Anderson back in swing as England keep woeful Windies in their pockets

Hosts in driving seat as incisive new-ball spell follows quickfire batting

By Stephen Brenkley at Chester-le-Street

Sunday, 17 May 2009

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Getty Images

England batsman Paul Collingwood reverse-sweeps off Lendl Simmons as England pile on the runs

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As ever, England laid down their burden down by the Riverside yesterday. It is their fourth Test at the grand new ground in the North-east and they are in voracious pursuit of a fourth victory. Quite what it will mean come July and the Ashes is uncertain. Probably not much. Probably that England will be wishing they had decided to play against Australia in Chester-le-Street as, indubitably, they ought to have done.

Having previously dispatched Zimbabwe, Bangladesh and West Indies at the ground, they assembled a huge total quickly on the third day and then Jimmy Anderson exposed West Indies' frailties against the swinging ball. How Anderson must have despaired of ever seeing a surface like this again as he flogged himself round the subcontinent and the Caribbean last winter. How the game needs to give bowlers something to work with.

Anderson bowled Devon Smith with a beauty which went through the gate, had Chris Gayle leg before foolishly padding up to one swinging in, which might have gone over, and had Lendl Simmons caught at first slip after setting him up. It will be England's intention to impose the follow-on and avoid batting again. Both wishes may well be granted.

This series, although important to win to give England momentum, has been no more than a brisk training gallop. Its benefits may well have worn off in seven weeks' time when they will have had a surfeit of limited-overs cricket. West Indies have erected a pitiful defence of the Wisden Trophy which they will have held for only 69 days by the time England wrap up proceedings. Sixty-eight if the weather held and they were to bat particularly woefully today.

Once more, the tourists looked pretty disinterested as the Second Test resumed after the washout on the second day. This was disappointing because although it was cold there was an extremely healthy crowd who craved nothing but a proper contest.

The climate has been against them but it is difficult to credit that this West Indies side pushed England so hard for so long in the Caribbean only a few short weeks ago. No doubt they will regroup for the one-day series which begins in Leeds on Thursday – it's about time we had another one-day series between these teams since it will have been all of 47 days since the last one finished.

The bowling was too out of kilter too often as England took their overnight 302 for 2 to 569 for 6. There was insufficient intent on keeping the batsmen honest and most were permitted to play to their strengths. Moderate opposition or not, none of England's successes should be belittled. The morning's entertainment was provided by the ongoing spat between Fidel Edwards and Anderson. Edwards saves his fastest balls – and they are really fast – and most of his sledging for Anderson. He peppered him with short stuff and regularly had a word as the nightwatchman hung around for half an hour. "I honestly don't have a clue what's going on there but he just seems to crank it up every time I come into bat and I get a few words," said Anderson. "It does spur you on – and I also had it in the back of my mind that he's got to bat yet so I'll keep that in the locker."

Alastair Cook, meanwhile, accrued quietly but assuredly. He achieved his best Test score by 21 runs but would have been disappointed to be out for 160, when his leading edge to Sulieman Benn went to cover. There was a double-hundred there for the taking and his mentor, Graham Gooch, who is present at this match, has perpetually drummed into him the need to go on and on after scoring a hundred.

There was a lovely cameo from Kevin Pietersen, who looked in fearsomely determined mood. The ball kept coming out of the sweet spot on his bat and he was intent on striking his 10th four when he succeeded only in driving a turning ball from Benn to point. It was the 11th time in Tests that Pietersen had been dismissed by left-arm finger spin. Practitioners from Daniel Vettori to Yuvraj Singh have done for him. One of the best of the lot, Derek Underwood, the outgoing president of MCC, was there yesterday. Perhaps he could have a word with England's best batsman about the method needed to keep his breed at bay, for Michael Clarke and Simon Katich will be honing their actions.

The two other significant innings were played by Matt Prior and Paul Collingwood. Prior's 10th score above 50 in his 28th Test innings had the cut and square drive as its foundation. This shot was fed, almost with abandon. If Prior is the anointed wicketkeeper he should certainly have ended any debate about who bats at No 6 in England's Test team. Andrew Flintoff might still return as the talisman but Prior is a better batsman.

Collingwood's unbeaten innings was characteristic. It was full of northern grit and there was not a pretty stroke in sight. He might have been stumped when Benn pushed a quicker one past him and he was dropped from an ugly, smeared drive to cover by Brendan Nash running back. But these sort of pratfalls are meat and drink to Collingwood. They are what make him tick as a cricketer and although he always seems next in line to be dropped, it is improbable that it will happen this summer.

The declaration came at tea, England having scored 158 runs in the afternoon when neither Edwards nor Jerome Taylor bowled. Edwards had bowled 11 overs at the start of the day, many wasteful. Gayle's captaincy went into a kind of automatic state, his hands rarely being withdrawn from his pockets. He and Test cricket are not on the best of terms at present and his experience in England this past fortnight may make the disenchantment terminal. The best his side can hope for is delaying the handing over of the trophy until tomorrow evening.

Chester-le-Street scoreboard

England won toss

England – First Innings

*A J Strauss c Ramdin b Gayle (95 min, 66 balls, 4 fours) 26

A N Cook c Gayle b Benn (486 min, 339 balls, 17 fours) 160

R S Bopara b Baker (251 min, 208 balls, 13 fours, 1 six) 108

J M Anderson b Edwards (57 min, 39 balls, 3 fours) 14

K P Pietersen c Simmons b Benn (94 min, 57 balls, 9 fours) 49

P D Collingwood not out (127 min, 85 balls, 4 fours) 60

†M J Prior c Benn b Simmons (81 min, 83 balls, 8 fours) 63

S C J Broad not out (31 min, 25 balls, 2 fours, 1 six) 28

Extras (b20 lb5 w8 nb28) 61

Total (6 wkts dec, 614 min, 147 overs) 569

Fall: 1-69 (Strauss), 2-282 (Bopara), 3-326 (Anderson), 4-410 (Cook), 5-419 (Pietersen), 6-513 (Prior).

Did not bat: T T Bresnan, G J Swann, G Onions.

Bowling: Taylor 20-2-68-0 (nb4, w1), Edwards 25-1-113-1 (nb22), Baker 30-3-119-1 (w3), Gayle 14-2-31-1, Benn 43-8-146-2 (nb1, w3), Simmons 14-0-60-1 (nb1, w1), Sarwan 1-0-7-0.

Cook 50: 146 min, 108 balls, 6 fours. 100: 286 min, 209 balls, 11 fours. 150: 459 min, 314 balls, 16 fours.

Bopara 50: 107 min, 106 balls, 7 fours. 100: 212 min, 183 balls, 12 fours, 1 six.

Collingwood 50: 116 min, 77 balls, 4 fours.

Prior 50: 66 mins, 66 balls, 8 fours.

West Indies – First Innings

D S Smith b Anderson (19 min, 14 balls, 1 four) 7

*C H Gayle lbw b Anderson (40 min, 24 balls, 4 fours) 19

R R Sarwan not out (103 min, 68 balls, 6 fours) 41

L M P Simmons c Strauss b Anderson (30 min, 18 balls, 2 fours) 8

S Chanderpaul not out (51 min, 33 balls) 3

Extras (b2 lb11 w2 nb1) 16

Total (3 wkts, 123 min, 26 overs) 94