Live Test Match Blogging / Ed Hawkins / 01 March 2009 / Leave a Comment

After a tough day in the field and some resolute West Indies batting, can England's bowlers force the issue and set up a thrilling finale? Ed Hawkins is on hand to bring the action as it unfolds...

21.25 Eng 6-0 CLOSE
England survive. But they have to do so tomorrow morning, too. That first session could be a thriller. We hope for wickets, we hope for drama, we hope for chaos. See you then.

21.11 Eng 0-0
So looking ahead to the last few balls tonight and tomorrow, I reckon Strauss and Cook are both vulnerable. Strauss, let's face it, is due a failure while Cook has been out of form for about a year.

21.07 WI 749-9d
The staff at Swann'shotel can rest easy. There will be no smashing of furniture or throwing telly sets out of the window. Ramdin has been bowled to give Swann his fifth. And WI have declared. Great stuff. England will hate having to bat tonight. Gosh, if they lose a couple tonight there will be pandemonium. WI [10.00] on Betfair. The draw is [1.10]. England, who trail by an incredible 149, cannot win. About three overs left, maybe, possibly.

20.51 WI 737-8
Graeme Swann is in a rock band. So he will be quite comfortable trashing his hotel room tonight. Oooh, he's got a grump on. First he blew his top at Sidebottom for that missed catch and in his last over he had Daren Powell caught at short leg off a glove. The ump said no. Swann had another 'bit of shout'. He wants his fifth wicket. Amusing that England have used up their referrals and today they have had two clear 'outs' given not out.

20.43 WI 725-8
Denesh Ramdin has 150. What? No piece of paper with a speech on this time? The ball before he whacked Swann for six to go to the landmark, he had hit him for four. However, he should have been out caught as Sidebum made an awful mess of the catch. It was the first time I have seen a fielder get in line with a ball, turn his back and then run away. He's disgraced himself in this game. Swann screamed at him in disgust. England unraveling

20.27 WICKET WI 701-8
Sulieman Benn caught behind trying a hook off James Anderson. West Indies are [11.00] to back. I'd love to see them declare now to tear into England tonight. That would cause a major market move.

20.24 WI 700-7
This is the fourth time that West Indies have made 700 or more. They managed 790 against Pakistan in 1958, 751 against England in St John's in 2004 and 747 against South Africa on the same ground in 2005. Another achievement, although slightly less impressive, is that Graeme Swann needs one wicket for a five-for

20.05 WICKET WI 672-7
Graeme Swann has bowled Jerome Taylor. And he gave him a little send off, pointing him to the pav. No need for that. Taylor committed the cardinal sin of trying to cut an off break.I learnt that at school. Mind you, he did get 50. Indeed reaching it with a cut off, er, Swann.

19.56 WI 654-6
A pulled six from Taylor. Let's get carried away for a moment. WI's run rate over the last 10 overs has been 4.70. Over the innings their rate is 3.6. There are 20 overs left tonight. If they went at 4 an over for those 20, they could have a lead of 134 by tomorrow morning, declare and then have a real tilt at England. We can but hope.

19.44 WI 644-6
I suppose it's a bit much to expect WI to throw the bat here.After all, they don't need to win this Test and they probably reckon that after surviving conceded first-innings totals of 566 and 600 then it won't matter what England throw at them in the next Test in Port of Spain, starting on Friday. They lead by 44 and there are 22 overs left tonight.

19.30 633-6
Jerome Taylor has 30 from 35. West Indies' price is on the move. Into [14.00]. Go on, have a real go here Windies and that price will collapse. A classic back and lay. Big to small in the matter of a few minutes. It is relaint on a real onslaught, though because we need miracles for England to be bowled out. Don't forget we have had only 12 wickets in the whole Test. The pitch is soooooooo flat.

19.20 WI 621-6
The England bowler debate. We continue in the form of Captain_S, who is back again. "England fans were spoilt by the fab five which won the 2005 Ashes. There was a bowling attack which could play in any conditions, on any wicket. Because of that, they still think they need to replicate that but you have to have the players to do so. They just don't anymore. Sad but true." Correct. And of course, the bowling attack which won the Ashes have not played together since the fourth Test of that series at Trent Bridge. Nor will they ever do so again because Matthew Hoggard's career looks over while Ashley Giles has retired.

19.06 WI 611-6
West Indies are into [18.50] on the match odds market and we could have the odd sight of that price dipping as they lose wickets. West Indies are the only team that can win this match and the quicker they are bowled out, the more time they will get to win it. It would take something extraordinary, of course but it is not so fanciful. England will feel under pressure and they have cracked before. Remember Sabina Park?

18.45 WI 607-6 TEA
West Indies took the lead with a pulled six from Jerome Taylor off Ryan Sidebum. He hit the next ball for four. Sidebum then shouted something at the batsman. It rather summed up England today. All mouth, no trousers.

18.30 WICKET 595-6
Ramnaresh Sarwan's brilliant innnings is at end. He's gone for 291, bowled by Ryan Sidebum. It is a career best, it has taken nearly 11 hours and it has almsot certainly ensured West Indies cannot lose this series.

18.24 WI 595-5
And another thing. Ramdin has played 32 Tests. So does that mean that in the previous 31 Tests he had to write an Oscar speech and put it in his pocket in case he got a ton. "To be fair, he probably did it at the lunch break," says my flatmate. Whatever ... don't spoil it.

18.20 WI 587-5
Well done to Ramdin for his ton, but he has celebrated in appalling fashion. He has taken a piece of paper from inside his trousers and held it up. On it are thanks scrawled to Ian Bishop, the coach John Dyson and Ramnaresh Sarwan. Aside from the fact that Sarwan was standing next to him at the time, what on earth was he playing at? If you want to say thanks, go and see these people after the game and do it in person. It will be more heartfelt for a start instead of some gimmick. If I ever score a Test century (unlikely I know) I will not jump up and down, whoop and holler, wave my bat like it's a weapon or embrace my team-mate. I won't even smile, instead raising my bat briefly to four corners and then saying 'bowl the next ball, please'.

18.15 WI 582-5
Denesh Ramdin has his first Test century. It has come with England taking the new ball

17.48 WI 541-5
The third new ball is due in 7 overs as Owais Shah has a go. Meanwhile, I need to take issue with Sky's apparent obsession with finding young ladies in the crowd wearing skimpy bikinis. It's just not cricket. This is supposed to be an age of equality. Oh, hang on. That would mean shots of fat, sweaty beer-bellied Englishmen. Scrub that. Oooh, they've just zoomed in on an absolutre cracker there. Cor, she's gorgeous. How does that chant go? Get yer tips out?

17.37 WI 526-5
250 for Sarwan. He looks in no trouble whatsoever. Could he be on for the world record? Mmmm. I doubt it, just because he would probably run out of partners. England are only one wicket from the bowlers. A fact that should have given them greater impetus than they displayed at the start of the day.

17.31 WI 519-5
The England bowling debate. JB has been in touch. "Why all the fuss about Harmison playing? So the pitch might have suited him. England would have then had to rely on him being interested, fit, in form and accurate. That combo has not happened for years."

17.16 WI 512-5
Betting is as much about knowing when not to bet as opposed to when to have a wager. The play at the moment is a classic example. We could have a bet to liven things up but that would be 'poor discipline'. One will never make it as a successful punter by placing such wagers. There are few opportunities for bets today. There was one earlier when we talked about West Indies' price shotting down,and that has duly happened. They are around the [20.00] mark with England in the [80.00] region. The only other market of interest is West Indies' runs. They are [1.12] for 600 or more.

17.00 WI 497-5
The England bowling debate. Captain_S has been first on the email with regard to whether England should consistently pick their best bowlers or chop and change in horses for courses style. "The problem is, England don't have a group of bowlers good enough to play Test in, Test out. So it has to be horses for courses. If that means playing old lumbering Harmison, so be it."

16.51 WI 491-5
After a banana and an energy drink, maybe a biscuit, you would have thought England would have come out with some gusto. Such grub always perks me up, that's for sure. But no. Hands on hips, kicking of heels and heads down. So let's get back to that debate about England's bowling selection. Email me your views at hawkeyeview@hotmail.co.uk

16.43 WI 483-5
Welcome back after your Sunday roast. Actually, you probably had that hours ago. It is rather a shame that one can't type the word 'roast' without unplesant connotations these days. But that is the world we live in. We'll rise above it. England are getting a roasting in Barbados. They need something quite dramatic to get back into this game this afternoon.

16.04 WI 483-5
Mmm. Well, England are being batted out of the series at the moment. West Indies trail by 117 and another session like this one and England could begin to feel under pressure as they prepare to bat again. Indeed West Indies are [26.00] with ENgland [28.00]. The draw is [1.06]. Sarwan has 229 and Ramdin has gone to his 50. We could see a triple from Sarwan after the break.

15.50 WI 405-5
Ramdin needs only 8 more for his 50. Always liked him as a player. Over the next few years he should be capable of getting that batting average of his up to the 30 mark. Amazingly, at 130 runs, this is the highest partnership of the innings.

15.41 WI 456-5
Frustration continues for England. They are at least being more imaginative with their field setting. That leg slip, or leg gully, has returned again. We have seen two men very short in midwicket for Sarwan off Broad , previously we had two very short on the offside. Alas, when England did claim a 'wicket' through conventional methods -a snick behind by Ramdin off Collingwood - the ump didn't see it. And, of course, they had used up their last referral this morning. I say used, I meant wasted.

15.28 WI 449-5
Let's have a debate about this England bowling attack. Should they stick with a core five bowlers consistently and say 'these lot are good enough for any conditions' or should they be more fluid and pick from a bigger group for when they encounter flat, lifeless pitches like this one in Barbados? For example, Steve Harmison would have been a horses for courses selection for this Test because he could have got some bounce. Email me at hawkeyeview@hotmail.co.uk

15.15 WI 445-5
Graeme Smith has been dismissed in Jo'burg which rather spoils our fun. We need a wicket here, though to have any sort of fun. I don't think we'll get it while Sidebum is on. He could form part of the subject of today's debate, which I'm considering will surround horses for courses bowler selection.

14.54 WI 342-5
There is a ding-dong battle going on in Jo'burg at the Wanderers. South Africa need a whopping 454 to win against Australia batting last, meaning they would have to smash the world record by 36 runs. It is only day four in that game so at 119-1, with Graeme Smith going well, they have a chance. After all, this is the same ground where Australia conceded the highest one-day chase. South Africa are [3.85], Australia are [2.01] and the draw is [3.45]. We'll keep an eye on that because in 50 wicketless runs, the hosts might be worth a lay

14.40 WI 431-5
Not out. Didn't even pitch in line so I can't see why Sidebottom wanted that referred. He's having an awful game. When he is playing poorly, I find his haircut far more unpleasant than I would if he was doing well. It just adds to the humiliation if you ask me. He should go for a grade three all over. For a start it would make him more aerodynamic. And a bit meaner, too.

REFERRAL
Sarwan leg before to Sidebum. Ump said no.

14.35 WI 431-5
Ryan Sidebottom is on for England now. Terrible first over from him. It lacked pace, accuracy and thought. Sums England up in this first hour. On the subject of Sidebottom, yesterday we asked readers which Simpson characters some of the England players reminded them of. The Duke has emailed to say: "Sidebottom reminds me of Mo in the Simpsons. His gentle left arm dobblies never beat the bat either."

14.19 WI 420-5A double century for Ramnaresh Sarwan. That is his second double. He brought it up with a flash over the head of Andrew Strauss at slip.

14.14 413-5
Urgency and endeavour is what is required from England this first session. It has been sadly lacking so far. For Sarwan Strauss eschewed an attacking field in favour of two men on the hook, one slip and a sort of floating slip. Not good enough. He may have 180-odd but he still has to start afresh. Worse was to ceom when Sarwan and Ramdin got in a muddle over their running and there was a clear opportunity for a run out. ANderson couldn't even be bothered to get behind the stumps, however, as they came back for two. It would have been tight had he been able to break the wicket. England are out to [8.40], which is fair enough and the draw is [1.12]. West Indies are [30.00].

14.06 405-5
Afternoon all. We are underway for the fourth day of the fourth Test. England are desperate for wickets, West Indies to pass 400, which they have just done. It promises to be a interesting old day. Indeed on all sporting fronts. There's some footy on today, apparently, so we'll try to pass comment on that, too

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