-Windies drowning at Riverside despite Sarwan’s superb ton

CHESTER-LE-STREET, England, CMC – Badly missing the tenacity that helped them win the Wisden Trophy in the Caribbean two months ago, West Indies were forced to follow on during yesterday’s fourth day of the second and final Test and were staring defeat in the face after losing three top-order batsmen in their second innings.

Replying to England’s formidable 569 for six declared at the Riverside Ground, West Indies slumped to 310 all out in spite of a fluent 15th Test hundred from Ramnaresh Sarwan.

They were 115 for three following on with key batsmen Sarwan and captain Chris Gayle among those already back in the pavilion.

Shivnarine Chanderpaul (18) and Lendl Simmons (3) were at the crease when bad light stopped play early.

The Windies are 144 runs behind with seven wickets standing entering the last day of a series they virtually lost when the second day was washed out and England posted their massive first innings total.

To save the game, West Indies needed a solid start from their top order after following on 259 runs behind, and openers Gayle and Devon Smith battled for a half-century stand before Smith fell cheaply to his nemesis Graeme Swann at 53 for one.

Gayle was blazing boundaries while Smith was cautious, facing 41 balls for 11 runs before he was trapped leg before wicket playing back to the off-spinner Swann, who celebrated the Grenadian’s wicket for the fifth time this year.

Sarwan, who had stroked a magnificent century earlier in the day, joined Gayle and the pair hit some lusty blows before pacer Graham Onions (2-46) removed them both in the space of three balls.

Gayle sped to 50 off just 39 balls with six fours and two sixes, bringing up his half-century by smashing Onions through cover for four.

But two overs later, he lost Sarwan leg before wicket to a delivery from Onions that kept low.

Sarwan scored 22 off 21 balls with four boundaries and fell at 88 for two.

It became 89 for three two balls later when Gayle edged the rookie pacer to first slip.

Gayle scored 54 off 43 balls and left Chanderpaul and Simmons to shoulder the responsibility of saving the game.

Under pressure to respond to England’s huge first-innings total, the West Indies had built up some early morning hope with the experienced Chanderpaul and Sarwan fending off the home side’s attack until midway the session after resuming their first innings at 94 for three.

The two Guyanese batsmen were failures in the first Test at Lord’s but combined for a 99-run partnership before Chanderpaul fell for 23, caught behind off a thin outside edge when he pushed at a delivery from pacer Stuart Broad.

Chanderpaul faced 103 deliveries and struck two boundaries.

Sarwan played positively and marched to his hundred – his second in England — off just 131 balls.

He shrugged off a painful blow from a James Anderson delivery when he was on 58 and got to his fourth century this season by smashing a superb pull shot off Broad to square leg for his 13th boundary.

Recapturing the form that saw him take the man of the series award when West Indies lifted the Wisden Trophy in the Caribbean two months ago, Sarwan took only 53 deliveries to compile his second fifty.

But the persistent Broad responded with a hostile approach and removed the right-hander in his next over, just before the lunch break.

Broad’s third consecutive bouncer in the over was angled into Sarwan who evasively hung his bat high and popped a very easy catch to slip.

England, who won by 10 wickets in the first Test at Lord’s to lead the two-match series 1-0, continued to make inroads into the West Indies batting line up after the lunch-break they dislodged the obdurate Brendan Nash and Jerome Taylor in the space of four overs.

Pacer Anderson bowled Nash (10) when the left-hander attempted to drive and the ball struck the bottom of his bat and bounced back onto his leg-stump.

Onions then picked up his first wicket of the innings when the fast bowler trapped Taylor (10) leg before wicket with the No.8 batsman played across the line.

With the score on 216 for seven, the tall left-arm spinner Sulieman Benn joined Ramdin and held up England’s push for victory with a valuable 70-run stand that ended when Benn was run out for a well played 35.

Benn struck six fours and a six in a 48-ball knock and departed near the tea-break, which was taken with the score on 303 for eight.

Ramdin played well for a half-century but England were able to wrap up the tourists’ innings within 15 minutes of the re-start.

Fidel Edwards (11) went for an ambitious pull shot against Broad and edged a catch to Andrew Strauss at first slip and Ramdin edged an Anderson delivery to second slip.

Ramdin scored a fighting 55 off 82 balls with seven fours and a six and his dismissal gave Anderson a fine haul of five for 87 off 26.3 overs as West Indies fell 60 runs short of the follow on target.

Broad, with three for 62 off 16, and Onions (1-52) were the other wicket-takers

Anderson and Broad had no success with the new-ball at the start of the West Indies’ second innings but Onions and Swann combined to keep the momentum going for an England victory and 2-0 series sweep although bad weather in the forecast could help save West Indies from defeat in the match.