Another piece of history for Lara
Monday, April 12, 2004
ST. JOHN'S, Antigua (AFP): Brian Lara
claimed another piece of history on Sunday when he hit an unbeaten 313 to
become only the second player to score two Test triple hundreds as the West
Indies piled up 595 for five in their first innings in the fourth and final
Test against England. Captain Lara, a
struggler in the previous three Tests of the series which his side lost, took
advantage of the easy nature of the Antigua Recreation Ground pitch to fashion
another innings of sheer mastery that dominated the day's proceedings.
Playing his 104th Test, the gifted
left-hander smashed 34 fours and three sixes from more than 10 hours of
batting that underlined West Indies' best batting performance in the series.
Lara reached his milestone when he played a
delivery from Gareth Batty through backward point for a single.
It was Lara's second triple hundred at this
ground following his 375 against the same opponents 10 years earlier that
stood as the individual batting world record until Australia's Matthew Hayden
erased it against Zimbabwe last year.
Ironically, Sir Don Bradman, the late,
great, former Australia captain, the only other Test batsman with two Test
triple hundreds, also scored both his milestones against England, 334 and 304
both at Leeds in 1930 and 1934 respectively.
Lara marvellously anchored his side's
innings that benefitted from consistent batting right down the order for the
first time in the series. All four partnerships in which the batting star was
involved yielded no less than 50 runs.
He and Ramnaresh Sarwan had set the tempo
for the remainder of the day when they completed a 232-run stand for the third
wicket, after West Indies continued from their bedtime position of 208 for
two.
Steve Harmison, England's bowling hero in
this series, made the breakthrough when he removed Sarwan about 15 minutes
before the interval. Eyeing his fifth Test hundred, the West Indies vice
captain was caught at first slip for 90.
He hit eight fours and one six from 166
balls in just over four hours of batting before falling in the first over with
the second new ball as West Indies reached 342 for three at lunch.
After the interval, Simon Jones captured the
only wicket for England in the period when he removed the adventurous Ricardo
Powell, playing his first Test in four years.
Powell added 50 with Lara for the fourth
wicket as the long, hard toil continued for the English before hooking at a
short, rising ball from Jones he miscued and was caught just inside the third
man boundary about 40 minutes after lunch.
For the remainder of the period, Lara and
Ryan Hinds built upon the foundation given earlier in the day and took West
Indies to 449 for four at tea.
After the break, just when it looked like
Hinds was knuckling down to play another long, meaningful innings, he was
caught and bowled by Batty for 36 to leave West Indies 469 for five.
Hinds and Lara added 89 for the fifth
wicket.
England might have expected an end to their
labour, but Lara continued to plunder their attack and found a reliable ally
in Ridley Jacobs (47no) with whom he has added 126, unbroken, for the sixth
wicket.
Batty has been England's most successful
bowler with two wickets for 141 runs from 36 overs.
Jones, Harmison and Andrew Flintoff have
each captured a wicket for the visitors, who lead the four-Test series 3-0 and
are looking to complete an unprecedented Test series clean sweep in the
Caribbean. Scoreboard at stumps on the second
day of the fourth and final Test: West Indies
1st Innings
C. Gayle c and b Batty 69
D. Ganga lbw b Flintoff 10
B. Lara not out 313
R. Sarwan c Trescothick b Harmison 90
R. Powell c Hussain b S. Jones 23
R. Hinds c et b Batty 36
R. Jacobs not out 47
Extras (lb2, w2, nb3) 7
Total (5 wickets, 157 overs) 595 Fall of
wickets: 1-33, 2-98, 3-330, 4-380, 5-469
Bowling: Hoggard 18-2-82-0 (2nb), Harmison 30-5-79-1 (2w), Flintoff 28-7-92-1,
S. Jones 23-0-113-1, Batty 36-3-141-2, Vaughan 7-0-33-0 (1nb), Trescothick
15-2-53-0 England M. Trescothick, M. Vaughan,
M. Butcher, N.Hussain, G. Thorpe, A. Flintoff, G. Jones, G. Batty, M. Hoggard,
S. Jones, S. Harmison Toss: West Indies.
Umpires: D. Hair and Aleem Dar
TV Replays: B. Doctrove
Match Referee: M. Procter.
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