England win with much to spare

England beat the West Indies by 158 runs in the fifth and final Test at The Oval on Monday, the tourists all out for 215, chasing 374.

The victory gave England a 3-1 win, their first Test series victory over the West Indies since 1969.

Magnificent resistance by Curtly Ambrose, given a guard of honour by the England players as he walked out to bat in his final Test, was eventually ended when he was caught at slip by Michael Atherton for 28, that featured three textbook boundaries.

Courtney Walsh, in his last Test in England, also got the same reception from his opponents but two balls later he was lbw to Cork for nought.

Twelve months after they were booed off at The Oval after losing to New Zealand, England had to run off the ground to avoid a pitch invasion from delighted home fans.

The tourists started the second session on 89 for three and would have wanted a big partnership between Lara and captain Jimmy Adams, their best batsmen. Instead, they put on 36. To the fourth ball of the second over after lunch, Adams turned Andy Caddick off his legs only to be well-caught by Craig White at square leg for 15, West Indies 94 for four.

Somerset paceman Caddick had then taken three wickets for five runs in 34 balls.

Lara, meanwhile, was still playing some magnificently elegant yet forceful shots. Before lunch he had pulled both White and Dominic Cork for rasping fours.

In the first over of the second session he stood his ground and dismissively pulled to the boundary a White delivery that was merely fractionally short. He square cut the Yorkshire all-rounder for four and then produced two class shots against Darren Gough in the 47th over, the fifth of the session.

First he late cut a boundary and next ball, with his usual high backlift cover-drove a four that left the fielders standing. Gough's over cost 10 runs in all and he was immediately replaced by Cork at the Vauxhall End.

Lara had then made 37 out of 112 and it started to look as if the 31-year-old left-hander might be about to have one of those days where no attack in the world can contain him. New batsman Ramnaresh Sarwan was not just blocking one end up either. The 20-year-old right-hander cover-drove Caddick for a four that was every bit as stylishly authoritative as any of Lara's shots.

His straight driving was immaculate, although there was nasty scare for the tourists when from one of these shots bowler Cork deflected the ball onto the stumps at the non-striker's end. The television replay showed that Lara, still on 37, had made his ground and he was correctly given not out.

With England's bowlers on the backfoot the last thing the tourists needed was a run out but that is exactly what they then got. Lara lured Sarwan down the pitch but then sent him back. Graham Thorpe came charging in from cover, his underarm throw hitting the stumps while his boot inadvertently connected with the diving Sarwan's helmet as he slid in.

The luckless batsman needed prolonged on-field attention before third umpire Barrie Leadbeater gave him out for 27 made off 31 balls including four fours.

West Indies were 140 for five and two runs later they lost their sixth wicket when Ridley Jacobs on one was surprised by a Caddick delivery that bounced sharply and was caught by Graeme Hick at second slip to the delight of a capacity 18,500 crowd. Then came the wicket England wanted above all others when Lara was lbw to Gough for 47, although replays suggested the ball pitched outside leg-stump.

Lara had faced 104 balls and struck seven fours but at 150 for seven the tourists' hopes of victory had disappeared. England had taken three wickets in 14 balls and Gough then had leg-spinner Mahendra Nagamootoo lbw for 13. Earlier England had a lucky break with their first wicket. Sherwin Campbell on 28, edged Gough to Hick but he dropped the routine slip chance.

However, next ball Campbell went for a wild shot outside off stump, edged and this time Hick hung on to a far harder head-high catch. West Indies were now 50-1 in the 19th over having started the day 33 without loss. Campbell's departure saw Lara, batting at number three for the first time since the Port Elizabeth Test against South Africa in December 1998, come to the crease.

The West Indies star batsman had yet to get off the mark when the tourists lost their second wicket without adding to their score. Adrian Griffith on 20 was drawn into a defensive outside edge against Caddick and wicketkeeper Alec Stewart took a good low catch.

Wavell Hinds on four was dropped by Hick off Gough in the 25th over, again not a difficult chance. However, Hinds survived just three more balls. A full length inswinging delivery from Caddick jammed under the batsman's front boot and Australian umpire Daryl Harper gave him out lbw for seven.

On another day Hinds might have made more of his second chance but England deserved their luck.

Scoreboard

Mail Cricket Editor