Live Test Match Blogging / Ed Hawkins / 17 May 2009 / Leave a comment

Ed Hawkins believes that England can force a victory in the remaining two days at Durham... Do you agree? Email Ed at hawkeyeview@hotmail.co.uk with your views...

18.26 WI 115-5 CLOSE
England need seven wickets tomorrow. West Indies are 144 runs behind. It's going to be a cracker. Join me tomorrow.

18.15 WI 115-5 BAD LIGHT STOPPED PLAY
Annoying but not surprising. We could still come back, though. In the meantime, more Ashes quotes from Marcus Trescothick. "Kevin Pietersen is a big player. He has had a rough time, a lean time of late on the field and in the press but he will come good. In the '05 series I remember travelling up to the Old Trafford Test with Michael Vaughan and he said he wasn't worried that KP hadn't got a big score because it would come. And it did at The Oval. I think the same will happen again."

18.02 WI 101-3
The great thing about cricket betting is that something is always happening when, to the untrained eye, not much is going on. West Indies may appear buried but their top series batsman market is alive and kicking. It's very tight. Ramnaresh Sarwan is done but in the lead with 136, next is Denesh Ramdin (with an innings to come) on 121, next come Devon Smith and Chris Gayle on 105 and 101 respectively. Nash, also with an innings to come, is on 95. He should make the top three. Shiv Chanderpaul with 36 is [2.00] for chicken feed to come from nowhere to snatch it.

17.49 WICKET WI 90-3
Two wickets in three balls for Onions. This time it's Gayle. England's price collapses to [1.85].

17.46 WICKET WI 89-2
Sarwan gone. Leg before to Graham Onions. A big wicket considering his first-innings century. England into [2.45] from [3.05]. They needed that. So much for bouncing him out, too. There are a minimum 19 overs left tonight. Lendl Simmons is the new batsman and we all know about his technical failings. England will eye him as a walking wicket.

17.37 WI 80-1
Gayle has struck 52 off 39 balls. 'An innings of defiance' says David Lloyd. Coming up, more quotes from that Ashes selection meeting plus the result of England's attempt to bounce Ramnaresh Sarwan out. They will work him over, that's for sure. Oh hang on, breaking news. Matt Prior should be okay to keep wicket tomorrow. His pinky is just a little sore. Ah, bless.

17.31 WI 75-1
Apologies for the delay there folks. A bit of maintenance needed. While we've been away, you'll never guess what's happened. Yep, that's right. Graeme Swann has got Devon Smith out. That is five times now this year. He was leg before and absolutely plumb. Three of the dismissals have been lbw and Smith now knows what his epitaph will be on the gravestone of his caeer. Leg Before Wicket Bowled Swann.

17.07 WI 41-0
This was what Marcus Trescothick had to say at lunch about the forthcoming Ashes series. "I think this series will be tough. The sides are more evenly matched than for some time and Australia will make sure they are as aggressive as last time when they got on top us [Aus won 5-0 in 2007]. But it will be close, quite nasty at times, but England will come out on top."

16.49 WI 26-0
West Indies have come out all guns blazing. They are going at six an over. Unsurprisingly it is Gayle who is doing the hitting. He struck a huge six off James Anderson with just a laconic waft of his bat. Anderson did have him a few balls later but the ump Davis didn't spot the deflection off the glove to stand-in keeper Paul Collingwood. You can't blame the umpire, it would have been almost impossible to spot from the naked eye and Sky needed 'snicko' to step in to solve the mystery.

16.26 WI 0-0
West Indies trail by 259 runs. That's a massive lead for England. Loads of time left for them to take these wickets, too. Chris Gayle and Devon Smith are out there now with James Anderson looking to add to the five he took in the first dig. Not sure West Indies will fancy battling it out for the day and a bit. Indeed Gayle walked out to the crease with all the enthusiasm of a man on his way to the proctologist.

16.19 WI 310 all out
West Indies have failed to avoid the follow on. James Anderson's fifth victim is Denesh Ramdin, caught by Swann at slip. But look at the price move. England into [2.28] from [2.70]. Amazing really that the market refuses to predict, instead just reacting. There are a minimum 39 overs left tonight.

16.15 WICKET WI 310-9
England on course. Fidel Edwards has gone and it was Stuart Broad who got him. A laughable dismissal. Edwards was trying to hit to deep square but went far, far too early and managed to toe it to Andrew Strauss at slip. England are [2.70].

16.05 WI 305-8
Okay, so this session decides the Test. England suffered a blow in the break when Matt Prior was forced to go to hospital for a scan on a finger. Paul Collingwood is filling in with the gloves. Look, I don't rate Prior a great deal but that is not good for England's chances.

15.46 303-8 TEA
Fidel Edwards got a fearful crack on the grill from Stuart Broad. No England player asked if he was okay. Back after the break

15.42 WI 302-8
West Indies need 68 to avoid the follow on with two wickets left. This is the game right here. If West Indies avoid the follow on then it is almost certainly a draw because England would have to bat again and they would not have time to set a target. Nor would they want to because they would never risk giving WI a chance of levelling the series. However, if England take these last two before the follow on is reached, then they would have plenty of time to win the game. England are [2.76] and the draw is [1.54]. Ask yourself this: are West Indies [1.54] shots to score 68 more runs with two wickets left? The answer is no. You would never back a side to do that.

15.36 WI 294-8
Battle is rejoined between Anderson and Edwards who seem to have taken a dislike to each other this year. Edwards peppered Anderson with voley of short balls and verbals. Anderson is getting his own back now.

15.31 WICKET WI 286-8
A brilliant piece of fielding by Kevin Pietersen has run out Sulieman Benn. KP picked up the ball about 20 yards from the mid on boundary and his throw was powerful and accurate. A direct hit. Benn was well short. The new ball is imminent for England but Ramdin has counter attacked. Successive fours have brought him his 50. He's a diamond of player this lad.

15.13 WI 272-7
England are four overs from the new ball. They, as would we, would expect to wrap the innings up quickly. Sulieman Benn, for example, has played a few shots and generally been entertaining but he will find the hard red cherry a different proposition. Remember that the match odds market does not react to a new ball as much as it should. It means wickets and England may not be [2.42] for long once they take it.

15.05 WI 263-7
CBS has picked his England Ashes XI. It is the same line-up England are fielding in this game aside from Flintoff replacing Bresnan and James Foster replacing Matt Prior as keeper. I doubt Foster is as good a batter as Prior but there is no doubt that he is a better gloveman, as witnessed a few minutes ago when Benn edged and Prior stood motionless as the ball passed between him and first slip. England have been a little sloppy since Taylor was dismissed. This partnership is now worth 47.

14.47 WI 229-7
Here's the first of a series of quotes from the Ashes 'selection meeting'. Justin Langer: "We got complacent after that first Test in 2005. We thought that after we survived that first session when England threw everything at us and still won comfortably it was a case of 'here we go again'. I mean that first session was the toughest I'd played in. The first ball flew through, Geraint Jones taking it above his head. Then I got hit on the elbow, Mat Hayden was hit on the head - I'd never seen that before - and Ricky Ponting was cut."

14.27 WICKET WI 216--7
England were right. They are through. Jerome Taylor leg before to Onions. The market is levelling up. England [2.00] and the draw [1.98]. I think England should be favourites here at around the [1.85] mark.

14.22 WI 215-6
Jerome Taylor is the new man. He has a Test century to his name but that came against the might of New Zealand. At times he looks quite good. He gets in line with the ball and his head is still. However, England will fancy that they are through now and will expect to bowl out West Indies for under 270. The first innings runs market reckons they are in for 275 or more. You can back that total as skinny as [1.24].

14.13 WICKET WI 205-6
Typical. Just sitting down for my scrambled eggs and I have to break off to report a wicket. It's Nash. He has played on off Anderson. A nothing shot. He was tentative, prodding forward and got a bottom edge onto his stumps.

13.55 WI 199-5
During the lunch break, Chris Broad, Justin Langer and Marcus Trescothick sat around a table and discussed what would happen in the Ashes series later in the summer. They also picked their England 14, but that was fudged a little because they couldn't decide over Vaughan and Bell so went with 15. Also, Trescothick and Langer wanted Steve Harmison but chairman, Mike Atherton, overruled. You can email me here to tell me your 14 if you like. Also throughout the day I'll post some of the comments from that meeting.

13.41 WI 188-5
West Indies need 182 to avoid the follow on. That's a lot. Mind you, they have the guys at the crease to get them close. Brendan Nash and Denesh Ramdin put on more than 140 at Lord's.

13.08 WI 188-5
We're at lunch. I'm struggling to find anything in the fridge to eat which will not cause death. Good session for England that. Getting Shiv and Sarwan was a bonus.

12.56 WICKET WI 188-5
Well, it's all happening. Sarwan gone. Gosh, at this rate they'll be too excited to digest their sandwiches at lunch. Broad has got him.Sarwan has played very nicely indeed but Broad was peppering him with short stuff and had him hopping around. He banged in another short one and Sarwan could only fend it off to Tim Bresnan at slip. England are [2.72] and the draw is [1.55].

12.49 WI 188-4
Excellent innings from Sarwan, who has gone to his century. A surprise to see him outscore someone like Shiv in these conditions, particularly when he averaged only 30 in England before this series. Sarwan, of course, was the man that continually denied England in the Caribbean. Some things never change I guess. That ton cements his position atop the highest runscorers in Test cricket this year

12.44 WI 184-4
Swann is turning the screw on Nash here. He has three men around the bat on the offside for the edge or bat-pad and the left-hander is refusing to put the drive away. Risky that because the ball will turn away from him.

12.25 WI 167-4
Chanderpaul gone. It's not Swann, though. Stuart Broad has tempted him to chase a wide one and he has edged behind to Matt Prior. Big wicket that. It has not impacted hugely on the draw pricde, though. From [1.28] to [1.35]. Brendan Nash is the new guy at the crease. He is solid enough to support Sarwan but England will feel they now have an opening to run through this West Indies team.

12.20 WI 162-3
Graeme Swann has been brought into the attack. Something of a golden arm for England this chap. He almost removed Chanderpaul for the third successive Test but the 'edge' was in fact the ball ricocheting off his boot. If we are to see England halt the charge of the draw price towards [1.20] at lunch then one feels that it will happen because of Swann.

12.14 WI 160-3
Anyone see Eurovision last night? Me neither. But I managed to catch the 'highlights'. I find Eurovision a reassuring yearly event which serves as a reminder that there are still countries in this crazy world who remain backward enough to reckon that no-one will notice that they are voting on a political basis. So what went wrong last night eh? There was very little of that. What is the point of the contest if we can't all express absolute astonishment that Turkey and Cyprus give each other maximum points, the UK get 'nul pints' or that all the Eastern bloc countries vote for each other. Also, did you notice how the winner looked a bit like James Anderson? Look here

12.00 WI 147-3
Tim Bresnan is having a bowl. Now he really does look like a builder's apprentice. The chap is built like a brick you-know-what house. We'll keep an eye on his pace because with a build like that he should be hitting high 80s. He did that at Lord's to be fair.

11.36 WI 127-3
Looking good these two. Of course it's no surprise to see Shiv Chanderpaul refusing to budge. He's dropped anchor that's for sure. One gets the impression that Chanderpaul must be a bit of a miserable so-and-so given that he loves nothing more than a crisis. He's a bit like the Scotsman in Dad's Army. "We're doooomed!".

11.16 WI 103-3
A bit of movement for England first up. They need to make it count because according to those geniuses at the Met Office, rain should be upon us by 16.00. James Anderson and Graham Onions are working in tandem. Onions has just sent one down at 90mph. He looks very much like a builder's apprentice I've decided. Any minute now I'm expecting him to go off and make tea for everyone. MIlk, two sugars please Gray.

11.00 WI 94-3
Morning all. We're underway at the Riverside for day three and we're straight into the action. A key session this as England need to break the potentially stellar partnership of Ramnaresh Sarwan and Shiv Chanderpaul. England are [2.92] and the draw is [1.51].