West Indian bowler Mahendra Nagamootoo (right) celebrates with James Adams after taking the wicket of England's captain Nasser Hussain for a duck during the fifth Test match at the Oval yesterday. LONDON -
THE fifth and final Test between the West Indies and England got off to an exciting start at the Oval yesterday with the tourists, thanks to legspinner Mahendra Nagamootoo and fast bowler Nixon McLean, finishing in style to share the honours.
At stumps on the first day of a Test match which England, leading 2-1, must at least draw to win their first series against the West Indies in 31 years and which the West Indies must win to share the series, England were 221 for five and the contest nicely poised.
After winning the toss and electing to bowl, the West Indies were on the run with England going great guns on 159 without loss and Mike Atherton and Marcus Trescothick at the top of their form and preening themselves after setting a new England record for the first wicket against the West Indies at The Oval.
The previous best was 155 by Jack Hobbs and Herbert Sutcliffe in 1928.
In one memorable over, however, on either side of tea, the 24-year-old Nagamootoo, playing in his first Test match, cut down Trescothick and then captain Nasser Hussain, and 40 minutes later, in another memorable over, the 26-year-old McLean ripped out Atherton and then Alec Stewart as England slipped to 184 for four.
Bowling the last over to tea, Nagamootoo, operating from around the wicket, nicked the outside edge of Trescothick's bat when the left-hander, on 78 and going on to the backfoot to cut, was beaten by a faster delivery which spun into him.
That was 159 for one with Trescothick gone - caught by Sherwin Campbell at slip.
Finishing the over after the interval, Nagamootoo, who finished with 2-63 off 24 overs, pitched the second delivery on a perfect length and as Hussain reached forward defensively, the ball spun away, nicked the outside edge, and wicketkeeper Ridley Jacobs made it 159 for two.
With Atherton and the left-handed Graham Thorpe stroking the ball confidently, however, England appeared to have shrugged off the setback when McLean, who bowled without luck in the morning and finished with 2-61 off 18 overs, stepped up and took care of Atherton and Stewart.
Atherton, going back, to a delivery of reasonable length, was beaten for pace and bowled for 83 at 184 for three, and three deliveries later, Stewart who, like Atherton, is playing in his 102nd Test match, was trapped leg before wicket for zero at 184 for four.
Ambrose, who was so mean in his opening spell that he conceded only eight runs in 10 overs, balanced the proceedings nicely when Michael Vaughan, unsure of which way the ball was going off the seam, shouldered arms and was leg before to a delivery which cut into him off the seam and hit his unprotected left pad.
That was 214 for five in the 83rd over with Vaughan gone for 10, and Graeme Hick must have thanked his lucky stars when on two at 217 for five, he moved inside to Ambrose, missed a good length delivery and umpire David Shepherd said no to an appeal which was so loud it was probably heard in the MI5 office a few miles away in Vauxhall.
With Courtney Walsh joining Ambrose for the final overs of the day's play, it was cricket at its exciting best, and although Thorpe was solid while scoring 31 not out, Hick looked so unsure in the fading light that England were fortunate not to have lost another wicket.
While the post-tea session belonged entirely to the West Indies, England, but for Trescothick's failure to cope with that biting spinning delivery from Nagamootoo on the stroke of tea, dominated the first two sessions - so much so that during that time their dream of breaking the drought appeared set to come true.
With a draw their primary objective, England seemed determined to do whatever was
By Tony Becca
Senior Sport Editor
