Jacobs Brightens Farcical Last Day

In the manner of someone attaching party decorations to a dead body, Ridley Jacobs brightened a decomposing Test-match day with a stroke-filled 118. Jacobs?s second Test hundred, with five sixes, also earned him a world record with fellow wicket keeper Ajay Ratra. They became the first wicketkeeper pair in Test history to score hundreds in the same match. They also ended a batting curse for wicketkeepers in this series, adding 233 runs between them after the earlier nine innings by keepers had produced a grand total of 17 runs.

Ultimately, it was such stray records that dotted a day?s play that did not take too long to disintegrate into a farce. India used eleven bowlers, including wicketkeeper Ratra bowling one over, with Rahul Dravid keeping wickets. Dravid, Wasim Jaffer and VVS Laxman got their first Test wickets and all three celebrated the achievement joyously, as if reaching a hundred. It was that kind of a day.


Only Shivnarine Chanderpaul plodded on with the solemnity of a batting high priest disdaining to join the Church Sunday festivities. His 510-ball marathon for an unbeaten 136 spoke as much for his concentration powers as his baffling inability to let his bat crack an occasional joke or two, just for the crowd?s sake, even against the comical bowling of Ratra. He daintily patted Ratra?s full-toss on leg for a single, with about 30 minutes left for the Test to end.


The day?s play reflected a Test match that was more a collection of individual records than a contest. After five days of interrupted play and 1162 runs, the first innings was only completed at the time the match ended. Carl Hooper declared with West Indies 126 runs ahead, a wicket in hand and with thirty minutes of play left. India exercised the option of not bothering to bat, and umpire David Shepherd removed the bails for the last time in this Test, much to the relief of those who were forced to be part of it, except Chanderpaul perhaps.


India had something to celebrate from the past five days, having put up a 500-plus score abroad but unfortunately neutralizing the effort by taking nearly seven sessions to compile it. Anil Kumble?s injury demolished the chances of India trying to forge a win, and the West Indian middle order?s habitual batting feast against Indian bowling hammered the last nails in the Test-match coffin. It was the first time since 1995 that West Indies had gone past 600 in a Test innings.


Ajay Ratra was declared Man of the Match for his maiden hundred, and with Jaffer coming good as an opener, at least India had a couple of positives to carry into the final Test at Sabina Park, Kingston. The pitch there, thankfully, is not likely to be such a bowlers? nightmare.


* SOURCE: WISDEN ONLINE