Bridgetown bests: Angus Fraser and Curtly Ambrose recall classic encounters ahead of third West Indies vs England Test

The Kensington Oval in Barbados, Friday’s venue for the third Test, is an iconic ground that has seen some famous contests between West Indies and England. Stephen Brenkley speaks to the talismen from two memorable Nineties encounters

Man of the match Alec Stewart (left) celebrates with Angus Fraser after winning the fourth Test in Barbados in April 1994 (GETTY IMAGES)

Angus Fraser recalls his finest hour as England fought back from that 46 all out

England arrived in Barbados in 1994 as a laughing stock. Indeed, their stock might have been lower than that. They had lost the previous Test in Trinidad after being bowled out for 46. West Indies had won 12 successive Tests at Kensington Oval.

What ensued was one of the greatest surprises in sport. The tourists conspired to conjure a thoroughly merited victory by batting and bowling better than their vaunted opponents over five days.

Of the several outstanding individual performances, Angus Fraser’s bowling in West Indies’ first innings, when he took 8 for 75, was vital in establishing England’s dominance. They never let it slip.

“We arrived in Barbados very low, having lost a game we should have won in Trinidad and everyone predicting a 5-0 whitewash,” Fraser said. “The families arrived, however, which may have helped.

“We lost the toss, West Indies put us in to inflict more pain. There was a big England support present, probably 50 per cent of the ground and there were ironic cheers when one of either Mike Atherton or Alec Stewart pushed a three through mid-on to take us past 46.”

Stewart and Atherton put on 171 for the first wicket but the innings fell away afterwards. “Stewie got a hundred and we should have got more than 355,” added Fraser.

It was imperative that England had a first-innings lead. Fraser ensured they did. West Indies were going well on 51 without loss when Desmond Haynes was hit on the hand and retired hurt. The game changed.

“I got two in an over. First Richie Richardson – it bounced a bit and he edged to Atherton at slip – and Keith Arthurton – weak push at a length ball. I went off to change gear and Nasser Hussain came on to take a good catch to dismiss Brian Lara.”

The change of clothes also prompted a change of ends for Fraser. “I had a wonder spell, found good rhythm, hit a good length hard. The ball bounced and reversed a bit, the crowd were really behind us and they edged everything and it went to hand. Shiv Chanderpaul and Curtly Ambrose made a nuisance of themselves but I got Ambrose – edge to slip – and Walsh – toed slog to mid-on – the next morning.

“Phil Tufnell took the catch and threw the ball on the ground. He was pissed off as he had bowled well with no luck. Rather than celebrate the moment I walked most of the way off consoling him, telling him he would get wickets in the second innings. But it was a lovely feeling, walking in to a standing ovation at such an iconic ground.”

Stewart’s second century of the match, with Graham Thorpe injecting some urgency with 89, secured England’s advantage and left West Indies needing 446 to win. It was academic.

“I bowled pretty well again but it was not my turn,” said Fraser. “It was [Andy] Caddick’s with a five-for [5 for 63] and Tufnell’s, who took a good catch, again to remove Lara, and also got three wickets.

“I was fielding on the square-leg boundary, under the scoreboard, when Chris Lewis bowled Ambrose to win the game. I remember Stewie, at short leg, scrambling to get a stump as a souvenir as Ambrose turned round and swiped the other two out of the ground with his bat.

“The England fans ran past me in a pitch invasion and I was swamped by them as I made my way to the pavilion. They were lovely scenes celebrating with friends and fans outside on the outfield.”

Fraser was to have one better return for England when he took 8 for 53, also against West Indies, in Trinidad four years later. But England lost that match by three wickets. The memory of Bridgetown 1994 still burns brightly.

“It is a big statement but it is probably the best game of cricket I played in my career,” Fraser said. “Because of where we were, going into the game, my performance, the team performance against the odds, the support of the England fans and the exciting atmosphere throughout the match. It was all very satisfying.”

Curtly Ambrose rode to the rescue after West Indies struggled in a fractious series

It was going decidedly not according to plan for West Indies. Red-hot favourites as usual, they were 1-0 down to England, who they had become accustomed to having for breakfast, lunch and dinner.

There were two Tests to play when the teams arrived in Barbados early in April 1990. It was to be a heart-stopping contest, heartbreaking for England, which was decided as late as could be by a fearsome spell of fast bowling.

West Indies might have been two down in the series but for a cruel rain interruption and some theatrical time-wasting in the previous Test in Trinidad.

“They did more than compete,” recalled Curtly Ambrose yesterday. “We were still the No 1 team in the world and we weren’t expecting England to give us such a fight because we’d been beating them quite regularly, so 1990 was a turning point, I believe, in English cricket. We came to Barbados and we had to win in order to square the series first and give us a chance to win it in Antigua.”

Ambrose almost did not play in the match. He had been omitted from the side at the start of the series after being ill and not being considered fit enough by the selectors. He had played in Trinidad but was still not certain of his place come Barbados.

Nor was he in particularly good form. Ambrose and Courtney Walsh were involved in a kind of bowl-off for a place in the Test team during a one-day warm-up match. “That cemented our relationship,” he said.

West Indies played their most assertive cricket of the series at Bridgetown. Mistakenly asked to bat by England’s captain, Allan Lamb – standing in for Graham Gooch, who had broken a finger – the home side made 446. England replied with 358.

Ambrose, however, was still some way short of his best: “I had a lot to prove because I hadn’t been at my best in Trinidad. It was a rhythm issue, I didn’t go for a lot of runs, but it wasn’t quite there. When I got here I took only two wickets in the first innings and I wasn’t happy with the way I bowled.”

England were left 356 to win and plunged to 15 for 3 on the fourth evening. This included the contentious dismissal of Rob Bailey, seemingly caught off his hip but the subject of a hand-waving, charging appeal by Viv Richards, the West Indies captain. “A controversial decision,” was all Ambrose had to say on the matter.

A rest day helped to soothe frayed nerves on both sides but the ground was still at fever pitch. England dug in. They were led by Jack Russell, who had come in as the second nightwatchman two days earlier. He was joined on the last morning by Robin Smith as England went to 97 for 5.

“We found ourselves really struggling,” Ambrose said. “Back in those days when we were the best team we had the support and there were a lot of locals. But we just couldn’t find a way to get through Jack Russell, a very stubborn cricketer. They had us on the run.

“We kept believing that if we broke the partnership we had a chance of getting the other wickets. It wasn’t easy but knowing the way we played in those days, with a never-say- die attitude, we were going to go right down to the wire.”

An hour after tea, with Smith and Russell still defiant, West Indies took the second new ball. Ambrose soon bowled Russell (“one that kept fairly low, I will admit”) and the dam was breached. Four more wickets fell in four overs, all lbw, all to Ambrose, who finished with figures of 8 for 45, his best ever.

“Any bowler will tell you things aren’t going their way and just taking a wicket will change everything,” Ambrose said. “You get a burst of energy that you didn’t have before. Getting Jack Russell out was the turning point.

“I felt it was my moment now, I seized the opportunity, I felt I was unstoppable. England lost quite easily in the end and then we went to Antigua and won by an innings. Of all my spells I rate that one highly because of the nature of the game. It was a game we had to win and we were struggling.”