Chanderpaul Stands Firm To Stall England's Charge

Chanderpaul Stands Firm To Stall England's Charge

Shivnarine Chanderpaul held off England on day three of the opening Test at Lord's

©REUTERS / Action Images

West Indies 243 & 120-4 (Chanderpaul 34no) v
England 398 (Strauss 122, Bell 61)
First Test, Lord's, day three
Scorecard | Day One | Day Two

The West Indies closed day three of the first Test against England at Lord's 35 runs behind with six second-innings wickets remaining.

After an even day which saw 11 wickets fall in all, Shivnarine Chanderpaul was again frustrating England as the tourists reached 120 for four after England were bowled out for 398.

Ian Bell scored a fluent 61 to add to captain Andrew Strauss's 122 but the West Indies fought back with the ball, Kemar Roach and Shannon Gabriel both taking three wickets.

Batting again 155 runs behind, they lost three wickets for no runs in one dramatic nine-ball period but recovered thanks to Chanderpaul and Marlon Samuels putting on 55 for the fifth wicket.

England struck with the first ball of day two to end West Indies' first innings and the West Indies struck early to remove Strauss. His record of never scoring more than six runs having been unbeaten on 100 or more overnight continued as he was caught behind by Denesh Ramdin off Roach.

Jonny Bairstow then acquitted himself well on his debut innings, making 16 in 27 balls at a time when West Indies were bowling at their best, before he was trapped in front by Roach.

Matthew Prior batted quickly, hitting 19 in 18 balls with two boundaries but failed to go on, bowled by Gabriel, leaving Bell and the middle order to take England towards 400.

Bell soaked up the early pressure and capitalised from the West Indies' reluctance to post a fielder at third man, hitting five fours on the way to his 30th Test half-century.

Tim Bresnan (0) and Stuart Broad (10) fell cheaply but Graeme Swann made 30 in 25 balls, with six fours, to help Bell add 55 for the ninth wicket, and after Swann was bowled by Gabriel, Bell pulled the same bowler to Kieran Powell in the deep, who took a good catch diving forward.

West Indian openers Powell (8) and Adrian Barath (24) made a solid start before England struck thrice in nine balls to put the West Indies in trouble.

Barath was caught by Prior off Bresnan, Powell was caught by Bell off Broad and Bairstow then ran Kirk Edwards (0) out with a direct hit.

Chanderpaul and Bravo (21) stabilised things with a 29-run partnership for the fourth wicket but it was to end when Bravo left a Swann straight ball. It completed a pair of unlucky dismissals in the match after he was run out by 22 yards when batting with Chanderpaul in the first innings.

Resolute as ever, Chanderpaul faced 94 balls to reach stumps unbeaten on 34 while Samuels made 26 in 65.

Stuart Broad took seven wickets to bowl the West Indies out for 243 in their first innings, Chanderpaul making 87 not out before Strauss's first Test century since November 2010 put England in front.

© Cricket World 2012