da cassino： It would seem time has stood still for Courtney Walsh
Andy Jalil15-Jun-2000It would seem time has stood still for Courtney Walsh. It was around thistime five years ago that he led an assault on England’s batsmen on this veryground that enabled West Indies to wrap up that third Test match of theseries in two days and a bit.Later during that series he went on to reach the landmark of 300 Test wicketsand today, having already become the highest wicket-taker in Test history, hepassed another significant milestone of 450 wickets.At 37, by the age most fast bowlers have passed their sell-by date, Walsh’sworkload has not diminished; at least not at the highest level of the game.His captain, Jimmy Adams, having put England in to bat, chose to keep him onto bowl for the entire morning session and Walsh’s response was with figuresof 3 for 23 in 13 overs.What makes his performance all the more remarkable is that the pitch thistime was not the ‘minefield’ that helped to condemn England to an inningsdefeat five years ago. Walsh on that occasion had claimed 3 for 54 and 5 for45.Today, he bettered the figures of that last five wicket haul on this ground.His 21 overs gave him a return of 5 for 36, a product of superbly controlledfast bowling. He moved the ball away, most effectively, from the righthanders with four of them falling to catches that came off the outside edge.Three of these batsmen, Mike Atherton, Andy Flintoff and Robert Croft playeddefensively at the balls that seamed away from them without getting behindthe line and were snapped up behind the stumps and at first slip in the caseof Flintoff.Graeme Hick, who has not always been convincing against top class pacebowling, once again showed his weakness and perhaps, more worryingly forEngland, has not done any good to his confidence. He was out to a very poorshot, playing from the crease he appeared to half-heartedly dab at the ball.The dismissal tested the agility of the slip cordon with the third slipknocking the ball forward to second slip to catch.Having got one good score against Zimbabwe, in three innings, he needed to beat the crease for a fair length of time today and get runs, if only to get inthe right frame of mind against an opposition that seems to get a hold on abatsman once they are on top.Having begun the summer’s Test series reasonably well last month againstZimbabwe, England’s batsmen reverted to the old habits of careless shots thathave brought about so many batting collapses in the past.Today, having got to a start of 44 for 1, they failed to consolidate theinnings. They lost six wickets in a space of just 68 runs. It was only thelate flourish from three tail-enders that added as many as 62 runs to boostthe total a little to 179. It now calls for tight bowling and fielding fromEngland to restrict West Indies’ score. Although, on 50 for 2 , the touristshave not got off to a flying start.