Chanderpaul keeps West Indies afloat

CMC – Veteran left-hander Shivnarine Chanderpaul was leading another recovery effort after West Indies lost two quick wickets in the post-lunch session on the opening day of the first Test at Lord’s in England today.

At tea, West Indies reached 146 for four with Chanderpaul unbeaten on 42 and Marlon Samuels on 14.

They have so far added 46 for the fourth wicket to rescue the Windies from a situation of 100 for four, when they lost Adrian Barath for 42 and Darren Bravo for 29 in quick succession.

Barath added just one to his lunch time score before slashing seamer Stuart Broad to James Anderson at gully with the Windies on 86, 15 minutes after the resumption.

Disaster then struck for West Indies when Bravo, dropped in the previous over by Graeme Swann at second slip off Anderson, was run out in a terrible mix up with Chanderpaul.

Taking off for a sharp single after Chanderpaul tucked a delivery from Swann square, Bravo found himself stranded at the opposite end with his senior partner, and was on his way without adding.

Chanderpaul, who won a reprieve on 15 courtesy of a review after being adjudged lbw to Anderson, then assumed responsibility for the innings, striking seven boundaries off 81 balls.

Earlier, Barath and Bravo propped up the innings with a 54-run, third wicket stand to pull West Indies out of a hole at 32 for two, after James Anderson had plunged 41 for two and removed opener Kieran Powell for Five and Kirk Edwards for one with just over an hour gone in the morning.

England got the breakthrough with just over half-hour gone in the session when the left-handed Powell made a last-minute decision to play at one that nipped back and was bowled after being late with his defensive prod.

The right-handed Edwards, with a string of failures on the tour, survived a huge lbw appeal first ball but never settled thereafter and struggled for 14 balls before eventually playing across an inswinger and falling plumb leg before wicket.