A graphical view of England vs. West Indies, 3rd Test Match, Manchester, played 12 - 16 August - 2004 by Jack Solock

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Scorecard:

England v West Indies

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In a match that featured Brian Lara's 10,000th Test run (making him the fourth batsman in history to achieve this feat, after Sunil Gavaskar, Allan Border, and Steve Waugh), Steve Harmison's 50th Test wicket of the calendar year (the first bowler to reach that milestone in 2004), and the largest fourth innings run chase in the history of Old Trafford (231/3, smashing the old record of 145/7 set by South Africa in July 1955), Robert Key and Andrew Flintoff had the final say, with a scintillating 120 run unbroken 3rd wicket partnership to lead England to a 7 wicket victory over the West Indies, sealing a Wisden Trophy series victory. The victory gave England an unassailable 3-0 series lead and was their 6th straight. It was also their seventh straight home victory going back to last year's final Test against South Africa. Since the 2003 World Cup, England's Test record is 12 wins, 3 losses, and 4 draws.

 

 

As the graph shows, this match was dominated by three big partnerships and one awful, but, unfortunately, typical collapse. West Indies obtained a first innings lead for the first time in the series. It was built on a 157 run 5th wicket partnership between Shivnarine Chanderpaul and Dwayne Bravo, and an important 75 run 8th wicket partnership between Carlton Baugh, Pedro Collins (who had to retire for 8 stitches to the jaw after missing a hook to a short one from Andrew Flintoff) and Corey Collymore. Some very ordinary English bowling contributed to the West Indies total.

 

Facing a deficit of 395, England quickly found themselves on the back foot at 40/3 before Andrew Strauss and Graham Thorpe bailed them out with a 177 run partnership for the 4th wicket. Despite a very impressive 6/55 by young Bravo (which included the wickets of Strauss to break the big partnership, and Thorpe later on), England was still within reach after being bowled out for 330.

 

The pressure of batting with a lead in their second innings proved too much for the West Indies, as they were reduced from a position of strength at 88/2 to 165 all out. The collapse took 31.2 overs. England were left to chase 231, which, given the history of 4th innings run chases at Old Trafford, could have been very difficult. But in the form each side are in, the West Indian attack (even after a great start at 27/2) wasn't going to stop them. First Robert Key and Captain Michael Vaughan put on 84 in 30.1 overs. Then Key and Flintoff finished things off in style, adding 120 in 26.3. The West Indies' last chance went through the hands of Sylvester Joseph at second slip when he dropped Key on 58 right after Tea on the final day. Key went on to score 93*, smaller by far in quantity, but larger in quality and meaning than his 221 at Lords three weeks earlier.

 

A closer look at the West Indies 2nd innings collapse and England's 2nd innings run chase is illustrative of the difference between a team that is playing at the top of its form, and a young, inexperienced team that doesn't seem to know how to win.

 

 

What is so striking about the West Indies collapse is the manner in which 5 of the 7 top and middle order batsmen threw their wickets away. Only Brian Lara (3rd wicket) and Ramnaresh Sarwan (8th wicket) were beaten by the bowler. The most frustrating of the wickets, from a West Indian point of view, were Chris Gayle's (well set, he became frustrated with Ashley Giles and attempted to hoik him out of the ground) and Chanderpaul's (an ill advised pull shot to Flintoff within 3 overs of Lara's dismissal). While many of the dismissals can be explained by youth and inexperience (although that is getting to be an old explanation), Chanderpaul's was utterly inexcusable, given the match situation. It was the second time in two matches (not knowing Darrell Hair's proclivities toward padding up at Edgbaston being the first) that Chanderpaul had made a foolish mistake that contributed to a West Indies defeat. As to the English run chase, the graph illustrates its ease. England were in some problems early, but it just got easier as the overs passed.

 

Sources for this article:
Derek Pringle and Scyld Berry--London Daily Telegraph
Tony Cozier--Barbados Daily Nation (Bridgetown)
Freddie Auld, Andrew Miller, and Liam Brickhill--Wisden Cricinfo
Wisden Cricinfo ball-by-ball commentary
CricketArchive Season Archive

 

(Article: Copyright © 2004 Jack Solock)