Reuters LONDON: England batsman Darren Gough celebrates beating the West Indies in the second Test at Lord's yesterday. West Indies and England now have a match each in the series.
Tony Becca, Senior Sport Editor
THE WEST INDIES' dream of a champagne celebration to mark the 50th anniversary of their historic first victory in England ended in bitter disappointment at Lord's yesterday.
With Sir Clyde Walcott, Sir Everton Weekes, the Honourable Allan Rae, Sonny Ramadhin and Alfred Valentine of the victorious 1950 team on hand to lead the celebration, the West Indies, despite a brilliant effort by fast bowler Courtney Walsh, lost the second Test of the 2000 Cornhill series by two wickets on the third day as England, beaten by an innings and 93 runs in the first Test at Edgbaston, levelled the five-match series at one-one.
Following their sensational performance of the second afternoon when, after falling for 134 and trailing by 133 on first innings, they destroyed the West Indies for a record low 54, England, on zero without loss, started the day needing 188 to win and squeezed to victory with man of the match Dominic Cork not out on 33 and Darren Gough not out on four after a match-winning ninth-wicket partnership of 31 of 54 deliveries.
Final score, West Indies 267 and 54, England 134 and 191 for eight.
The match also marked the 100th Test at headquarters, and in winning their second match in a row against the tourists at Lord's and the first by two wickets since their victory over South Africa in Durban 1948/49, England not only pulled back the West Indies and saved the series as a contest, but although there was no one around from either the England or Australia teams of 1884 to join in the celebration, they made it a memorable occasion not only for themselves but also for the Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) and for tenants Middlesex County Cricket Club.
Although the West Indies had to leave the bottles uncorked, Walsh, with 6-74 off 23.5 overs, deserved a sip of the bubbly.
In one of his finest performances in a glittering career, in a one-man assault in the Windies bid for victory, the 37-year-old fast bowler pocketed the first six wickets and in the process chalked up his best performance against England, ticked off his 21st five-wicket haul in an innings and following his 4-43 in the first innings, his third 10-wicket harvest in a match.
In filling his bag to 30 wickets in his past four Test matches and pushing his world record tally to 467, Walsh, on his third appearance at headquarters, became the sixth West Indian to take five wickets in an innings at Lord's and the fourth to take 10 in a match.
Despite the eclipse of their batsmen on the previous afternoon, the West Indies were favourites to win the match - mainly because of the presence of veterans Walsh and Curtly Ambrose, a pitch off which the ball seamed and kicked alarmingly while Andy Caddick, Gough and Cork were preening themselves, and a set of English batsmen who, up to yesterday, had no stomach for West Indies pace.
And they started in style when Mark Ramprakash, driving off the back foot, was bowled off the inside edge by Walsh for two at 3-1 in the morning's fifth over.
Unlike Caddick, Gough and Cork who drove fear into the West Indies batsmen, Walsh and Ambrose failed to get the ball to fly, they failed to terrorise the England batsmen, and with Franklyn Rose and Reon King failing to lend a hand in the Windies' hour of need, England, through a determined second-wicket partnership of 92 in 146 minutes off 191 deliveries between former captain Mike Atherton, 45, and Michael Vaughan, 41, laid the foundation for victory.
Rose, 1-67 off 16 overs with five no-balls and one wide, and King, 0-17 off eight overs, not only muffed a wonderful chance to win their spurs, but they also made it easier for England to pull off one of their finest victories in a long time.
When Rose was introduced at 37-1 after 19 tight and testing overs from Walsh and Ambrose, Vaughan eased on to the front foot and drove the first delivery through wide long-on for three and Atherton went back to the second and punched it to the extra-cover boundary; and when King replaced Rose at 61-1 off 25 overs, Vaughan clipped the first delivery to square-leg for two and drove the last delivery of the over past his heels and down to the boundary.
The defeat was bitter, however, as the West Indies, looking down the barrel with England on 95-1, made a late burst for victory, and with Walsh picking up 5-39 off 12 overs in a remarkable spell, just failed to pull it off
SCOREBOARD
West Indies first innings 267
England first innings 134
West Indies second innings 54
England second innings
M. Atherton lbw Walsh 45
M. Ramprakash b Walsh 2
M. Vaughan c Jacobs b Walsh 41
G. Hick c Lara b Walsh 15
A. Stewart lbw Walsh 18
N. Knight c Jacobs b Rose 2
C. White c Jacobs b Walsh 0
D. Cork not out 33
A. Caddick lbw Ambrose 7
D. Gough not out 4
Extras (b-3 lb-8 w-1 nb-12) 24
Total (for eight wickets) 191
Fall: 1-3 2-95 3-119 4-120 5-140 6-140 7-149 8-160
Bowling: Ambrose 22-11-22-1, Walsh 23.5-5-74-6, Rose 16-3-67-1, King 8-2-17-0
Result: England won by two wickets/
Third Test: Manchester (Old Trafford), August 3-7.
Fourth Test: Leeds (Headingley), August 17-21.
Fifth Test: London (The Oval), August 31-September 4.
