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Windies get Corked England's Cork returns strong as West Indies falter
Posted: Thursday June 29, 2000 08:22 PM
LONDON (Reuters) -- Dominic Cork celebrated his return to the England colors on Thursday with four wickets as West Indies faltered after a confident start in the second test at Lord's. Cork, who captured seven for 43 in a winning cause during the last test between the two sides at cricket's headquarters five years ago, made the ball swing consistently in the evening haze. After watching in anguish as two catches went to ground in his first spell, he finished with four for 39 from 24 overs in a West Indies’ total of 267 for nine at the close, moving the ball sharply into the long list of lefthanders. “It's a special ground for me,” Cork said. “Towards the end of the day the ball started to swing quite nicely. It helps stop them from scoring if the ball comes quite back sharply. “We had chances and we didn't take them but we were still very upbeat at lunchtime. The ball started to swing and I can't explain why. The wind did change, the clouds built up a bit and it got a little more humid.” Cork was well supported by Darren Gough, easily the best England bowler in their innings defeat in the first test, who took four for 72 from the Pavilion End. West Indies, put in to bat by acting captain Alec Stewart, dominated the first two sessions against some indifferent England bowling on a pitch with more than a hint of moisture under the straw-colored surface. Wavell Hinds brought a splash of Caribbean sunshine to gloomy north London with an exuberant 59 and there was a late flurry from Franklyn Rose with 29 from as many balls. Hinds drove Craig White through the covers three times for boundaries in one over with a full flourish of the bat and strode to a half century with 10 fours from only 87 balls. His dismissal, caught behind driving at Cork, seemed to surprise the batsman as much as the bowler and it signaled a spirited if belated fight back by the England bowlers. Hinds's wicket was Cork's 100th in a checkered test career which may yet fulfill its early promise and he followed up by persuading Ridley Jacobs (10) to hook at a leg-side bouncer which the West Indies wicketkeeper edged to Stewart for his opposite number's third catch. England, with the exception of some lively deliveries from Gough, bowled poorly in the first two sessions and each of the first three wickets owed more to the batman's misjudgment than the bowlers. When Cork did catch the edge in his opening spell he saw two catches go to grass. Adrian Griffith was dropped by Craig White leaping to his left at third slip after scoring 19 and Sherwin Campbell, who laid the foundations of the innings, was badly missed at slip by Graeme Hick on 36. Griffith was the first to fall for 27 after West Indies had lunched at 79 without loss, gambling unsuccessfully with Andrew Caddick's arm while attempting a risky second run. Campbell continued to flourish in reaching a delightful 82, his 15th test score in excess of 50, but when Cork dropped a second successive delivery short Campbell hooked uppishly and debutant Matthew Hoggard clutched the ball to his chest tumbling backwards two-thirds of the way to the boundary at square leg. Brian Lara never settled, scoring six before he drove at Gough with bat away from his body. The resulting edge was gratefully accepted by Stewart. Gough snapped up a second wicket in his third spell, rapping captain Jimmy Adams on the pads with a delivery of full length and dismissed Rose in similar fashion shortly before the close. He followed up with the wicket of Shivnarine Chanderpaul, who played on to a full delivery when he had made 22.
Copyright 2003 Reuters Limited. All rights reserved.
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