Collingwood ton drives England on

West Indies v England 3rd Test

Antigua, 15-19 February 2009

Third Test, Antigua (day two, close): England 566-9 dec v West Indies 55-1 Collingwood began his Test career in 2005 and is playing his 44th match Paul Collingwood struck his eighth Test century as England declared on 566-9, with West Indies closing on 55-1 after two days of the third Test in Antigua. Collingwood struck 14 fours in his 113, sharing 94 with Kevin Pietersen (51). Jerome Taylor demolished the stumps of Pietersen and Andrew Flintoff in three balls but Matt Prior (39), Stuart Broad (44) and Graeme Swann (20) chipped in. Faced with 14 overs to survive, Windies skipper Chris Gayle hit some bold shots but fell to Steve Harmison for 30. The hastily-rearranged Test is being played at the Antigua Recreation Ground and with the halfway line of a football pitch running through the middle of the wicket the bounce is becoming increasingly unpredictable. The hosts still need 312 more to save the follow-on and England's best day of the tour so far will leave them full of confidence that they can square the series at 1-1 with two matches to play. The tourists threw everything at their hosts in the short spell before stumps, with attacking bowling and aggressive fields featuring four slips and two gullies. England chose to give the new ball to James Anderson, and he produced a beautiful opening delivery that swung and did everything right bar take the edge of Gayle's bat. It is unlikely the laconic Gayle will have been unnerved many times in his 29 years, but he will not have taken too kindly to successive deliveries from Flintoff, one steepling through head high to the keeper, the next shooting along the ground for four byes. The skipper hooked Harmison into the adjacent Factory Road, but could not rein in the blockbuster shots and thumped one at head height to Anderson, who was grateful he did not have to move to take the thunderbolt at extra cover. Harmison produced a couple of searing lifting deliveries and England will hope there will be more to come on Tuesday. The threat of Harmison, Gayle's dismissal, Flintoff's ability to land the ball seemingly at will on the halfway line and the increasing unpredictability of the bounce will leave the Windies under no illusions as to the size of the task ahead. Pietersen's spectacular dismissal began a brief wobble in the England innings The wicket, moist to the touch at the start of day one, looked firm and fast at the start of the second day having been baked by another day of Leeward Island sunshine. At the start of play Fidel Edwards took full advantage of the change in the conditions, bowling a sustained, hostile spell at a rapid rate. His only wicket of the morning session, however, was that of nightwatchman Anderson. He preserved his impressive record of having never made a duck in his Test career, which started in 2003, but edged tamely through to the keeper off the back foot for four. Collingwood might well have succumbed first ball. He was surprised by the extra pace and bounce of Edwards and then relieved when the ball ballooned to safety off the shoulder of the bat over the slip cordon. But the other fast bowlers could not initially maintain the pressure, with an unfit-looking Taylor a shadow of the man who destroyed England with 5-11 in Jamaica. Daren Powell was even more erratic, sending down short deliveries on both sides of the wicket as Collingwood cut and pulled with typical grittiness, outscoring his frequently cavalier partner Pietersen. The markings from the football pitch sharing the ground were still clearly visible, running straight down the playing area. Edwards began his run from what was the penalty spot at one end, with the centre circle ringing the square and the halfway line crossing the wicket around two metres from one crease. That helped to create the uneven bounce, which particularly seemed to affect Pietersen, who became increasingly agitated by his struggles to time the ball with his customary panache. Another man getting hot under the collar was the giant slow left-armer Sulieman Benn, who was so exasperated by the lack of spin he moved away from his gentle giant image to berate the batsmen and kick at the turf. Whatever Taylor did during the luncheon interval he will want to do again because he emerged a different man in the afternoon session. The two balls that removed England's two big guns did not actually pitch on the controversial halfway line, but were certainly close to it, and when bowled at pace proved impossible to deal with. Pietersen's anxiety about the erratic bounce was borne out when a fast Taylor delivery skidded on and kept low as the former skipper played back, and an inside edge crashed into the off-stump. Flintoff was even more unfortunate, the ball barely getting up off the turf as it slipped under his bat and spectacularly demolished two stumps. That left England at 405-6 and the innings could easily have folded, but Prior and then Broad ensured it continued with some positive strokeplay. Prior made 39 in a 20-over partnership with Collingwood, while Broad recorded the 500 with a magnificent straight six off Powell. Collingwood made only nine of the fifty stand that came off 68 balls, as Broad underlined his immense batting promise with some stylish left-handed shots. After Broad departed for his fifth score in excess of 40, Swann added some lusty blows before Collingwood holed out on the deep mid-wicket fence and the declaration was made.