Collymore sparks West Indies revival

08 Jun, 2007

Corey Collymore led a West Indies fightback in the third Test against England at Old Trafford here Thurdsay. At tea on the first day, England had stumbled to 167 for five having been 112 for one at lunch.
Fast bowler Collymore rocked England early in the session with a spell of two wickets for nine runs on his way to figures of two for 21 in 13 overs. Ian Bell was 16 not out and Matthew Prior one not out. England resumed with Alastair Cook unbeaten on 51 and captain Michael Vaughan 40 not out.
But Vaughan had added just one to his score before he was bowled by a full-length Collymore delivery that nipped back and beat his drive, England 117 for two.
It was a much needed wicket for West Indies, being captained in a Test for the first time by Daren Ganga after Ramnaresh Sarwan sustained a tour-ending shoulder injury while fielding during England's innings and 283 run second Test win at Headingley - West Indies' heaviest Test innings loss.
Vaughan faced 99 balls with six fours, sharing a stand of 104 with Cook. He walked back to modest applause having received a mixed reception when he came out to bat following his newspaper criticisms of injured local hero Andrew Flintoff for his pedalo escapade at the World Cup, which saw the all-rounder and five other England players disciplined for late-night drinking.
Flintoff, currently sidelined following a third operation on his left ankle in as many years last week, was seen Thursday in the England dressing room on his Lancashire home ground.
Vaughan's exit brought in Kevin Pietersen, looking for a third hundred in as many innings after his 109 in the drawn first Test at Lord's and a Test best 226 at Headingley. But Collymore, using the pace and bounce in the pitch, dug one in and Pietersen, on nine, saw a spliced hook go straight to Dwayne Bravo at deep square leg.
And 132 for three became 132 for four when Cook's square-cut was well caught by Bravo, diving forward at point, to give debutant pace bowler Darren Sammy his first Test wicket. Cook's 60 came off 121 balls with 10 fours but West Indies were very much in the game. England now had two fresh batsmen at the crease in Paul Collingwood and Bell.
Collingwood, fortunate not to be run out on nine, exited for 10 when he was lbw to a Jerome Taylor ball that replays suggested would have hit leg stump. But fast bowler Fidel Edwards, in for the dropped Daren Powell, was proving expensive with none for 50 in 10 overs. Earlier, Andrew Strauss's poor run continued when he was lbw to Taylor for six after Vaughan won the toss.
Strauss has now gone 16 Test innings without a hundred, averaging just above 26 in that period. England were unchanged from the team that won at Headingley but West Indies, 1-0 down in the four-Test series, made three changes in all with the fit-again Shivnarine Chanderpaul in for Sarwan and Sammy replacing Sylvester Joseph.

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