da betsul： Incessant showers on the first and last day ensured that the third Test wasrobbed of its competitive edge
da bet nacional： Andy Jalil07-Aug-2000
Incessant showers on the first and last day ensured that the third Test wasrobbed of its competitive edge. But the fairy-tale happenings withman-of-the-match Alec Stewart and the display given by a resurgent BrianLara, which held us spellbound, made the Test so memorable.Needless to say the modest West Indies total in the first innings, in theface of some fine pace bowling had gone a long way in raising England’s hopes- until the third day – of forging ahead in the series. As it happened, thehonours were shared with England knocking off 80 of the 293 runs that WestIndies had set them as a winning target. In the process they lost MichaelAtherton’s wicket after a 61-run opening stand.Had Ridley Jacobs held the straightforward chance behind the stumps, offeredby Nasser Hussain on one, West Indies would, understandably, have felt, ifthey hadn’t earlier, that had this game gone its full course, without theequivalent of a day’s play being lost, they could have been in a position toforce a victory. After all, had more time been available, they would not havedeclared until a larger lead had been gained.While it can be said that England bowlers have achieved more than the batsmenin this series, it has been quite apparent that the West Indies bowling issomewhat innocuous without Courtney Walsh and Curtly Ambrose. None of theother bowlers have been a threat or even difficult to score off at any stagein the three Tests played so far.Nevertheless, with the relentless pressure exerted by Walsh and Ambrose,England batsmen need to do much work with their batting. Alec Stewart hasbeen exceptional this summer. In both forms of the game he has excelled withremarkable consistency and aggression. Apart from his brilliant performances,the find of the season for England is Marcus Trescothick.He has slotted in so comfortably as the opening partner for Michael Atherton.His successful form in the recent limited-overs tournament, continued inthis, his debut Test match and provides him, as well as his team with a greatdeal of encouragement. It should be the answer to England’s search for aregular opening pair, Atherton has had no less than a dozen partners beforenow.In this Test, Trescothick had provided the support for Stewart in thatmonumental partnership of 179. With his innings of 66, lastingfour-and-a-half hours, he showed that he is fully capable of building a solidfoundation. Again, in the second innings he had put on 61 with Atherton andremained unbeaten on 38. But it is the rest of the England batting that willhave to come under scrutiny.With both teams level and only two Tests remaining, England will be aware ofhow vital the next Test will be. They will also be aware that Ambrose andWalsh may lack support but even by themselves they are enough to cope with.There is much work to be done by England batsmen.
