Late strikes puts England in command by CricketArchive Staff Reporter

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Scorecard:	England v West Indies
Player:	AN Cook, JM Anderson
Event:	West Indies in England 2009

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DateLine: 16th May 2009

 

James Anderson struck thrice with the new ball to reduce West Indies to 94 for 3 at the close of the third day. Having lost the entire second day to rain, Alastair Cook converted his overnight 126 into a career-best 160 before falling five minutes before lunch. Kevin Pietersen and Matt Prior, cashed in on some wayward offerings from West Indies' pacemen to power England past the 500 mark.

 

In the morning session the West Indian bowlers went through the motions in the field - with the honourable exception of Sulieman Benn, who bowled with flight and variety. When the declaration finally did come, Anderson took it upon himself to show how it should be done in these conditions. Anderson kept it full for the ball to swing and duly earned his rewards. First to go was Devon Smith, who played all round a stump-splatterer at the start of Anderson's third over and next was Chris Gayle, who was undone by a 45-minute rain break as Anderson's second ball after the resumption jagged back into his pads as he shouldered arms.

 

Three overs later he had his third when Lendl Simmons edged to a diving Andrew Strauss at first slip, having played watchfully and with apparent solidity for his 8 from 18 balls. Ramnaresh Sarwan and Shivnarine Chanderpaul, prevented a total meltdown with a mature stand of 26 in 11 overs, although they did not find the going entirely easy.

 

England's batsmen had a much more comfortable day in the middle. The one man who did stifle Pietersen's attacking intentions was Benn, in a continuation of his strange weakness against left-arm spin. Locating a hint of extravagant turn from an otherwise blameless surface, Benn removed Pietersen soon after the break when - on 49 he swished wildly outside off, and skied a leading edge straight into the hands of backward point. By this stage Benn had already accounted for Cook.