da dobrowin： England warmed up for Saturday’s NatWest Series final against Zimbabwe bynarrowly losing a thrilling contest to the West Indies by just 3 runs – AlecStewart remaining not out on exactly 100
Dave Bracegirdle20-Jul-2000England warmed up for Saturday’s NatWest Series final against Zimbabwe bynarrowly losing a thrilling contest to the West Indies by just 3 runs – AlecStewart remaining not out on exactly 100.Having restricted the visitors to 195-9 from their 50 overs England wereexpecting to pick up their fourth straight win of the competition.Somerset’s Marcus Trescothick began in the same confident manner which hasaccompanied his entry into the international fold, driving Reon King throughthe covers off the first ball of the innings. A second boundary in the overand another in Mervyn Dillon’s first over (courtesy of a Franklyn Rosemisfield) immediately put the West Indies on the back foot but in the thirdover they came close to dismissing Alec Stewart.A legside ball from King was flicked at by Stewart and wicketkeeper RidleyJacobs, diving to his left, claimed the catch. Umpires Kitchen andLeadbeater conferred and referred the decision to the replay booth to see ifthe ball had carried. A lengthy delay occurred before the verdict was givenin favour of the batsman.Runs flow in the sunshineThe next over, the fourth, was bowled by Dillon to Stewart, and provided thegame’s first maiden but the flow of runs wasn’t interrupted for long asEngland reach 38 without loss by the 8th over. The sun-drenched crowd thenkept themselves amused with the ‘Mexican Wave’ whilst Stewart greeted Rose’sintroduction into the attack with pulls for 2 and 4.Trescothick had been kept fairly quiet for a while and when King gave himroom outside the off stump his frustration brought a rash stroke and hisdownfall – Jacobs taking a routine catch behind the stumps. The left handerhad faced 36 balls for his 23 and hit five fours and he and Stewart had puton 46 for the first wicket.As in the last two matches Andrew Flintoff appeared at no. 3 in the Englandorder. Confidently off the mark first ball, he too perished to theJacobs/King combination after playing a loose slash. The West Indies sensedan opening and this intensified when Graeme Hick was dismissed first ball,with an inside edge onto his off stump. Reon King had taken 3-2 in eightballs and reduced England to 49-3 – Graham Thorpe successfully negotiatedthe hat-trick delivery, pushing it to cover.Accuracy of Rose’s throwStewart’s pre-delivery routine of twirling the bat around now involves atouch of the helmet with his right glove but his batting certainly remainedorthodox as he looked to add to the century he hit at Edgbaston on Tuesday.Once the 15 over fielding restrictions had been lifted Jimmy Adams turned tohis leg spinner Nagamootoo and was rewarded in his first over. Thorpehesitated when turning for a second run and the accuracy of Rose’s throwfrom the deep proved fatal.England’s plight worsened when Hussain only made 5 before edging Nagamootooto Jacobs and the West Indies celebrated when they thought they’d got CraigWhite in a similar fashion but umpire Leadbeater was unmoved.Stewart moved on to his half century, coming off 86 balls, with 7x4s and thetotal passed 100 shortly afterwards, coming in the 30th over.Stewart and White put on 63 for the 6th wicket and it looked to havestabilised the England cause but the introduction of Adams resulted inanother run out and the departure of White for 19. Ricardo Powell’s throwfrom deep backward point found him inches short of his crease. England stillneeded 58 with just 4 wickets left.Run a ball rate requiredAdams switched his bowlers around. With the run rate rising to almost a runa ball England were grateful for Stewart’s ability to rotate the strike andto punish bad balls.33 were needed from 36 balls when Ealham pulled Rose for four and thatlooked to have confirmed England’s victory charge but then the Kentall-rounder seemed to throw his wicket away, hoiking across the line andoffering a simple chance to Chris Gayle.Home hero Paul Franks made his way to the wicket with England needed 26 towin from 31 deliveries and he scored his first run for his country bypushing Nagamootoo to long on. Stewart reached 89 to become the firstbatsman in the tournament to reach 300 runs.An on-driven boundary from the bowling of King took the Surrey player to 98,leaving 12 to win from 3 overs. Stewart’s second successive one-day centuryarrived in the 49th over – from the 146th delivery he’d faced, having hiteleven 4’s. This was his 4th one-day hundred.Nevertheless the West Indies took the match into the final over. Englandneeding 5 to win had Franks on strike, to face the spin of Chris Gayle. Asthe two batsmen tried to scamper a leg bye from the first ball Nagamootooshied at the bowlers end and a direct hit ran out Franks for 4. The plus forEngland was that Stewart had regained the strike but he could only muster aleg bye from the next ball. Darren Gough had 4 balls to score 4 runs but heplayed all around a full toss and was bowled first ball.Alan Mullally’s batting pedigree is well known and Chris Gayle was able tosnare him lbw from the penultimate delivery to leave the West Indies victorsby 3 runs. Alec Stewart remained undefeated on exactly 100. Gayle hadfinished with 2-21 but the pick of the bowlers was King with 3-30.Earlier the West Indies’ innings had closed on 195-9 with Chris Gayle topscoring with 37 – Jimmy Adams made 36. Craig White led the wicket-takerswith 3-35, whilst there were 2 wickets apiece for Darren Gough and MarkEalham.