England controlling fourth Test
Published:Thursday | February 26, 2009 | 1:35 PM
West Indies need to separate England’s opening pair on today’s opening day of the fourth Test at Kensington Oval in Barbados.
At Sports Time, England choosing to bat, were 135 without loss with Andrew Strauss on 85 and Alastair Cook on 48.
The tourists went to the lunch interval on 108 without loss.
West Indies had a golden opportunity to separate the two openers, when their captain Chris Gayle dropped Strauss on 58 at first slip off Fidel Edwards in the last half-hour before the interval.
In the previous over, West Indies also came close, when Strauss on 50 edged Sulieman Benn past diving slip fielder Devon Smith for his ninth boundary.
West Indies are fielding an unchanged 11 from the previous test, but England made three changes with Ravi Bopara, Tim Ambrose and Ryan Sidebottom replacing Andrew Flintoff, Matt Prior and Steve Harmison.
West Indies are leading the five-Test series 1-0, following an innings and 23-run victory in the opening Test at Sabina Park in Jamaica and a draw in the third Test at the Antigua Recreation Ground.
The second test was abandonment at the Sir Vivian Richards Cricket Ground in Antigua.