BIRMINGHAM: West Indies backed-up a stunning last-wicket stand featuring Tino Best's record 95 with early wickets before England recovered to 111 for three at tea on the fourth day of the Third Test at Edgbaston here yesterday.
That left England 315 runs behind West Indies' first innings 426 and still needing a further 166 to avoid the follow-on after Best had made the highest-ever score by a test match No 11 during an extraordinary 10th wicket partnership of 143 with wicket-keeper Denesh Ramdin, who posted an unbeaten 107.
As the first two days of this match were washed out, England had to get within 150 runs, rather than 200, and reach 277 to avoid the follow-on.
But when Ravi Rampaul had Alastair Cook lbw, they were 13 for one.
Jonathan Trott then played on to West Indies captain Darren Sammy before Best's first test in nearly three years got even better.
The fast bowler had England captain Andrew Strauss, trying to cut a ball that was too close to him, brilliantly caught by Darren Bravo at first slip.
England were now 49 for three.
But Kevin Pietersen (45 not out) and Ian Bell (20 not out) repaired the damage with an unbroken stand of 62, although Bell survived a sharp chance to short leg Adrian Barath off debutant spinner Sunil Narine.
Earlier, there was no hint of the torrent of runs to come when West Indies, having resumed on their overnight 280 for eight after losing the toss, saw Rampaul dismissed three balls into yesterday's play.
Ramdin, himself in test exile for two years before this series, was then 63 not out.
But Best, who surpassed Zaheer Khan's 75 for India against Bangladesh at Dhaka in 2004 as the highest test score by a No 11, was quickly into his stride.
Indeed it was Ramdin who was almost out when, on 69, he cut hard at Finn and Pietersen failed to hold a sharp, head-high, chance at gully.
A single off Bresnan saw Best -- only called up to this tour as a replacement for injured fast bowler Shannon Gabriel -- complete a 44 ball-fifty.
Ramdin's single off Bresnan, after which he nearly hit the bowler's head as he waved his bat in celebration, took him to a hundred in 160 balls with nine boundaries.
Few would have begrudged Best a hundred, but he fell just short, skying an Onions slower-ball to Strauss at first slip as the home skipper equalled the England test record of 120 catches by an outfielder held by Colin Cowdrey and Ian Botham. AFP
- Harian Metro
- Berita Harian
- Business Times
- My Gadget Planet
- Travelific
- Harum
- Eats
- Properties
- News Image Bank (NIB)
- New Economic Model
- NST Reviews
- NiEXUS
- Friends of Travel Times
- Property News
- NSTLIVE Archive
- Spell-It-Right
