By Tony Becca, Contributing Editor 
England's Matthew Hoggard (front) celebrates his hat-trick followed by teammate Nasser Hussain (centre) during play against West Indies on the third day of the third Test at Kensington Oval in Bridgetown, Barbados yesterday. Hoggard took the wickets of Ramnaresh Sarwan, Shivnarine Chanderpaul and Ryan Hinds (left) to get his hat-trick. Looking on at top is West Indies captain Brian Lara. - Reuters
BRIDGETOWN, Barbados:
ENGLAND, POWERED by an historic hat-trick by fast bowler Matthew Hoggard and a scintillating partnership between captain Michael Vaughan and Marcus Trescothick, wrapped up the 2004 Cable & Wireless Series with a stunning eight-wicket victory over the West Indies in the third Test at Kensington Oval yesterday.
On a day when rain interrupted the proceedings four times, on another day when the sorry state of West Indies batsmanship was ruthlessly exposed, England, after scoring 226 on the second day in reply to the West Indies first innings 224, nailed the home team for 94 in 42.1 overs.
Then, with the Barmy Army singing "Glory, Glory Allelujah", "God Save The Queen" and "We Wanna Go Home", danced to victory at 93 for two.
LOWEST TOTAL EVER
In winning the scheduled five-day contest with two days to spare, in routing the West Indies for their lowest total ever at Kensington Oval, England, winners at Sabina Park by 10 wickets and at Queen's Park Oval by seven wickets, now boast a 3-0 lead in the four-match series and in the process ticked off their first victory in the Caribbean since 1968 when they won 1-0.
Resuming at 21 for one after an exciting second day's play highlighted by Graham Thorpe's magnificent 119 not out, the West Indies were rocked by an early blow from Hoggard, sent reeling by three rapid-fire shots from the pacer who finished with figures of four for 35 off 14 overs - including a fantastic once-in-a-life-time hat-trick, and then knocked flat by the pace of all-rounder Andrew Flintoff who consistently battered Windies captain and top scorer Brian Lara on the hand.
In handing England a wonderful start to the day's play, Hoggard, the 27-year-old pacer from Yorkshire quickly removed Daren Ganga - caught by Thorpe at third slip for 11 at 34 for two, and then blasted out Ramnaresh Sarwan, Shivnarine Chanderpaul and Ryan Hinds in successive deliveries to tick off the first hat-trick of his career - the 10th by an England bowler, the third by an England bowler against the West Indies, and after 74 years of Test cricket in the tropics, the first in the West Indies.
Bowling from the Joel Garner End, dropping the ball on a perfect length and swinging and cutting it both ways, Hoggard cut down Sarwan for five at 45 for three - the batsman driving loosely and edging an away swinger to Ashley Giles in the gully, Chanderpaul for zero at 45 for four - the left-hander going back defensively and falling leg before wicket when he missed a delivery that cut back into him, and Ryan Hinds for zero at 45 for five - the left-hander, going forward and attempting to stroke the ball into the offside, edging an away swinger into the safe hands of Flintoff at second slip.
At the fall of Sarwan, Lara, not out on 11, looked to the sky like a man asking the Almighty for an explanation as to the reason for his vice captain's lapse in concentration.
At the demise of Chanderpaul, he turned and looked away; and at the death of Hinds, the captain simply sat on the pitch with the look of a man who could not believe what was happening.
Three runs later when the left-handed Ridley Jacobs, going back to a rising delivery from Flintoff, gloved a catch to Mark Butcher in the gully, it was 48 for six, and memories of Sabina Park when the Windies were blown away for 47 came flooding back.
Fortunately for the West Indies, Lara found a partner in Tino Best and together they carried the score to 80 before, the first ball after the second rain interruption, Best, going back to Flintoff, edged a short rising delivery to Marcus Trescothick at first slip.
Immediately after the third interruption, Lara was hit on the hand for the umpteenth time by Flintoff, and after wringing his hand in pain, he dropped a short, rising delivery from Flintoff at his feet, took off for a quick single, and Nasser Hussain, racing in from short square-leg, hit the stumps at the striker's end to run out Pedro Collins.
That was 81 for eight, in the following over, Lara went back, pulled pacer Steve Harmison straight to captain Michael Vaughan at wide mid-on, walked away despondently at 85 for nine after battling for over two hours to 33, and that was that.
Left a victory target of 93 and 39 overs to the end of the day plus two days in which to get them, England went hunting and with Vaughan and Trescothick driving, square-driving, cutting and hooking with relish and treating the Windies fast bowlers like boys on the same pitch that the West Indies batsmen had looked like novices against Hoggard, Harmison and Flintoff, it was over after 21.1 overs.
Vaughan played some glorious drives and a hook for six off Best before, after scoring 32 off 32 deliveries, he edged Corey Collymore to wicketkeeper Jacobs at 57 for one in the 12th over, and although Trescothick, caught by Jacobs off Collymore for 42 with two to win, was not as brilliant, his hook for six over square-leg off Edwards was the shot of class in the dash to victory.
SCOREBOARD
West Indies first innings 224
England first innings 226
West Indies second innings
(Resumed at 21-1)
D. Ganga c Thorpe b Hoggard 11
B. Lara c Vaughan b Harmison 33
R. Sarwan c Giles b Hoggard 5
S. Chanderpaul lbw Hoggard 0
R. Hinds c Flintoff b Hoggard 0
R. Jacobs c Butcher b Flintoff 1
T. Best c Trescohick b Flintoff 12
P. Collins run out 1
C. Collymore not out 6
F. Edwards c Hussain b Harmison 2
Extras: (5lb, 3nb) 8
TOTAL: (all out) 94
Overs: 42.1.
Fall: 1-19, 2-34, 3-45, 4-45, 5-45, 6-48, 7-80, 8-81, 9-85.
Bowling: Matthew Hoggard 14-4-35-4 (1nb), Steve Harmison 15.1-5-34-3, Andrew Flintoff 13-4-20-2 (1nb).
England second innings
M. Trescothick c Jacobs b Collymore 42
M. Vaughan c Jacobs b Collymore 32
M. Butcher not out 13
N. Hussain not out 0
Extras: (3lb, 1w, 2nb) 6
TOTAL: (for two wkts) 93
Overs: 20.
Bowling: Fidel Edwards 6-0-32-0, Tino Best 3-0-18-0 (1w), Corey Collymore 7-2-24-2, Pedro Collins 4-0-16-0.
Result: England won by eight wickets (lead 3-0 in four-match series).
