Friday, February 20, 2009

ENGLAND VS WESTINDIES 3rd TEST:West Indies hold on for a dramatic draw


England and the West Indies drew the third Test on Thursday in dramatic circumstances when play was called off due to bad light with the home side on 370-9 and with four overs still to bowl.West Indies lead the five-match series 1-0."I was in my zone. I have worked on my batting for the past few months and now it's bearing fruits," said Daren Powell who finished unbeaten on 22 off 55 balls in a knock spread over 65 minutes at the Antigua Recreation Ground.Last man Fidel Edwards made five but more importantly stayed at the wicket for 34 minutes.Adding to England's problems was a worrying hip injury suffered by Andrew Flintoff which could rule him out of the fourth Test in Barbados from February 26. He will undergo a scan on Friday.Star batsman Kevin Pietersen took a nasty blow to his hand while fielding close in as England crowded the last two West Indies batsmen.

The other two Tests in the series take place at Kensington Oval in Barbados from February 26 to March 2, and Queen's Park Oval in Trinidad from March 6 to 10. The second Test at the nearby Sir Vivian Richards Ground was abandoned after just 10 balls last week because of a dangerous outfield.Earlier, pace bowler Stuart Broad collected the prized scalps of century-maker Ramnaresh Sarwan and the durable Shivnarine Chanderpaul to boost England's hopes.Broad, armed with the second new ball, removed Sarwan for 106 and Chanderpaul for 55 in quick succession as West Indies, who were chasing 503 for victory, reached 279 for five at tea.Until Broad's intervention, Sarwan and Chanderpaul had batted comfortably to add 148 for the fourth wicket."It's pretty tough to take. We had to work exceptionally hard for our wickets today," admitted England skipper Andrew Strauss. "The guys dug deep. Flintoff was bowling on one leg, so to get very close is a great effort."Strauss said he was proud of his team. "From the time we turned up here through to the end, we've played some exceptional cricket - and if we continue to do that, I believe we'll come out on top," he said.

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