Patience is the key as England tighten grip
SEAMER Stuart Broad says England can polish off the seven wickets needed to wrap up a 2-0 series victory over the West Indies at the Riverside today.
Following on England’s mighty first innings 569-6, the Windies limped to 115-3 at the close of play yesterday – still 144 runs short of making England bat again.
Broad bowled tidily for his 3-62, but it was James Anderson who took the plaudits, claiming his sixth five-wicket haul in Test cricket to dismiss the tourists for 310.
Home favourite Graham Onions then struck twice in the Windies follow-on to bring England on the verge of victory, but Broad insists the hosts will need to be patient if they are to clinch a morale-boosting series success. “We’re delighted to have picked up 10 wickets today on what is still a pretty decent batting track,” Broad said. “Seven wickets tomorrow is certainly in our sights. There’s no rush to get them all before lunch – it’s still a wicket you need to be pretty patient on – but if the weather stays right for us, we have to be ruthless enough to take our chance.”
Broad began the wicket-fest with the crucial wickets of dangermen Shivnarine Chanderpaul and Ramnaresh Sarwan in the morning session, but modestly praised his fellow seamers for steering England into a winning position. “Graham Onions got two huge wickets for us there – and as a bowling unit, we are delighted with our day’s work. We bowled well in partnerships, and Jimmy’s ‘five-for’ was absolutely fantastic.”
Sarwan was the mainstay of the Windies’ innings, easing his way to a 15th Test ton before becoming Broad’s second victim, and but for a resilient 55 from Denesh Ramdin and stylish 35 from Sulieman Benn, the Windies would have been out a lot cheaper.
Captain Chris Gayle played tremendously for his quickfire 54 in the follow-on before two wickets in an over from Onions put England in control.
The only sour note was a finger injury sustained by wicketkeeper Matt Prior, although X-rays last night revealed no fracture.