell hit Hussey’s off-stump.
The umpires’ offer to go off for poor light came none too soon for Brad Hodge and nightwatchman Mitchell Johnson.
There was too much heat out there.
