The Hindu : Sport : Panesar does West Indies in

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Wednesday, Jun 20, 2007
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Panesar does West Indies in

Ted Corbett

— Photo: AP

JAUNTY MONTY: Monty Panesar took five wickets yet again to give England a 3-0 Test series win over the West Indies.

CHESTER-LE-STREET: If ever a movie producer decides to remake The Undefeated, John Wayne’s 1969 follow-up to True Grit, he need look no further for a hero than Shivnarine Chanderpaul who had batted for 18 hours without being dismissed until he w as bowled by Monty Panesar, England’s Man of the Series, the last West Indian wicket to fall, on Tuesday. That is not even Chanderpaul’s longest unbeaten spell of batting. In 2002, he was undefeated for 25 hours and 13 minutes and in 2004 he hung around for 17 hours and 11 minutes.

When Chanderpaul, later voted both Man of the Match and West Indies’ Man of the Series, fell, Monty Panesar had taken five for 46 runs and England had dumped West Indies for 222 which meant it needed only 110 to win. It scored the required runs comfortably, winning by seven wickets with its captain Michael Vaughan scoring an unbeaten half-century. A 3-0 series win is just reward for comprehensively outplaying West Indies in all the departments of the game.

Determined batting

Despite the loss, it is still easy to pay tribute to Chanderpaul’s concentration and his refusal to be influenced by the inadequate performance of his fellows or the state of the match. Forget his untidiness as his pads twist loosely round his c alves and his trouser leg rides up exposing more sock than an electioneering politician would ever allow.

He may not be a fashion statement but he is a batsman who would be welcome in any team on earth; think how the Aussies would treasure him at No.7 as what they call their finisher.

Chanderpaul’s only problem on Tuesday was that he could not find a partner to play the Rock Hudson part in that old Western. Dwayne Bravo tried hard for 100 minutes, suffered a blow on his thumb to add to his ankle injury, but was taunted out b y Panesar when his attacking instincts ruled his head.

Panesar traps Bravo

First Bravo lofted a flighted ball from Panesar to the mid-on boundary and then, seeing another looped ball curving towards him, essayed a repeat shot only to sky the ball to mid-off where Ryan Sidebottom stood firm while it descended from the stratos phere.

Marlon Samuels lasted only ten balls before he was snapped up at slip off a Panesar delivery that, to be fair, was almost unplayable as it turned from leg stump and rose to sting the edge of the bat. Twelve minutes later Panesar produced another gem t o remove Denesh Ramdin and by now his dancing was uncontrolled.

Break dancing

Perhaps we should call his celebration ‘break dancing’ because those last two wickets fell to turn rather than his subtler changes of pace and flight. Whatever the pun, the effect was startling for he had taken four for 30 in all and three for 14 on Tuesday as West Indies hurtled towards defeat with seven down and a lead of only 62 when Ramdin was out.

Daren Powell joined the rush back to the dressing room by slashing a wide ball high to mid off. Harmison blasted Fidel Edwards’s stumps apart at 194, forced Prior to take a ball high above his head next ball and had to be taken off after his bes t spell of the series that began with all too many wides: 12-0-53-2. England had 25 minutes batting before tea. There was just time for Andrew Strauss to reach 3,000 runs in the record time of three years and 30 days, a day quicker than Graeme Smith of S outh Africa.

Scoreboard

West Indies — 1st innings: 287

England — 1st innings: 400

West Indies — 2nd innings: C. Gayle c Prior b Hoggard 52, D. Smith lbw b Hoggard 0, D. Ganga c Prior b Hoggard 6, R. Morton b Panesar 7, S. Chanderpaul b Panesar 70, D. Bravo c Sidebottom b Panesar 43, M. Samuels c Collingwood b Panesar 2, D. Ramdin b Panesar 4, D. Powell c Vaughan b Harmison 4, F. Edwards b Harmison 0, C. Collymore (not out) 16; Extras (b-1, lb-12, w-2, nb-3): 18; Total (in 64 overs): 222.

Fall of wickets: 1-7, 2-15, 3-38, 4-94, 5-162, 6-169, 7-175, 8-188, 9-194.

England bowling: Sidebottom 15-4-40-0, Hoggard 11-4-28-3, Harmison 20-2-92-2, Panesar 16-2-46-5, Pietersen 2-0-3-0.

England — 2nd innings: A. Strauss b Powell 13, A. Cook c Bravo b Powell 7, M. Vaughan (not out) 48, K. Pietersen c Samuels b Gayle 28; P. Collingwood (not out) 5; Extras (b-4, nb-6): 10; Total (for three wkts. in 21.3 overs): 111 .

Fall of wickets: 1-16, 2-29, 3-105.

West Indies bowling: Edwards 7-0-46-0, Powell 7-0-38-2, Samuels 4-0-12-0, Gayle 3.3-0-11-1.

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