da imperador bet： London-This was more like it but, through no fault of their own, it stillamounted to very little
Tony Cozier10-Jul-2000London-This was more like it but, through no fault of their own, it stillamounted to very little.After a couple of days’ slack cricket that cost them the second Testand the opening match of the NatWest Series of One-Day Internationalsagainst Zimbabwe, the West Indies needed an uplifting performance intheir second match in the triangular against England here yesterday.They were putting the pieces back together again when they were foiledby the weather.No shoddinessMaking the obvious choice of bowling on Jimmy Adams’ call of the toss,there was none of the shoddiness that cost them dearly againstZimbabwe on Thursday.Adams changed tactics, his bowlers enforced them, and they restrictedEngland to 158 for eight from 43.5 overs before the gray skies thathad shrouded London all day eventually produced increasingly heavy andpersistent rain.The contest was abandoned at 5 p.m. as water began to settle on partsof the outfield. But the abandonment had been obvious from an hourearlier.The teams, both felled by the surprising Zimbabweans in their openingmatches, had to content themselves with a point each. It leavesZimbabwe with a useful early cushion of three points and heightens thepressure on the West Indies, in Canterbury tomorrow, and England, inOld Trafford under lights on Thursday, to win their next matchesagainst them.Each team plays the other twice to determine the finalists for Lord’son July 22.Even allowing for their all-out second innings 54 in the Test on thesame ground on a pitch not dissimilar in its encouragement of movementoff the seam and generous, if unreliable, bounce, the West Indieswould feel aggrieved at the watery outcome.England, their batting described by captain Alec Stewart as ‘thick’when bowled out for 207 by Zimbabwe at the Oval on Saturday, would berelieved.In Bristol on Thursday, Reon King and Franklyn Rose had been entrustedwith the new ball and Zimbabwe were flying at 57 for two after 10overs.Nixon McLean was used second change and bowled accordingly.Now McLean was given the new ball from the Pavilion End and wasengergised by the promotion.He sent down seven opening overs of genuine pace and hostility,setting the tone with an opening maiden in which four balls flashedpast left-hander Marcus Trescothik’s bat.By the time he gave way to Rose, he had removed Alec Stewart to afirst slip catch and Graeme Hick to Ridley Jacobs’ tumbling, low catchoff an under-edge cut, and had yielded only 18 runs.Corey Collymore, who was preferred for his first major match of thetour to King, shared the new ball with McLean. Adams gave him hisallotted 10 overs on a stretch and, while he sent down the occasionalhalf-volley and short ball, he moved his inswingers, one of which sodeceived Matthew Maynard he raised his bat and let it hit off-stump.England were then 47 for three in the 14th over and struggling.Trescothik, a tall, clean striker who was topscorer on his debutagainst Zimbabwe the previous day, restored some balance in a lefthanded partnership of 52 in 12 overs wth Graham Thorpe, but Englandwere never allowed to break free of the initial bind.Chris Gayle, dropping on a spot that challenged the batsmen to come athim, replaced Collymore from the Nursery End while Rose and thenMervyn Dillon alternated from the pavilion.Delivering his off-breaks from an ambling two paces, Gayle gave uponly 28 and not a single boundary from his nine overs. As bonuses, heaccounted for topscorer Tresccothik who popped up a gentle returntrying for a single to raise his 50 and came back later for a solitaryover during which he knocked back Mark Ealham’s off-stump.At the opposite end, Rose bowled with the control he had managed onlyin spurts previously on tour, taking three wickets from nine overs,and Dillon simply picked up where he left on Thursday with threemaidens and 13 runs from 6.5 overs when the rains set in.Trying to accelerate, as England had to, Craig White touched a catchto Jacobs attempting a steer to third man, Thorpe drove loosely intomidoff’s lap and Andy Caddick chipped to midwicket, all off Rose.By then, it was becoming obvious the exercise would be futile in termsof points but the disappointment was tempered by the necessaryboost to morale.