Game Still up in The Air
England needs to come up with a batting display reminiscent of the post-1999 West Indies if the Test match at Port of Spain is to turn in favor of the home side.
At the end of a truncated second day, England are 54/2 in response to West Indies? 208.
The West Indian innings concluded after the addition of 20 runs. It featured some gritty batting by Ridley Jacobs, whose innings ended due to a needless runout. Still, the score represented a feat of sorts, after the previous innings? 47, and the loss of wickets in pairs and threesomes earlier in the innings.
The West Indian response with the ball would have gladdened many a fan. Pedro Collins bowled a superb inswinger to trap Vaughan leg before without scoring. Collins has showed in the past that he has potential, notably in the series against India, in which he dismissed Tendulkar three times. Now, he has added the inswinger to the right hander to his armory and will remain a very useful member of the attack, as long as he continues to bowl a consistent offstump line.
Tino Best bowled a torrid spell to Trescothick, forcing him to glove a delivery to Jacobs (which was given not out), having him dropped by Dwayne Smith and eventually having him caught by Sanford. Best not only signalled his arrival as a bowler of genuine pace, with a fastest delivery of 93.1 mph, but also bowled intelligently, mixing searing yorkers to Hussain with his usual short deliveries.
It may be premature to draw conclusions about Best?s long term future in cricket, but if he plays his cards right, he could play the role that Marshall played in his day. Comparing any bowler to a fast bowling legend like Marshall may seem premature, but Best has some qualities in common ? he is not very tall, has a strong physique, attacks the crease with a very fast and direct approach, has the confidence to take on batsmen and shows some signs of having the ability to outthink batsmen. His first delivery to Hussain, for example was a superb yorker, and he bowled yorkers more than once after hinting that a bouncer was on the way. He also bowled an incutter that pitched well outside off and ripped in seemingly from nowhere.
At any rate, the Tino Best we see today is not the same man who went for 99 runs off 20 wicketless overs in his forgettable debut against the Aussies. Someone who has taken the effort to understand his shortcomings, remodel his action and make the transition from a parody of a fast bowler to a genuinely quick bowler who seems to have good control over his line and length simply has to be taken seriously.
After those early wickets, the English batsman buckled down as expected and played the day out. Before the end though, there was another dropped chance by Chanderpaul which gave Butcher a life. This test match is not even halfway through, but it seems as if it may well be a good idea to rest Chanderpaul for the next test and play someone like Powell instead. Nobody doubts Chanders? ability, but sometimes getting dropped is the best thing that can happen to a cricketer.
The match is still poised, at least in theory, but West Indies can expect to work hard to take eight more English wickets. What is in their favor is the fact that the English top order is not in great form either. A couple of quick wickets could open up the game completely.