LORD'S, CLOSE OF PLAY: WEST INDIES 267 FOR NINE (ROSE 12, WALSH 1).

Ambrose got off the mark in his own unique way, swishing at a bouncer form Cork and slicing the ball over the head of Atherton at first slip for four. Hoggard nearly took a first Test wicket when Ambrose popped a ball backward of short leg, which Ramprakash just failed to reach as he dived in vain. The tall paceman did not seem to have set his sights on supporting his senior partner as he had done so well at Edgbaston, as he played several speculative swishes and was clearly living dangerously. Sure enough, he pushed a bat-pad catch off Cork straight into the hands of Ramprakash at short leg for 5; West Indies 216 for seven.

Franklyn Rose looked as though he might provide sterner resistance, although he looked none too comfortable against several bouncers sent down at him. He did, however, come up with the perfect reply, swatting a bouncer from Hoggard over midwicket for six and then swinging a full-pitched delivery between the two deep leg fielders for four next ball. Then came a two and another pull for four, 16 leg-side runs coming off the over.

The second new ball was taken after that, for the 84th over, Caddick using it first. He was immediately confronted with Rose’s unorthodox pull, the ball rocketing back just to the on side of the pitch for an almost straight four. Another pull for four off Gough brought up the 250, the fastest fifty of the innings off 63 balls. Next ball, though, Rose (29) was on his way, moving too far across his stumps, hitting across the line and being clearly lbw; West Indies 253 for eight.

Reon King scored a four off the inside edge before Chanderpaul (22), playing defensively at Gough to a ball just outside his off stump, failed to move fully across, got an inside edge and played the ball on to his stumps. West Indies were now 258 for nine.

Courteney Walsh scrambled a single past the bowler, while King drove Gough to the midwicket boundary with probably some help from a thick inside edge, and then managed to nudge an attempted leg-stump yorker to the fine-leg boundary. Then, after two balls of the final over of the day, extra time being taken to make up for the time lost, the umpires offered the batsmen the light, and the last two West Indians lived to fight another day. King was unbeaten on 12 and Walsh on 1.

LORD'S, 5.30: WEST INDIES 191 FOR FIVE (CHANDERPAUL 11, JACOBS 1).

Chanderpaul was off the mark easily, guiding a ball for four through the black hole at third man, which had earlier been plugged for a while. Hinds, though, nearly committed suicide in the same way as Griffith by running himself out, taking an unnecessary quick single to White at mid-off and only just beating the direct hit on the stumps, thanks to the extra coating on the foot of his bat. The gloom was closing in, though, and the umpires perhaps rather generously offered the light to the batsmen, who decided to depart on 181 for three (Hinds 57, Chanderpaul 5). A gradual improvement meant that play was scheduled to restart at 5 p.m.

Some tight bowling by Gough and Cork tied the West Indians down when play resumed. Hinds moved to 59 when he drove rather loosely at a ball from Cork outside the off stump, to be given out caught at the wicket from a fine edge, umpire Venkataraghavan giving the decision. West Indies were 185 for four, and it was Cork’s 100th Test wicket. No record has been kept of how many appeals it took to get him there.

Jimmy Adams perhaps unwisely padded up to his first ball, but Venkataraghavan turned down an impassioned and close lbw appeal. He took a single, faced up to Gough and was promptly given out lbw by umpire Hampshire, the ball pitching on leg stump and appearing destined for middle and off. Suddenly the West Indies were struggling at 186 for five.

Ridley Jacobs struggled at first, surviving an lbw shout from Cork, saved by a nick of the bat, but Chanderpaul managed to drive Gough handsomely through the covers for four.

LORD'S, TEATIME: WEST INDIES 170 FOR TWO (HINDS 55, LARA 2).

Cork, the slowest of the five pacemen, returned and had a close appeal against Campbell rejected immediately, the ball perhaps just missing leg stump. Then it was Campbell’s turn to beat the covers for a stylish four. Perhaps a little desperate, with his pacemen looking quite innocuous now against such quality batting, Stewart turned to Vaughan to bowl his flat off-breaks, and he began with a maiden over to Hinds, appealing for lbw off the first ball.

Cork exposed a possible weakness in Hinds’ armour, twice bowling leg-side bouncers at which the batsman swung but failed to connect, and then had him ducking to another bouncer. When facing Vaughan again, though, he lofted him easily over mid-off for four and then played a more rustic heave wide of mid-on for another boundary, to reach his fifty off 87 balls. Cork’s short ball, though, was to do the trick against Campbell (82), who hooked him in the air down to long leg, where Hoggard took a straightforward catch. The West Indies were 162 for two, both batsmen out having pressed the self-destruct button.

Cork greeted Brian Lara with another bouncer, which he ducked, and Gough was immediately brought back for the challenge in place of Vaughan. A mistimed drive off Cork brought Lara his first two runs, wide of midwicket, but he had not added to them by the tea interval.

LORD'S, 2.40: WEST INDIES 119 FOR ONE (CAMPBELL 74, HINDS 16).

Gough greeted Wavell Hinds with a bouncer that he only just avoided. Campbell seemed to have emerged from his becalmed period before lunch, working the ball around the field with quick ones and twos. When Gough bowled to Hinds again, the England team nearly earned themselves an Oscar, although not a wicket, when a bouncer hit the ducking batsman on the forearm and the ball ballooned into the slips for a catch. After a delay that was a split second too long, the England team celebrated uproariously but umpire John Hampshire was not to be fooled. Hinds exacted a measure of justice by getting off the mark with a superb hook for four, followed by an off-drive for three. In Gough’s next over he drove him beautifully through extra cover for four. This brought up the hundred at the end of the 35th over.

At the other end Campbell hit a cracking square drive to the boundary off Caddick. Honours were fairly even as Gough and Caddick bowled competently to the two West Indians, and when White returned for Gough he almost forced Campbell to play a ball on to his stumps. Caddick overpitched for Hinds to play a magnificent cover drive for four, a classic stroke. Later in the over, though, Caddick drew him forward and beat him outside the off stump and then had a close lbw appeal rejected, the ball possibly a little high or narrowly missing off stump. It was a much more impressive spell that kept the batsman wary and generally on the defensive.

Campbell again had a quiet period, but he picked up a half-volley from White and drove him straight back down the pitch to the pavilion boundary.::Lunch::West Indies 1st innings::Lord’s, lunchtime: West Indies 79 for no wicket (Campbell 53, Griffith 26) When Cork pitched too short outside the off stump, Campbell exploited the still-vacant third-man area with another cut for four.

Then England wasted another opportunity, as Campbell, on the drive, snicked Cork low to first slip where Mike Atherton got both hands to a hard low chance but failed to hold it.

In Cork’s next over Campbell put him smoothly away through the covers for four, and the next ball would have followed it had not substitute Ben Smith been in the way this time. Several fielders were off at various times during the morning, so clearly England have decided to play the West Indies at their own game and use a roster system.

Hoggard pitched short and Campbell now forced him off the back foot just behind point for four, and then cut him to third man yet again to reach his fifty, off 72 balls. In between, though, a false stroke fell just short of the slips.

Craig White came on for Hoggard and actually bowled quicker than his predecessor, as fast and as well as anybody, causing the left-handed Griffith some concern. The scoring rate slowed significantly, the overall figure dropping below three runs an over as White in particular kept the ball well up to the bat on the line of off stump. Caddick also came back to bowl more impressively and by lunch the West Indian openers were still there but unable to dominate as they had threatened.

When, though, was the last time that an entire session of Test cricket or a total of 79 runs passed without an extra being recorded?

LORD'S 12PM: WEST INDIES 51/0 (CAMPBELL 31, GRIFFITH 20).

The West Indies also played no recognized spinner, their only change being Adrian Griffith to open in place of Chris Gayle, as Shivnarine Chanderpaul reported fit to play.

It was an overcast morning, but without any sign of imminent rain, when Alec Stewart won the toss at Lord's and put the West Indies in to bat. The ground was 80% full at the start. Sherwin Campbell got the score moving off Darren Gough's third ball, steering it to the third-man boundary, left vacant and gaping as usual. When Andy Caddick bowled from the Nursery End, Campbell cut another four to wide third man, and with some other positive strokes against some loose bowling had 13 out of the 14 runs to come off the first two overs.

The bowlers tightened up after that, but Adrian Griffith was able to take a four off Caddick's second over - between slips and gully to third man once again. Gough worked hard and bowled well without troubling the batsmen unduly, although Campbell slashed him uppishly just clear of third slip - for another four to third man. Stewart responded by placing a second gully in the gap. Caddick was again not very impressive, tending to bowl too short. The batsmen ran well between wickets and after 10 overs the total was 40, with no extras.

At this point Hoggard replaced Gough for his first bowl in international cricket. His first two deliveries were short of a length; his third had Campbell just withdrawing his bat in time close to the line of off stump; the fourth beat him in the same area. The last two evoked hurried defensive strokes, and the bowler received rousing applause from the crowd for a fine maiden over. In his next over, though, straying to leg, he had Campbell clip him through midwicket for the first four of the day away from the infamous third-man black hole. Hoggard was not working up a full head of pace yet, keeping his pace in the lower eighties, according to the speed gun.

Dominic Cork came on to bowl and off his second ball had Griffith dropped off a difficult chance at third slip by Craig White, who got a hand to a ball well to his left. The fifty came up in this the 14th over.

Date-stamped : 29 Jun2000 - 22:23