England complete seven wicket win over West Indies

Wednesday, March 24, 2004

PORT OF SPAIN, Trinidad (AFP): England completed a seven wicket win over the West Indies in the second Test here Tuesday to go 2-0 up in the four Test series.

Resuming the final day needing 28 to win, England lost a wicket second ball when Nasser Hussain edged Adam Sanford behind for five. 

New batsman Graham Thorpe almost fell to the third delivery but Ridley Jacobs was unable to hold onto a low edge to his left.

Mark Butcher then hit the winning runs in the fifth over to finish 47 not out with England on 99 for three. England won the first test in Jamaica by 10 wickets

The win means that England have avoided a series defeat in the Caribbean for the first time since 1968. And they retained the Wisden Trophy which they took with a 3-1 win at home in 2000.

The loss was bitter for the West Indies and resulted in the immediate resignation of team manager Ricky Skerritt.

Skipper Brian Lara, however, said it was not the time to press the panic button.

"We are getting good starts, and all of a sudden we are losing wickets that would cost any team," he said.

"Either we are batting good and bowling bad or the opposite, and you have to put it all together.

"We need to improve in all aspects of our game. But we have to have faith in the guys we have selected and we need to get the runs on the board."

England captain Michael Vaughan said he was delighted to have retained the Wisden Trophy but said that the series had still to be won.

"An outstanding individual performance from Steve Harmison got us in the game and way we fought hard on that second day when we lost two of our wickets was tremendous.

"It was a real team effort. Everyone contributed and we are delighted to be 2-0 up. They have been two tough test matches and it quite easily could have been the other way around."

The two remaining Tests are in Barbados and Antigua

Scoreboard on the fifth and final day:

West Indies 1st Innings 208 (C. Gayle 62; S. Harmison 6-61)
England 1st Innings 319 (G. Thorpe 90; P. Collins 4-71)
West Indies 2nd Innings 209 (R.Jacobs 70; S. Jones 5-57)

England 2nd Innings (overnight 71-2)
M. Trescothick b Best 4
M. Vaughan lbw b Sanford 23
M. Butcher not out 47
N. Hussain c Jacobs b Sanford 5
G. Thorpe not out 13
Extras (b4, lb2, nb1) 7
Total (3 wickets) 99

15 overs, 70 mins
Did not bat: A. Flintoff, C. Read, A. Giles, M. Hoggard, S. Jones, S. Harmison
Fall of wickets: 1-8, 2-59, 3-71
Bowling: Best 4-0-27-1; Collins 4-0-26-0; Sanford 4-1-32-1; Collymore 3-1-8-0 (nb1).

Result: England beat West Indies by seven wickets.
Series: England lead the four-Test series 2-0.
Umpires: D. Harper, B. Bowden (TV Replays: E. Nicholls).
Match Referee: M. Procter.
Man-of-the-Match: Steve Harmison.

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