The Hindu : Sport : Gayle, Morton help West Indies set stiff target scoreboard

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Gayle, Morton help West Indies set stiff target scoreboard

Ted Corbett

— Photo: AP

MARAUDER STOPPED: Liam Plunkett gleefully gets ready to accept this chance from the rampaging Chris Gayle.

NOTTINGHAM: Kevin Pietersen, who cemented his place with England during the Ashes year of 2005 by taking three sensational catches in a Twenty20 international, changed the course of the third one-dayer against West Indies at Trent Bridge with a beautifully-judged running catch. West Indies still made 289 but on a ground with three scores above 350 that was not exceptional as it tried to win the series.

Lovely catch

That catch, after a chase of 20 yards from cover towards the boundary, ended with the ball falling over his shoulder into his secure grasp.

It was a superb effort, all the more to be applauded because few in the capacity crowd doubted he would catch as he ran full pelt but quite calmly.

Oddly enough, his catches treble came at the Rose Bowl where he had just settled down as a Hampshire player; he has also been a Notts player.

Those close to the club say they still miss him at Trent Bridge.His victim was Shivnarine Chanderpaul who has played so many solid innings on this tour that he has become the base from which West Indies build.

He had 33 when he attempted to big hit Liam Plunkett and his dismissal not only deprived West Indies of his own runs but appeared to confuse Chris Gayle about how he might continue his innings.

Gayle had begun more like a strong breeze than a hurricane after Devon Smith had bludgeoned his way to 13 off seven balls before he was caught by Ian Bell at backward point. Everything depended on a heavyweight stand for the second wicket by Gayle and Chanderpaul and for 18 overs they gradually unstitched the England attack.

The new captain Paul Collingwood had turned to the spin of Monty Panesar restored to the side after his inexplicable dropping for the second match, part of the reason for West Indies drawing level in the series and the new cool line and length medium pacer Dimitri Mascarenhas in a bid to stop the runs leaking.

When that ploy failed he brought back Plunkett and Pietersen took his remarkable catch, At that point 93 had come off 21 overs but Marlon Samuels went after another misconceived innings of nine off seven balls again Plunkett was the bowler and Gayle and Runako Morton never accelerated as they should.

Onslaught

Gayle ploughed on but by the 35th over only 155 were on the board. Morton mixed defence with erratic sorties into attack and after 40 overs West Indies had to score 100 as it did at Edgbaston to make a worthwhile total.

As usual Dwayne Bravo led an assault that brought 116 off the last ten overs. I was left with the impression that Collingwood handled the last half of the innings poorly; he is in charge for only the fifth time and we must be patient.

Chanderpauls failure was a shock; so was the dry weather after a million litres of water had to be cleared from the ground in a week.

By the time England batted both the pitch and the outfield were in good shape but they lost Matt Prior in the third over and Alastair Cook in the ninth with only 29 on the board.

That brought Pietersen to the wicket to receive a searing bouncer from Powell which went for four byes.

It so upset Pietersen that he edged his second ball to third slip where Devon Smith snatched a brilliant catch.

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