Panesar stuns with career best

2007-05-20 14:38

London - Monty Panesar completed his fourth five-wicket haul in test matches on Sunday to give England a 116-run first innings lead over West Indies on the fourth day of the first Test at Lord's.

The left-arm spinner, who took a wicket with his first delivery of the match on Saturday, won two further lbw decisions from Asad Rauf to finish with a test best of six for 129 from 36.1 overs.

West Indies, who had been 187 for five at one stage on Saturday, were all out for 437 in reply to England 553 for five declared. At lunch England were eight for no wicket in their second innings

After bowling Devon Smith with his first ball of the match, all Panesar's remaining victims were dismissed lbw.

On Sunday he had to wait until the fourth ball before taking a wicket after being introduced into the attack 35 minutes into the morning's play.

Shivnarine Chanderpaul drove his first delivery, a full toss, through cover for four but was given out lbw three balls later for a typically obdurate 74 from 193 balls.

Panesar had taken over from Steve Harmison, who went for 95 on Saturday from 22 wicketless overs.

Bowling from the Nursery End for the first time, Harmison was more accurate in an opening spell of four overs but no more successful although he gave new England wicketkeeper Matt Prior the chance to display his talents with an acrobatic one-handed take down the leg side.

Jerome Taylor showed his team mates how to play spin by moving down the pitch and on-driving a four from the final ball of Panesar's first over. In his next over play was held up for some minutes while Panesar received attention to his left index finger after fielding a drive from Daren Powell.

Taylor continued to bat attractively, taking boundaries off Panesar and Powell joined in the fun by hooking Harmison for four when the fast bowler took over from Liam Plunkett at the Pavilion End.

Harmison finally got his first wicket of the match when Taylor on 21 sliced a catch to substitute Lee Hodgson at point, fielding in place of Matthew Hoggard who left the field with a thigh strain on Saturday.

Powell played two of the best shots of the match, moving outside his leg stump to off-drive Harmison for four and taking another four off the next ball with a classical cover-drive.

He took his score to 36 before Panesar wrapped up the innings when Corey Collymore (1) was hit on the pads in front of his stumps.

- Reuters