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Monday, June 11, 2012

West Indies put Best foot forward

England were 221 for five in reply to West Indies' first innings 426, a deficit of 205 runs and needing a further 56 to avoid the follow-on, at the close of the fourth day of the third Test at Edgbaston here on Sunday.

Ian Bell was 76 not out and nightwatchman Steven Finn nought not out.

England lead this three-match series 2-0.

Earlier, England were 113 for three in reply to West Indies' first innings 426, a deficit of 313 runs, when bad light stopped play on the fourth day of the third Test at Edgbaston here on Sunday.

Only one over, from part-time spinner Marlon Samuels, was possible after tea before the umpires decided conditions were unsafe and took the players off at 4.36pm local time (1536GMT) even though the floodlights were switched on.

Tino Best's dramatic 95, the highest-ever Test score by a No 11 batsman, saw West Indies stun England in their series finale at Edgbaston here on Sunday.

West Indies were 426 all out at lunch on the fourth day after fast bowler Best, playing his first Test in nearly three years, helped see Denesh Ramdin, who finished on 107 not out, to a century with the wicket-keeper only on 63 when the last man came to crease.

Best's innings surpassed India paceman Zaheer Khan's 75 against Bangladesh at Dhaka in 2004 as the highest Test score by a No 11.

And his partnership of 143 with Ramdin was a West Indies' record for the 10th wicket in Tests, overtaking the 106 shared by Carl Hooper and Courtney Walsh against Pakistan at St John's in 1993.

It meant England would now need 277 to avoid the follow-on.

England, who'd controversially rested new-ball duo James Anderson and Stuart Broad, having already taken an unassailable 2-0 lead in this three-match series, saw their attack treated with disdain by Best, whose shots were worthy of a top-order batsman.

West Indies resumed on 280 for eight after losing the toss.

Ramdin was 60 not out after Marlon Samuels, following up his hundred in England's nine-wicket second Test win at Trent Bridge, had made 76.

England needed just three balls Sunday to take West Indies' ninth wicket when Steven Finn, brought in alongside fellow paceman Graham Onions in the absence of Anderson and Broad, had Ravi Rampaul caught behind.

But Best promptly off-drove Finn for four and then held the pose just to ram home to his opponents how good a shot it had been.

And Onions, who'd taken three wickets Saturday, also came in for the Best treatment when a half-volley was driven wide of mid-off for four.

When the 30-year-old Best steered Onions through the slips for four, he surpassed his previous highest Test score of 27, made against Sri Lanka at Colombo in 2005, with this just his 15th match at this level.

Ramdin was almost out when, on 69, he cut hard at Finn and Kevin Pietersen failed to hold a sharp, head-high, chance at gully.

England captain Andrew Strauss brought on off-spinner Graeme Swann in a bid to break the stand.

But when Swann dropped short with successive balls, Best twice expertly cut him for four.

There was no stopping Best, who greeted seamer Tim Bresnan's third ball Sunday by lofting him over mid-on for four to go to 49.

A single off Bresnan saw Best -- only called up to this tour as a replacement for injured fast bowler Shannon Gabriel -- to fifty in 44 balls.

Ramdin's single off Bresnan, after which he nearly hit the bowler's head as he waved his bat in celebration, saw the keeper to a hundred in 160 balls with nine boundaries.

Ramdin produced a piece of paper from his pocket with the words "Yea Viv, talk nah" written on it, after West Indies great Vivian Richards had criticised him for failing to deliver on his promise after the second Test.

It was Ramdin's second hundred in 45 Tests following his 166 against England at Bridgetown three years ago.

And when Best uppercut Bresnan over the slips for yet another boundary he surpassed Zaheer's record and, soon afterwards, Best drove Bresnan for a stunning straight six.

Lunch was delayed by 30 minutes, technically to allow England extra time to take the last wicket, although it also gave Best a chance to complete a hundred.

But he fell just short, skying Onions to Strauss at first slip, having faced just 112 balls with a six and 14 fours.