- Reuters
CHESTER-LE-STREET, ENGLAND: England opening batsmen Alec Stewart (right) and Marcus Trescothick shake hands after winning the match against the West Indies yesterday.
Tony Becca, Senior Sport Editor
CHESTER-LE-STREET -
THE West Indies suffered a crushing blow in their bid for a place in next Saturday's final of the NatWest triangular one-day series at Lord's when they were thrashed by England at Durham's Riverside home yesterday.
Going into the match, their fourth of the series, on one point and in need of a victory, the West Indies, even taking into consideration the uncomfortable weather, once again batted and bowled below the standard of first-class cricketers and, after struggling to 168-8 off their allotted 50 overs, failed to restrict England who sailed to 171 without loss off 35.2 overs to win with all 10 wickets in hand and with 14.4 overs to spare.
The West Indies batsmen were stifled and destroyed mainly by left-arm pacer Allan Mullally with three wickets for 27 runs off 10 overs, Darren Gough with 2-38 off 10, Andy Caddick with 1-30 off 10 and Mark Ealham with 1-31 off 10.
Their bowlers were then caned by left-hander Marcus Trescothick who struck one six and stroked eight fours while scoring 87 off 106 deliveries and by captain Alec Stewart who smashed one six and stroked four fours while scoring 74 off 102 deliveries.
The defeat left the West Indies on one point from four matches, and although with two matches to go they are not yet doomed, they are in a desperate position - so desperate that regardless of how well they recover, how brilliantly they finish, their salvation is now out of their hands.
With England, their rivals for a place in the final, on five points from four matches, the West Indies still have a chance of winning the right to meet Zimbabwe who, with six from four, have already qualified.
For them to make it to Lord's and the championship match, however, the West Indies not only have to knock off Zimbabwe today, also at Riverside, and England on Thursday at Trent Bridge, but they also have to hope Zimbabwe finish the preliminary round in style by beating England in their day and night match at Edgbaston on Tuesday.
The Windies predicament, however, is that even a complete reversal of form or a Zimbabwe victory over England may not help them because of a poor run rate.
On a day so cold that even the local fans complained of numbed fingers, the West Indies, despite shuffling their batting order in a desperate attempt to find the right combination, were simply outgunned.
But for a few handsome strokes by Christopher Gayle batting down the order at number five, and Ricardo Powell, only Brian Lara, batting one place up the order at number three, looked the part when the West Indies batted; and when they bowled, the bowlers were innocuous.
Although it was a bit warmer when the bowlers confronted England's batsmen, they were no better than their batsmen. In fact, they were worse.
Where as Lara batted reasonably well and Gayle and Powell reeled off a few splendid strokes, the bowlers, but for a no-ball from Reon King in the first over which Stewart, on zero and hooking, edged and wicketkeeper Ridley Jacobs dropped, hardly bowled a good delivery as England sprinted to victory with Trescothick wrapping it up in style with a huge six over wide long-on off Powell.
With the Windies pacers bowling consistently short and often too wide, Trescothick and Stewart enjoyed themselves - so much so that 15 minutes after the sun had brightened the beautiful tree-trimmed park nestled at the foot of the magnificent Lumley Castle and 70 minutes before the scheduled close, it was all over.
The pacers, all four of them, King, Nixon McLean, Mervyn Dillon and Franklyn Rose, were hooked, and pulled and cut with impunity; and the few times they managed to pitch the ball up, it was too full, too wide and they were driven through the offside and off the front foot with an arrogance which bordered on disdain as Trescothick and Stewart flexed their muscles before a full house of cheering supporters.
SCOREBOARD
West Indies innings
S. Campbell c White b Mullally 14
W. Hinds lbw Gough 1
B. Lara c Flintoff b Ealham 54
J. Adams b Mullally 0
C. Gayle c Thorpe b Caddick 26
R. Powell c Trescothick b Mullally 15
R. Jacobs c Stewart b White 25
F. Rose c Flintoff b Gough 18
N. McLean not out 3
M. Dillon not out 0
Extras (b-1 lb-6 nb-6 13
Total (for eight wickets, 50 overs) 169
Fall: 1-6 2-41 3-43 4-104 5-104 6-134 7-162 8-168
Bowling: Caddick 10-1-30-1, Gough 10-1-38-2, Mullally 10-1-27-3, Ealham 10-2-31-1, Trescothick 2-0-13-0, White 8-1-23-1.
England innings
M. Trescothick not out 87
A. Stewart not out 74
Extras (lb-4 w-1 nb-5) 10
Total (for no wicket, 35.2 overs 171
Bowling: King 6-0-30-0 (nb1 w1), McLean 6-1-22-0 (nb2), Dillon 6-0-24-0 (nb1), Rose 5-0-31-0 (nb1), Gayle 8-0-34-0, Adams 4-0-20-0, Powell 0.2-0-6-0.
Result: England won by 10 wickets.
STANDINGS
| Zimbabwe | 4 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 6-0 | .13 |
| England | 4 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 1.33 |
| West Indies | 4 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 1-1 | .15 |
Note: Zimbabwe have already qualified for final
Remaining fixtures: Today - West Indies v Zimbabwe, July 18 - England v Zimbabwe, July 20 - England v West Indies.
Final: July 22 (Lord's).
