Captain Andrew Strauss put the disastrous first Test behind him as he struck 169 to lead England to an impressive 301-3 at stumps on the first day of the third Test against West Indies at the Antigua Recreation Ground.
Strauss was ably assisted by Alastair Cook (52) and Owais Shah (57) as England bounced back from their mauling in Kingston to put themselves in a strong position.
West Indies won the first Test of the series in Jamaica by an innings after bowling England out for 51 in their second innings.
After all the problems with the ground at the Sir Vivian Richards Stadium in Antigua, resulting in the second Test being abandoned, that defeat felt a long time ago - but no doubt the batting collapse remained in the minds of the upper order.
It took just one and a half sessions for England to show that they are a much better side than the one that surrendered so meekly at Sabina Park.
"We've had a hard couple of weeks. After being bowled out 51 in the last Test you want to come out and play positively and prove to everyone that as a batting unit we have a lot of good players," Strauss said.
"In that respect it's very satisfying."
After batting all day, with 24 fours and a big six to bring up England's hundred, Strauss looked well set to continue his innings into the second day but a tired attempted pull shot near the close resulted in a simple caught and bowled for Fidel Edwards.
The game at the Antigua Recreation Ground had been hastily arranged following the abandonment of the second test on Friday after just 10 balls, when the outfield at the other major ground on the island was deemed unfit.
The replacement venue, the traditional home of Test matches in Antigua, provided a more intimate and authentic Caribbean cricket atmosphere and a wicket that offered plenty for stroke players.
After rain delayed the start by 45 minutes, England made just the kind of start they needed, bringing up 40 in the first 11 overs and forcing West Indies skipper Chris Gayle to turn to spin before lunch.
Jerome Taylor, who had ripped through England's top order in Kingston, was far less of a threat against the sturdy Strauss.
The largely English crowd in a ground that had been rapidly turned from a training venue into a Test match facility made a point of applauding as England passed the 51 mark.
There was a nostalgic feel to the game with the ramshackle stands, old-fashioned West Indian food stands and an absence of giant screens and umpire referrals.
But there was also something in England's display that recalled the past.
In 1994, England bounced back from a humiliating low score - 46 in Trinidad - to score 355 and 394 as they won by 208 runs with Alec Stewart commanding through two centuries.
Strauss has helped his team to achieve at least the first part of that performance - bouncing back from the potentially confidence-shattering defeat.
Fellow opener Alastair Cook helped put on 123 for the first wicket before Cook went caught by Devon Smith off Chris Gayle's off-spin for 52.
Then Owais Shah, drafted in for Ian Bell, struck a confident 57 off 100 balls before he was run out looking for a quick single.
After Strauss's departure nightwatchman James Anderson (3 no) saw out the final overs of the evening with Kevin Pietersen (8 no).
No comments:
Post a Comment