England tour of West Indies

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Fixture

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England pile up 600 runs in Barbados Test

BARBADOS: Ravi Bopara struck his maiden century and Paul Collingwood hit 96 as England piled up 600-6 declared against West Indies on day two of the fourth cricket test at Kensington Oval.

West Indies lost captain Chris Gayle early but responded strongly to post 85-1 at the close.

The 23-year-old Bopara, a late replacement in the squad, helped press home England''s advantage with 104 after the tourists resumed on 301-3.

The Es+++ batsman, in only his fourth test, took advantage of an early life to blast nine fours and a six off 143 balls.

Collingwood just missed out on a ton after a fluent innings that spanned 159 deliveries and was decorated with 12 boundaries.

Wicketkeeper Tim Ambrose hit a boisterous, unbeaten 76 as he grabbed the chance presented to him by the paternity leave absence of Matt Prior.

Fidel Edwards was the pick of the West Indian bowlers although his figures of 3-151 did not do him justice.

When West Indies replied, England struck quickly as James Anderson (1-29) claimed Gayle leg before wicket after benefiting from a TV referral.

But the in-form Ramnaresh Sarwan (40 not out) and Devon Smith (37not out) shared an unbroken stand of 72 to dull England''s edge.

[Ali Shah]

England 600/6d
West Indies 398/5 (109.0 ov)
West Indies trail by 202 runs with 5 wickets remaining in the 1st innings

Stumps - Day 3 West Indies RR 3.65
Last 10 ovs 47/0 RR 4.70
Full scorecard

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boring matches

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West Indies and England draw fourth Test

BRIDGETOWN: West Indies and England drew the fourth Test here on Monday at the Kensington Oval.

West Indies lead the five-Test series 1-0, following an innings and 23-run victory in the opening Test at Sabina Park in Jamaica, the aborted second Test at the Vivian Richards Cricket Ground in Antigua, and a draw in the replacement third Test at the Antigua Recreation Ground.

The fifth and final Test starts on Friday at Queen''s Park Oval in Trinidad.

[Sadaf Gondal]

LONDON: Nottinghamshire all-rounder Samit Patel was de-selected Wednesday from the one-day leg of England's tour of the West Indies because of unacceptable fitness levels.

Patel was due to arrive in Trinidad next week ahead of a Twenty20 match and five one-day internationals.

He will remain with England Lions, in New Zealand, and Patel has now been replaced in the senior squad by another spin-bowling all-rounder in Yorkshire's Adil Rashid, already in the Caribbean with the Test party.

Meanwhile off-spinner Graeme Swann, who has impressed in the Test series, will return home after the fifth and final Test in Trinidad for an operation on his right elbow. His place will be taken by Gareth Batty.

The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) said Patel had failed, despite repeated warnings, to reach an acceptable fitness level.

ECB managing director Hugh Morris said in a statement: "Samit Patel is a talented cricketer but he, like every other player who joins the senior England team, must be aware of the strict fitness criteria that will be set.

"It is extremely frustrating that Samit has not heeded the warnings of his county, Nottinghamshire, and the England national selector Geoff Miller.

"In the circumstances we had no option but to de-select him from the tour."

Patel 24, made a bright start to an international career that now spans 11 one-day internationals.

The ECB added Patel had undertaken two fitness assessments since the start of the year and on both occasions the results were unsatisfactory.

Former England off-spinner Miller said: "The demands of international cricket are huge and Samit must recognise that fitness levels are a vital part of a successful team in international cricket.

"He really needs to understand and grasp that fact because his fitness levels have regressed between his first assessment during the build up to the England Lions tour and the second Test during the first week in New Zealand."

Swann, who plays alongside Patel at Nottinghamshire, has been struggling with his elbow problem and he said: "I have realised for sometime that I would need surgery on the injury.

"We have managed it during the tour but the medical team believe this is the best time for an operation."

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Fifth Test between England, WI heads for draw

PORT OF SPAIN: A gritty unbroken stand of 146 between Shivnarine Chanderpaul and Brendan Nash took West Indies to 349-4, 197 behind after three days of the final Test.

Resuming 454 adrift at 92-1, they lost run machine Ramnaresh Sarwan (14) who was debutant Amjad Khan''s maiden scalp.

Chris Gayle reached his 10th Test ton with a quick single but in doing so injured his hamstring and retired hurt.

The left-handers batted for 52 overs to avoid the follow-on and further dent England hopes of saving the series.

When the fourth West Indies wicket went down, which was perhaps effectively the fifth given Gayle''s serious-looking injury, 144 runs were needed to save the follow-on.

Nash had his moments of fortune, and was dropped on 19, but recorded his fourth Test fifty and his partnership with Chanderpaul, who now has 53 half centuries, blunted England''s day which began well with two wickets in the opening hour.

Daren Powell, the nightwatchman who defied them for more than two hours in the third Test at the Antigua Recreation Ground, lasted only 14 balls for his duck.

Sarwan, who began the innings with a series average of 149, having made two centuries and a 291, was dropped off Monty Panesar on 12.

Once again England will be left with the difficult decision of when to declare when they bat again - but first they have to dislodge the left-handed limpets.

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Windies reply with 544 to England’s 546 in final Test

TRINIDAD: Shivnarine Chanderpaul produced a fighting innings of 147 not out, and Brendan Nash scored a maiden Test century as West Indies made 544, just two runs short of England’s 546 runs in the first innings.

By the close of the fourth and penultimate day of the contest, West Indies reduced England to 80 for 3 in their second innings, with Fidel Edwards producing a vicious three-over burst in the fading light that culminated in the near decapitation of Kevin Pietersen with the final ball of the day.

However, the match is likely to end in a draw, giving West Indies the five-match series 1-0, their first series victory since 2004 and their first triumph over England since 1997-98.

After West Indies resumed at 349-4 on the fourth day, Chanderpaul and Nash succeeded in getting their centuries. They added 234 runs for the fifth wicket partnership.

Nash made 109 while Chanderpaul remained unbeaten on 147 as their team was all out for 544.

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England lose Test series in West Indies

PORT OF SPAIN: England have lost the Test series against the West Indies - after the Fifth Test in Trinidad ended in a thrilling draw.

England needed to win the Test to level the series 1-1, but the Windies hung on for a nail-biting draw, as England''s bowlers failed to take the last two wickets.

The day started with England chasing runs in order to give their bowlers a chance to bowl out the opposition.

Captain Andrew Strauss declared at lunch on 237-6, after Kevin Pietersen had made 102.

The West Indies were given a target of 215 in two sessions to win - and after losing three wickets before tea - it became a question of whether England could take the remaining seven wickets they needed to win the match.

England could only manage five more in the final session, as the Windies closed on 114 for eight - giving them their first series win since 2004.

The two sides now face each other in a Twenty20 match, followed by a five match one-day series.

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Windies win series despite drawn Test against England

PORT OF SPAIN, Trinidad and Tobago: The fifth and the final Test between the West Indies and England ended in a draw here at the Queen’s Park Oval stadium on Wednesday but the hosts won the five-match series 1-0.

England resumed their second innings at 80-3 and Kevin Pietersen reached his hundred from just 88 balls when he flicked Lionel Baker through backward square leg for a single, as he led England''s charge for quick runs.

But he was dismissed off the third-last ball before lunch, when he was caught at deep mid-wicket off Fidel Edwards pulling a short, rising ball. Pietersen had added 106 for the fifth wicket with Matt Prior in a sensational hour and 15 minutes of batting.

He had reached his 50 from 42 balls with the fifth of his nine fours off left-arm spin bowler Hinds, and Prior soon celebrated his 50 from 39 balls, when he turned a ball from Simmons into mid-wicket and picked a single.

But Prior, who was named Man-of-the-Match, was bowled for 61, when Baker extracted his middle-stump, and West Indies were able to slow things down a bit more.

Earlier, England had lost Collingwood in the fifth over of the morning, when he was caught and bowled by Hinds for nine.

England declared during lunch setting the West Indies 240 for victory from a minimum of 66 overs and visitors’ bowlers put in a big effort but the home team resisted strongly to finish on 114 for eight when time ran out.

Graeme Swann was the pick of the England bowlers with three wickets for 13 runs from 21 overs, Jimmy Anderson snared three for 24 from 16 overs, and Monty Panesar bagged two for 34 from 19.5 overs.

The result meant England lost the five-Test series 0-1, following an innings and 23-run defeat in the opening Test at Sabina Park in Jamaica, where they bowled England out for their third-lowest total in Tests of 51.

This was followed by the aborted second Test at the Vivian Richards Cricket Ground in Antigua, and drawn Tests at the Antigua Recreation Ground and Kensington Oval.

The result also means that the visitors surrender the Wisden Trophy, symbol of Test supremacy between the two sides.

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Twenty20 match: Windies beat England by 6 wkts

PORT OF SPAIN: Ramnaresh Sarwan hit 59 from 46 balls to propel West Indies to a six-wicket victory over England in their Twenty20 International at Queen''s Park Oval on Sunday.

England were bowled out for just 121 in 19.1 overs after they were sent in to bat, and West Indies replied strongly with 123 for four from 18 overs.

England, who have already lost the Test series, were undermined by disciplined West Indies bowling and alert fielding which accounted for three run outs.

International newcomer Steven Davies led the way for England with 27 from 21 balls and Strauss scored 22 from 25 balls.

But England''s innings never got into gear, and they lost their last four wickets for seven runs in the space 14 balls.

Spinner Sulieman Benn took three for 24 from four overs to be the leading West Indies bowler.

After Ravi Bopara was bowled by Lionel Baker in the fourth over, England, thanks to Davies, raced to 55 for one in the eighth over.

But Davies and Kevin Pietersen were dismissed in successive overs, and England failed to keep the tempo alive.

Their effort was not helped when Dimitri Mascarenhas, Strauss, and Gareth Batty were all needlessly run out.

Stuart Broad removed Andre Fletcher in the second over to give England a bright start when they took to the field.

But stalwarts Sarwan and Shivnarine Chanderpaul carried West Indies to 45 for one in the fifth over.

James Anderson had Chanderpaul caught at square cover before Lendl Simmons and Sarwan put West Indies firmly on course with a stand of 60 for the third wicket.

Amjad Khan removed Sarwan in the 16th over and had Dwayne Bravo caught at mid-wicket two overs later before Kieron Pollard sealed the victory, when he swung a short, rising ball from the same bowler through mid-wicket for four.

The two teams will now contest a five-match one-day international series with matches in Guyana (March 20 and 22), Barbados (March 27 and 29), and St. Lucia (April 3).