Story New Era For West Indies Cricket

[King Pietersen]

Thanks again for the comments guys, enjoying such positive feedback

Day Report: Sri Lanka Set Over 500 to Win As Windies Pile On The Pressure

West Indies started Day 4 in a fantastic position. They already had a lead of 379 and 7 wickets in hand. The day started with the Windies gun batsman Shivnarine Chanderpaul at the crease alongside Ryan Hinds, and they started positively. Early in the session and the lead of 400 was brought up with both Hinds and Chanderpaul starting to tick. Mid-way through the session Chanderpaul brought up his 50 from 73 balls, which also brought up the 450 lead.

Muralitharan gave Sri Lanka abit of positive belief soon after though, as Chanderpaul failed to get his bat in front of his pad, resulting in a simple LBW decision for the umpire. West Indies captain Chris Gayle would have felt that Chanderpaul had done his job, with the lead over 450 and with Chanderpaul making a handy 55 in good time.

2 runs later and Muralitharan was at it again, giving Sri Lanka a little bit of positive momentum, getting Dwayne Bravo cheaply. Bravo trying to come down the wicket to play a big shot, was undone by some big turn from Muralitharan, which was sharply mopped up by the keeper Jayawardene who proceeded to complete the stumping, with Bravo just making the 1 run. That didn't stop Ryan Hinds though, as he raced to his 50, taking just 71 balls to reach the milestone, a vital innings and in good time.

Then with the lead at 496 it was Ramdin who went in typical fashion. After making a nice start, moving to 20 from 24 balls Ramdin proceeded to edge a delivery from Kulasekara behind to Jayawardene who took the catch nicely. This then left Hinds and Jerome Taylor to confidently bring up the lead of 500 and the timely declaration from Chris Gayle. This left Sri Lanka needing 501 to win, or 5 sessions to see out a draw. Hinds played nicely, finishing the innings 58*. The pressure was now well and truely on Sri Lanka.

With half an hour left in the first session Kumar Sangakkara and Michael Vandort started what they hoped would be a long vigil. They successfully managed to survive a firey opening spell from Edwards and Taylor, going into Lunch break at 22/0, needing a further 479 to win.

Edwards started again after lunch, and almost immediately picked up the first wicket of the innings. Michael Vandort was battling hard, but was undone by a fast swinging delivery from Edwards which took a thick outside edge which was well caught by Dinesh Ramdin. Vandort will have been disappointed, Sri Lanka had only made 24 runs before fell, and his innings of 11 saw him last only 13 balls.

This wicket brought the captain Mahela Jayawardene to the crease, and he had a steely, detirmined look on his face as he approached the crease. It was clear that Jayawardene was looking to make up for his failure to convert a start into a big score in the first innings, and although the situation he did not try and curb his strokeplay. Jayawardene and Sangakkara put on a decent partnership, putting on 48 before it was the strike bowler Bravo who picked up another key wicket in the Test match. Jayawardene attempting to play the ball down off his hip could only scoop the ball to short leg Ramnaresh Sarwan who took a sharp catch. Jayawardene had gone quickly, making only 19 and facing just the 47 balls. Hardly a captain's knock.

This wicket seemed to galvanise the West Indian crowd and players, and the improved atmosphere certainly seemed to have a positive effect on Dwayne Bravo, who almost immediately did for Thilan Samaraweera as well. Putting everything behind his delivery he just beat Samaraweera for pace, clean bowling him for just 1 from 11 balls. With Sri Lanka at 78/3 everything was falling into place for the West Indies, especially Bravo who had bowled beautifully again.

Chris Gayle seemed to have the midas touch as captain once more, throwing the ball to Ravi Rampaul, who in his 2nd over of his spell took the big wicket. Kumar Sangakkara was going along brilliantly, keeping his side in the game, and had battled to 47 from 90 balls before being beaten for pace by Rampaul who got the ball to straighten from over the wicket, having Sangakkara done lbw, also picking up his first Test scalp.

It could have been even better at Tea for the West Indies as Bravo had the other remaining danger man Tilakaratne Dilshan edging behind. The ball really sailed through to slip and could only be parried by the slip fieldsman, a tough chance, but one that West Indies would have loved to have seen taken. Dilshan survived though, and he and Silva battled through to Tea, leaving the scoreline at 102/4 with Bravo being the player of the session, taking 2/11 from his 7 overs.

Luckily for West Indies the drop of Dilshan was not too costly at all, as soon after the Tea break, as the score reached 127/4 Dilshan provided an almost identical chance, and this time Hinds made no mistake, taking the catch comfortably, and getting Dwayne Bravo his 3rd of the innings. This brought Prasanna Jayawardene to the crease to join Chamara Silva and was made clear immediately that Jayawardene was in good touch, as he knocked 2 boundaries off Rampauls first over to him.

The Jayawardene-Silva partnership helped give Sri Lanka a little bit of hope, being the first 50 partnership of the innings. It wasn't the partnership to see out the day though, as just 40 minutes from the end of the day it was time for Jerome Taylor to strike. There had been movement all day, and Taylor found abit more, getting one to move away sharply off the seam taking the edge of Silva's bat seeing him depart for 44 from 76 balls, another example of a Sri Lankan batsman getting in and getting out.

It wasn't a complete disaster for Sri Lanka though as Jayawardene brough up his 50 and remained unbeaten at the end of the day, but with such damage done and with 3 sessions left in the Test it wasn't looking good for Sri Lanka. The day ending with them 219/6 with Jayawardene unbeaten on 58 and his partner Vaas on 8 not out. Bravo was the key man with the ball once more, taking 3/22 in the innings, and looking good for a 5fer in the innings. Overall a superb day for West Indies, and a brilliant start to the Fletcher era.

Player of The Day Dwayne Bravo celebrates one of his 3 Wickets​

 

[shantanu_rooney]

Well looks like an easy win for the Windies on Day 5..Sri Lankans in deep trouble and Bravo again bowled well to get 3 wickets..Well its Jayawardena and tail left so wont be a lot trouble for the home side to finish the game and register a great win and take the lead in the series.

Well written and presented again Dan..

 

[Highlander999]

Now that was a superb display of fast bowling by the Windies. Lanka, had far too many starts without anyone making a big score.

Personally think Ramdin should go, he just fails too much with the bat, he never makes big scores. Superb works Dan, or should I say shite, to bring you back to earth?

 

[Jaztheman]

Some fantastic seam bowling, like Tom said, beating the bat with pure pace on more than one occasion. West Indies are in complete control and should bowl Sri Lanka out with lots of time and runs to spare. Prasanna Jayawardene has batted well so far but Bravo has just been brilliant for WI once again. WI to record a comfortable victory.

Great writing and presentation, Dan. Keep this up.

 

[surendar]

Quite shocking that Murali was less effective.. But oh well, very good display of WestIndian cricket. Keep up the amazing works.

 

[King Pietersen]

Day Report: Bravo and Taylor Mop Up Tail As Windies Win

1 Session was all it took for the West Indies to mop up the Sri Lankan tail and win a fantastic Test match. The day started with Vaas and Jayawardene at the crease, with Jerome Taylor and Fidel Edwards starting with the ball. The day started with Sri Lanka on 219/6 and they were soon reduced to 232/7 with the wicket of Vaas. It was Taylor that got the big breakthrough, getting Vaas to edge behind. Vaas and Jayawardene were seen as the final hope for Sri Lanka, so to get a quick wicket was vitally important for West Indies.

Prasanna Jayawardene and Nuwan Kulasekara managed to put together a handy partnership after that, putting on 63 runs before Taylor did the business again, once again getting a Sri Lankan batsman playing forward to the swinging ball. Jayawardene was the man to go, falling just 13 runs short of what would have been a fantastic hundred considering the conditions and collapse.

The wicket of Jayawardene seemed to trigger the end for Sri Lanka, as 20 balls later Muralitharan was gone as well. The new ball had been taken and it was really moving off the surface with pace, and Taylor found a delivery to sneak through Murali's bat and pad, clean bowling him for 7 from 13 balls. This left the score at 305/9, and just 7 balls and 5 runs later it was Bravo's turn to pick up his 4th, getting Sujeewa De Silva for 0 from 7 balls.

This ended the innings and the Test match, resulting in a West Indies win by a massive 190 runs. Sri Lanka just didn't ever really look up for the match, and after a decent first day they fell away. Chris Gayle had a brilliant Test match as captain, well and truely leading from the front with 2 massive hundreds and some fantastic captaincy. Sujeewa De Silva's selection was a positive point for Sri Lanka, taking a 5fer in the first innings, but other than that it was pure West Indian domination.

The captain Gayle picked up the Man Of the Match award and had the following to say after the match:

It was a good Test Match for us, we turned up and played very well and deserved our win. It was nice to get some runs under my belt, and it was also very good to see Dwayne (Bravo) and Jerome (Taylor) bowling well and taking handy wickets. It wasn't a perfect Test Match though, we've still got some improvement to do in some areas, but it's certainly a fantastic start to the series and we'll be going to Jamaica hoping to wrap up the series

A dejected Sri Lankan captain also had a few comments to make after the match, and this is what he had to say:

Disappointing is the word I'd use. Was by no means a good performance but there were some definite positives to take from this match. Prasanna (Jayawardene) batted very nicely in the 2nd innings and deserved to get a hundred, was also good to see Sujeewa De Silva getting some wickets with a 5fer in the first innings. We'll have to regroup and come back strong in Jamaica to get a draw from the series.

Man of the Match Chris Gayle celebrates one of his 2 hundreds in the Test​

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[mattfb]

Top win for the West Indies, some great bowling following some great batting from Gayle and Smith capped an all-round great effort. Taylor and Bravo were fantastic with he ball and Gayle inspirational with the bat. Once you got Vaas early they were never a chance.

Great stuff Dan, awesome writing and I love the scorecard.

 

[Jaztheman]

Easy victory there for WI and you cleaned up the tail quite easily, despite the resilience of Jayawardene. A very good win for your first match in charge and its promising to see four bowlers taken 4 wickets for your team. If you can take this form into the next match then you are half way to a win.

Great writing and recollection of the days events, Dan, it's all gravy.

 

[King Pietersen]

2nd Test News: Jayawardene Wins Toss and Bats First

The second Test of the Fletcher Era is upon us, and it's a vitally important one in relation to the series. West Indies come in off the back of a fairly dominant win in the First Test and are looking for a win or draw to pull of what would be an unexpected Series win. It's been a fantastic start for new coach Duncan Fletcher and the new selection panel, and they'll be desperate to pull off a first series win.

The selectors have kept the faith, and decided to stick with the exact same squad and XI that played the first Test. There were rumours that Carlton Baugh would get into the squad in place of the under pressure keeper Dinesh Ramdin, but the selectors have put their faith into Ramdin, and will be hoping he repays that faith with a good performance. There were also fitness doubts over Fidel Edwards after he pulled out of a training session earlier in the week with back stiffness, but he's pulled through well, and made it through an extensive fitness test to keep his place in the side.

Mahela Jayawardene, although disappointed in his sides performance, has decided to stick with the same XI that were so under par in the first game. The disappointing Kulasekara keeps his place alongside fellow seamers Vaas and De Silva, who both were impressive in the last game, so it will be up to Kulasekara to perform well and show the captain he deserves his place in the side. Under pressure Chamara Silva also maintained his place, he had a disappointing Test match, but he's certainly got talent, and the Sri Lankan's will be hoping he showcases that talent in the forthcoming game.

The toss was performed earlier in the day, and was won by Sri Lankan captain Mahela Jayawardene, and he decided to have a bat. The pitch doesn't seem to be offering much for the seam bowlers, with there being no cloud cover, and very little grass on the wicket. It could have abit of pace and bounce for Edwards and Taylor early on though, so it should just be a matter of surviving the new ball and then being able to post a big score. It could turn later on out of the footmarks for Muralitharan, but there shouldn't be a great deal of turn early on.

So, to sum up, the teams are unchanged and Mahela Jayawardene has won the toss, and Sri Lanka will bat first.

Ramdin working hard in Training after maintaining his Test place​

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[King Pietersen]

Day Report: Bowlers Dominate as Sri Lanka Struggle Once More

The 2nd Digicel Test in Jamaica, the most important Test Match in West Indies recent history, avoid defeat and they secure a fantastic Series win, lose and the criticism's will flow once more, with all the talk being about the Windies inconsistent performances. The Test didn't start well for Gayles men, with Sri Lankan captain Jayawardene winning the toss and electing to bat first on what looked a very flat track.

It didn't seem like Sri Lanka were feeling the pressure either, with Kumar Sangakkara and Michael Vandort starting the morning session very well. They brought up their fifty partnership with relative ease, and signs were not looking positive for West Indies, especially with Fidel Edwards looking off the boil. Then suddenly things started to turn for West Indies, with Mr Reliable Dwayne Bravo getting the ball. Bravo is really starting to develop into the Flintoff of the West Indian team, consistently bowling tight, fast spells that put the opposition under pressure. That good bowling form was continued here, as almost immediately he picked up his first victim, Kumar Sangakkara. Bravo once again slipping in an effort ball yorker, which sneaks through the defences thanks to pure pace. Sangakkara would have been disappointed, getting to 30 from 84 balls, only to throw his wicket away.

Things then got even better for the West Indies, as 3 balls later it was time for Ravi Rampaul to pick up his first wicket of the Test. Gayle had brought the field in for Jayawardene, and that paid off, as Jayawardene flicked the ball in the air straight to short leg, who took a good catch. A massive wicket just before lunch, with the captain and Sangakkara back in the shed, and Sri Lanka in trouble at 84/2 going into the lunch break.

It then seemed like West Indies would completely take over, as just after Lunch they picked up another scalp. It was that man Bravo again, once more removing a settled batsman, with Michael Vandort going back to the shed. Vandort had played a very nice innings, making 48 from 91 balls, before edging a ball behind which was well caught by Ryan Hinds. The rest of the session firmly belonged to Sri Lanka though, as Thilan Samaraweera and under pressure Chamara Silva built a strong partnership, both making it to unbeaten 50's at Tea. There was 1 close call for Silva though, as on 28 he was dropped at slip by Sarwan (his 2nd drop of the series) off the bowling of Taylor.

If the 2nd session of the day belonged to Sri Lanka, then there's no doubting that the 3rd belonged to West Indes. Sri Lanka started the final session of the day on 195/3 with both Samaraweera and Silva going along swimmingly. Soon after that though, with the score at 214/3 Sri Lanka lost their fourth. Rampaul was the man that did the damage on this ocassion, beating Silva's bat and getting him plumb LBW. Silva had played well though, after coming into the Test under pressure, making 67 from 101 balls. Then it was time for the spinners to get in on the action, as 6 runs later Sulieman Benn picked up his first of the Test, getting the big wicket of Thilan Samaraweera for 67 from 125 balls. It was a cracking delivery from Benn, which pitched on leg, spun and hit the top of off.

Then, next ball, the Sri Lankan wicket-keeper made the situation worse, bat-padding a fairly inocuous delivery from Benn straight to short leg, producing a good catch from Sarwan. Benn was then on a hat-trick, with Jayawardene gone for a golden duck. The hat-trick ball was the final delivery of the over, and it was a good one, pitching outside Vaas' off-stump and ripping back sharply. Luckily Vaas got an inside edge into his pads, and the ball went straight down. Unlucky not to get a hat-trick, but a fantastic over nonetheless.

Vaas and Dilshan then proceeded to put on a decent partnership, playing Benn and Bravo well, but Captain Marvel, Chris Gayle had the midas touch once more, as in Ryan Hinds first over he picked up the massive wicket of Tilakaratne Dilshan. Dilshan failing to get going, making just 11 from 34 balls. This was the beginning of the end for Sri Lanka, as 5 runs later Kulasekara fell clean bowled to Benn, leaving Sri Lanka in a bad position on 255/8.

Vaas and Muralitharan then managed to play out a few overs of spin, which had delayed the taking of the new ball, due to wickets from Hinds and Benn, but once the new ball had eventually been taken it was the end for Sri Lanka. Jerome Taylor failed to pick up a wicket in his first over with the new ball, but his new ball partner Bravo struck immediately, picking up Muralitharan and De Silva in the space of 4 balls. Murali made a useful 8 from 24 balls but De Silva got Sri Lanka's 2nd duck of the innings, leaving them bowled all out for 278.

This then left Chris Gayle and opening partner Devon Smith just 3 overs to bat out to see out the first day, which they did successfully, ending the day 3/0 and trailing by just 275 runs on what looks an incredibly flat pitch. Gayle will be hoping he and Smith can produce a carbon copy of their last partnership, where they both made big hundreds in West Indies' 2nd innings in the First Test.

Overall, a fantastic day of cricket for the West Indies, as they continued to build on the momentum gained from the win in the First Test. Dwayne Bravo was the player of the day once more, ending the Sri Lankan innings with fantastic figures of 3-36. They'll just be hoping to continue the good form and make a massive total, giving them a healthy first innings lead going into the 2nd innings' of the match.

Player of the Day Dwayne Bravo celebrates one of his 3 wickets​

OMG 2 updates in a day. I'm on form ......I really need a job haha.

 

[Dr. Pepper]

Shame I missed the start of this, skimmed through it and it looks class. Nice to see active members coming to the stories forum. Great bowling by the Windies, Benn was unfortunate not to get a hattrick but did great still.