Rival skippers in runs in second Test

AGENCE FRANCE PRESSE

NOTTINGHAM: England captain Andrew Strauss led England's reply after West Indies skipper Darren Sammy scored his maiden Test hundred on the second day of the second Test at Trent Bridge here today.

At tea, England were 123-1 — a deficit of 247 runs after West Indies had made 370 in their first innings. Strauss was 45 not out and Jonathan Trott 35 not out, with their unbroken second-wicket stand of 80 coming in 101 balls. Alastair Cook, Strauss's fellow left-handed opener, was the man out in the session, for 24, after twice being 'caught' behind off no-balls.

Fast bowler Kemar Roach repeatedly over-stepped — his 10 overs had so far featured eight no-balls. Strauss' back-foot force for four off Sammy brought up England's fifty while Trott got off the mark with a cover-driven boundary against the medium-pacer. Eventually, with England 96-1, Sammy brought on Shane Shillingford after the off-spinner had been left out at Lord's. It wasn't long though before Trott was driving him for four while Strauss weighed in with a trademark squre-cut four off Sammy, whose pace meant he'd little margin for error on such a good surface.

West Indies resumed on 304-6, having collapsed to 63-4 after their top-order's failure, with Marlon Samuels 107 not out and Sammy a then Test-best 88 not out. Sammy went to 98 by slicing a drive off Stuart Broad over the slips and next ball had another lucky break when, aiming legside, he somehow got the ball through point for another four that took him to a century.

But the 28-year-old had produced plenty of 'proper' shots too in completing a 140 ball-hundred with a six and 16 fours. However, both he and Samuels were out soon afterwards as Tim Bresnan, expensive on Friday, removed the century-makers in a spell of three wickets for 10 runs in 19 balls that saw him finish with 4-104 in 27 overs.

Sammy was dismissed when he holed out on the hook to Kevin Pietersen at deep square leg. His partnership of 204 with Samuels was a West Indies record for the seventh wicket against England, surpassing the 155 shared by Garry Sobers and Bernard Julien at Lord's in 1973. And 340-7 became 341-8 when Samuels edged Bresnan and Anderson held a sharp catch in the gully.