Samuels, Sammy lead West Indies fight back

Cricket

Samuels, Sammy lead West Indies fight back

Close

West Indies were 306 for 6 on the first day of second Test against England at Trent Bridge.

26 May,2012 07:41 am

Marlon Samuelss unbeaten hundred and a Test-best score from West Indies captain Darren Sammy rescued the tourists from a dire position on the first day of the second Test against England at Trent Bridge here on Friday.West Indies, who had collapsed to 63 for four when Samuels came in, were 304 for six at stumps.Samuels was 107 not out -- only his third hundred in 39 Tests and first since his previous Test best of 105 against South Africa in Durban in January 2008.Meanwhile Sammy, whose place in the team has been called into question by West Indies great Michael Holding, was 88 not out at stumps having surpassed his previous Test best of 61 against Australia at Roseau last month and justified his decision to bat first after winning the toss.The pair, who came together at 136 for six, had so far added an unbroken 168 for the seventh wicket.Samuels walked out with West Indies in a desperate position and they were still in trouble at 136 for six when he was joined by Sammy.West Indies top order had failed repeatedly during a run of just two wins in 31 Tests coming into this game.Yet such were the ideal sunny batting conditions, it would almost have been an admission of weakness had Sammy fielded first after winning the toss.But their struggles against the new ball continued Friday as James Anderson and Stuart Broad, who took a Test-best seven for 72 in Englands five-wicket first win at Lords that gave the worlds number one ranked side a 1-0 lead in this three-march series, shared four wickets between them before lunch.Opener Adrian Barath was out for nought when he he edged a rising ball from Broad, on his Nottinghamshire home ground, and third slip Anderson held a brilliant, left-handed, head-high catch.New batsman Kirk Edwards then fell for seven when Andersons superb off-cutter beat his defensive shot.Shivnarine Chanderpaul, in at 86 for three and 36 for three at Lords, entered at 42 for three with another huge repair job on his hands.The worlds number one batsmen, in for more than 10 hours in total at Lords, was lucky when he edged Anderson between second and third slips on four.Chanderpaul was looking set for another marathon innings when off-spinner Graeme Swann, had him lbw for the second time in as many innings.Rauf rejected Englands appeal but England captain Andrew Strauss called for a review and left-hander Chanderpaul was given out for 46.