Tuesday 23 March 1999
Adam Dale not the only shooting star in spellbinding Antigua
Adam Dale continued his love affair with the Antiguan Recreation Ground
with another six-wicket haul today. His performance will once again make
it very difficult for our tour selectors to leave him out of the third
Test starting on Friday. Considering he also took the wicket of Carl
Hooper in both innings, Messers Waugh, Warne and Marsh, will be even
more tempted to take advantage of this psychological advantage for
Friday's vital clash.
Once again it was his unwavering accuracy that brought the West Indians
unstuck on a day which saw the good guys turn around our fortunes from
yesterday. Needing to take seven wickets for victory, the dismissal of
Hooper in the second over of the day helped set the tone. When the
elegant Hooper left the scene, the remainder of the West Indian batsmen
offered little resistance.
Although it always looked as though we would secure a victory it was
rewarding to ensure this outcome just before lunch on the final day.
After a few worries from Carl Hooper yesterday it can only be beneficial
to go into the third Test with a victory under our belts. The boys are
starting to get primed for this huge event at the Kensington Oval in
Barbados.
Last night I had the fortune of witnessing one of the most amazing
events of my life. Walking back from a restaurant, along an Antiguan
beach with Steve Waugh, we were stopped in our tracks by a cosmic show
that left me spellbound. Now I am not one to really believe in UFOs, but
after tonight the questions were certainly raised in my mind.
Streaking through the beautifully clear Caribbean sky was a trail of
what looked like stars falling from the heavens. The difference was that
this was not a shooting star but rather a sequence of shooting stars
that travelled across the sky rather than towards the ocean. Both
flabbergasted by the event, that lasted about 20 seconds, we walked
towards a group of people on the beach who had also witnessed the event.
None of us could believe what we had just seen although it was agreed
that whatever it was, was one of the most beautiful things you could
ever see.
From all accounts it may have been a comet, even a meteorite. Whatever
it was I would love to find out. No one seems to have the answers, so if
anyone out there knows what I could have seen, I would love to hear from
you. It occurred at 10pm Eastern Caribbean time on March 22, 1999.
Hopefully it was a good luck charm for the third Test.
They say you should make a wish when you see a shooting star. After
tonight all my wishes will come true because I saw about 10 shooting
stars in one.
Tonight we arrived in Barbados.
From there. Spellbound! JL
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