Cricket

Bad weather ensures Lord's draw

From John Mehaffey in London
May 22, 2007

RAIN and bad light ruined the final day of the first Test between England and West Indies at Lord's overnight, with the players taking the field for only 79 minutes.

West Indies, set 401 to win, were 0-89 when the teams exited Lord's for the second and final time in the afternoon session.

"It was a shame on the last day the game didn't come to the conclusion it might have done,'' England coach Peter Moores said after his first Test in charge since replacing Duncan Fletcher.

Steady drizzle ended the morning's play after 34 minutes and bad light brought a premature close after 45 minutes in the afternoon.

Chris Gayle was unbeaten on 47 and his opening partner Daren Ganga, who brought up his 2,000th Test run by slashing a Steve Harmison no-ball over the slips for four, had scored 31.

The teams meet again at Headingley in Leeds on Friday in the second match of the four-Test series.

West Indies, resuming at 0-7, made a confident start with Gayle striking four boundaries.

The disappointing Harmison, who conceded 117 runs in the first innings for the sole wicket of number 10 Jerome Taylor, was removed from the attack, and acting captain Andrew Strauss called up Monty Panesar.

"He's been bowling really well in county cricket. He's put himself under a bit of a pressure," Moores said of Harmison.

"But I expect him to enjoy himself at Headingley. He wants to do well for England and bowl well for his country.''

Left-arm spinner Panesar, who returned his best Test figures of 6-129 in West Indies' first innings, paced out his run but did not bowl a ball as light drizzle began to fall and the players left the field.

They returned in the afternoon, giving the chance for Ganga to play two elegant cover-drives to the boundary off Panesar, before the light deteriorated.

West Indies, which went into the Test after only one rain-shortened practice match, will be the happier of the two teams.

Their pace bowlers failed to make an impact and their fielding was slipshod but they showed plenty of fighting spirit in their first innings, reaching 437 after being reduced to 5-187.

A draw gives the tourist breathing space before Headingley and ensures there will be no repetition of the 4-0 whitewash four years ago.

England captain Michael Vaughan, who fractured a finger, is likely to return for the Headingley Test in place of Owais Shah, who made 6and 4 as a replacement for injured all rounder Andrew Flintoff.

Flintoff, who failed a fitness test on his left ankle before the Lord's match, played as a batsman for Lancashire at the weekend and will be reassessed before the second Test.

Opening bowler Matthew Hoggard played no further part in the match after leaving the field with a thigh injury on Saturday and is unlikely to play in Leeds.

Reuters