Another match in the series that was decided by the Duckworth/Lewis method, and this time England seized it fair and square. And it was Andrew Strauss who scored a feisty 79 not out to lead his team there. With this win England go into the final match with the series levelled 2-2. After a rain interruption, West Indies’ total 0f 239 was reduced to a target of 135 in 20 overs, and Strauss swooped in on the target with an innings that comprised of 9 fours and a six.

After winning the toss and batting first, openers Gayle and Simmons contributed with the firm 72 run partnership. Gayle scored a superb 46 of 39 balls before falling to Broad in the 12th over. After a relatively guarded start, he opened up to bring up his 46 with 5 sixes and three fours. But after his wicket, things didn’t go so smoothly for the home team: 2 more wickets fell in a space of 10 runs – Simmons to a bad run-out and then Sarwan who was bowled by Flintoff – and suddenly the hosts were tripping at 83 for 3.

A 43 run partnership from Chanderpaul and Ramdin came as a minor saving grace, before Mascarenhas struck scalping 3 wickets in a space of 20 runs reducing West Indies to 145 for 6. It was Dwayne Bravo, coming in at number 6, who prevented a total collapse with a spitfire 69. 50 of those runs came in the final five over power-play as he lifted his team to a defendable score of 239 in 50 overs.

Rain delayed the start of England’s innings following which their target score was reduced to 135 runs in 20 overs. Strauss took charge from the moment he stepped on field, as England came off a brilliant start with a 108 run partnership between Strauss and Bopara. Strauss’ innings was an animated one, and also uplifting for a man whose personal scores were once known to be adversely affected with captaincy. He played a confident game, dispatching the West Indian fielders to all parts of the field. He gave Baker a particularly hard time, and the latter ended up conceding 24 runs in 2 overs. He brought up the winning shot in the 18th over with a 4 that summed up his display.

The 5th ODI to be played in St Lucia this week will be one that decides the series. The match itself however is on the line due to a dispute between West Indies players and the board. 

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3.25 Copyright (C) 2007 Alain Georgette / Copyright (C) 2006 Frantisek Hliva. All rights reserved."

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