Date-stamped : 25 Jun97 - 14:19 Preview PARTY IN VINCY. by Garth Wattley. "IT is the most significant event in cricket in St Vincent and Grenadines." Lennox John, president of the Windward Islands Cricket Association, was in no doubt about what today's Cable and Wireless Test match means for the game in St Vincent and, by extension, the Windward Islands. Carnival may be just a week away but the party in Vincy will start today when the West Indies and Sri Lanka square off in the final match of their two-Test series. For the 12,000 patrons who are expected to pack this picturesque Arnos Vale Playing Field nestled between the ET Joshua Airport and the Caribbean sea, the contest itself will be secondary to the occasion. The game will be the first, biggest "Test" for Arnos Vale, only the sixth Test match venue in the Caribbean and a ground that only became a first-class venue in 1972. Since then, the little ground that was the brainchild of the former Windwards fast bowler Frank Thomas has hosted several one-day internationals, beginning with an exciting clash between the Windies and England in 1981. Sadly, Larry Mouttet, Hugo Delmas, Esau Jan, and the three other Trinidadian fans of West Indies cricket who tragically lost their lives in a plane crash here after viewing the recent one-day game against India, will not be around to mark the historic occasion. But Evelyn Gresham, Mindoo Phillip, Kaleb Laurent and Frank Mason will be most present. The four, all distinguished servants of Windwards cricket, will be honoured in a short ceremony before the game. The prime ministers of Grenada, Dominica, St Kitts-Nevis and Vincentian Prime Minister Sir James Mitchell will all be part of the ceremony. This event is part of the effort John says, to make the occasion a truly Windwards affair. Pomp and ceremony, however, will last only until the first ball is bowled. Then, the game at hand will take the spotlight. And Wl skipper Walsh is eager for his team, and himself to shine appropriately. "I think they (St Vincent) deserve the Test because of the work done over the last couple years," Walsh told the Express yesterday. And even though the captain conceded the game comes at the end of a long, and for some, an arduous regional season, he was optimistic that his men would do the occasion justice. "We are just hoping for five full days of cricket and that we can come out victorious," he said. For the crowd to be given a West Indian treat however, a few things may have to change. While the final XI is expected to remain the same as in Antigua, the captain is hoping for greater consistency from his batsmen. "This is one of the things I want to keep stressing," Walsh said. "We should not have lost any wickets (in the second innings of the first Test in Antigua) ." In that second innings with the home team chasing 187 for victory openers Stuart Williams and Sherwin Campbell put on 160, but the Windies still lost four wickets before the end. Walsh, however, was also not entirely pleased with the generosity of the pace attack (Curtly Ambrose apart) when Sri Lanka made 223 in their first innings on a spicy first day pitch. And the 34 -year-old captain, mindful of the miserly five wickets he has collected in his last five Test bowls, is also looking forward to reaping a more bountiful harvest this time. Runs not wickets will do for his vice-captain, the controversial Brian Lara. The last week was not the best for the Windies' number one bat. Scores of 0 and four in the Test were followed by a hefty fine for joining the team late before the start of the Test. He noted that the pitch looked, "good for batting", which could be good news for the folks here, once the batsmen they see is the one that plundered a century here against New Zealand last year. A more sporting track will be welcomed by Arjuna Ranatunga and his battered Sri Lankan side. WEST INDIES from: Courtney Walsh (captain), Brian Lara, Stuart Williams, Sherwin Campbell, Carl Hooper, Robert Samuels, Floyd Reifer, Roland Holder, Courtney Browne, Curtly Ambrose, lan Bishop, Franklyn Rose, Mervyn Dillon. SRI LANKA from: Arjuna Ranatunga (captain), Aravinda De Silva, Sanath Jayasuriya, Rosh an Mahanama , Marvan Atapattu , Russell Arnold, Romesh Kaluwitharana , Sanjeeva Ranatunga, Kumara Dharmasena, Dulip Liyanage, Rejendra Pushpakumara, Sajeewa De Silva, Muttiah Muralitharan, Ruwan Kalpage, Naveed Nawaz. Day 1 SRI LANKA SITTING PRETTY by Garth Wattley THE FOLKS at the Arnos Vale Playing Field could hardly have asked for a more dramatic beginning to their first Test match. The fans from here in St Vincent, those from Bequia across the sea, and the others who made the journey from the wider Caribbean to be part of history, saw l4 wickets crash for 314 runs on a gloriously bright Caribbean day. But by stumps on the first day of St Vincent's first Test, the public's disposition would not have been similarly sunny. Not even one of Carl Hooper's quality innings (81, 1 six, 10 fours) could save the Vincy massive the discomfort of seeing their side skittled for an inglorious 147 in just 44.4 overs, by the accurate pace of Rajendra Pushpakumara (12.4 overs 5 for 41) and the compelling spin of Muttiah Muralitharan (12-2-27-3) after Sri Lankan skipper Arjuna Ranatunga called right and asked the Windies to bat. That discomfort was eased none by the total of 157 for 3 the Sri Lankans had compiled by the close. Pushapakumara, Muralitharan, and later opening batsman Sanath Jayasuriya (80 not out, 11 fours) were the Sri Lankan stars. Even Ranatunga must have been pinching himself when he glanced at the total on the scoreboard when "Pushpak" smashed Curtly Ambrose's stumps to claim his fifth wicket. When he chose to field, the Sri Lankan skipper would have been counting on his bowlers making use of the bounce and early life in the strip. The results were spectacular. By the end of the first hour, the cream of the Windies batting save for Hooper and Roland Holder were already unpadded in the players pavilion at 34 for 4. Not from the time Stuart Williams (0) produced the first stunner, hooking wildly at a Pushpakumara bouncer and giving an easy catch to wicketkeeper Romesh Kaluwitharana. Sherwin Campbell, having fought his way to 20, cut carelessly at the bouncing, first ball of spin from Kumara Dharmasena and was smartly caught two-handed by the diving Marvan Atapattu at slip. Before Campbell left, the estimated 8,000 crowd had seen Pushpakumara get two wickets in two balls. Having dismissed Williams with the bouncer, he got a quick delivery of decidedly lower bounce to trap the tall Floyd Reifer plumb LBW on the backfoot, giving the left-hander a first-ball duck in only his third Test innings. The disconsolate Reifer was replaced by Brian Lara. But soon, left-armer Sajeewa De Silva made the "Prince" a "pauper" with a slower ball that Lara (1) could only push back to the gleeful bowler. But West Indian supporters gained hope from Hooper. Gifted with strokes of the highest order but not always the temperament to match, Hooper chose this latest West Indian debacle to combine both to great effect. When he became Pushpakumara's fourth victim just 19 away from a deserved century, he had shared useful stands of 58 with Roland Holder (16) and 33 with lan Bishop (promoted to number six). Most of his ten boundaries were scored with typical Hooper elegance, like the straight drive, classically caressed past the bowler De Silva. And, generally, Hooper was loathe to spare the loose delivery, or even the ball fractionally short. His 15th Test 50, made shortly before lunch, contained seven fours. But after adding three more fours and then a crisp pulled six off Pushpaku-mara following the interval, his patience failed him with the tailenders at the crease, Hooper giving mid-on a catch as he tried to work the ball through the on-side. Sri Lankan openers San-ath Jayasuriya and Roshan Mahanama put on a measured 62 against bowling that was too short on a wicket still with encouraging bounce. Neither Ambrose nor Walsh could make the breakthrough. Instead, it was Rose who gave the fans a cheer with the wickets of Mahanama (28) caught behind by wicket keeper Courtney Browne and Atappatu, who fended a Rose snorter to Hooper at second slip. But Jayasuriya, never wasting the chance to smack the loose ball and the classy Aravinda De Silva (35, 5 fours in 45 balls) did not let the Windies off the hook. And in one over they both pounced on lan Bishop (7-0-51-0), Jaya hitting Bish for successive boundaries, while De Silva unleashed an exquisite square cut that also struck the ropes. Jayasuriya raced into the seventies, clouting Bishop for two more fours when he was switched to the Bequia end. But their threatening 76-run, 63-minute partnership was ended by Bishop's replacement, Carl Hooper, who had the cutting De Silva caught at slip by Lara. By then the score was 151 and the lead already four. By the time Jaya-suriya and Ranatunga (0 not out) walked in at 5.53 p.m., the lead was 10 and the Sri Lankan flagman, merely thumping on his tambourine during the afternoon, was a satisfied man. His entertainment had been generous. But his hosts will hope today that there will be a limit to Caribbean generosity. Day 2 by GARTH WATTLEY CARL HOOPER is not exactly the purists' version of the classical off-spinner. His talent, they would argue, is confined to his twirling with the willow. But yesterday at the Arnos Vale Playing Field, cool Carl's "lollipops" proved the ideal medicine for his ailing team. Even as untimely wet season rain repeatedly frustrated the patrons in the small second day crowd, Hooper left them singing in the rain. And more significantly, he put his embattled West Indies team right back in this Cable and Wireless Test match. When Stuart Williams (6) and Sherwin Campbell (13) walked away at the close with West Indies 19 without loss, still needing 56 to wipe off Sri Lanka's lead of 75, their team had effected a notable recovery. Largely thanks to "Hoops." On a pitch more suited to is team mates' pace than his spin, Hooper was for the second time a West Indies saviour, producing Test-best figures of 13.4-5-26-5, to engineer a Sri Lankan collapse from 157 for 3 overnight to 222 all out. Like his first innings 81, Hooper's spell yesterday was produced in crisis. With Sri Lanka already ten runs in the lead with seven wickets in hand at the start of play, the Windies needed wickets. And "Hoops" answered the call. Beginning with the decisive Ibw victory he won over Sanath Jayasuriya (90) with the second ball after lunch, and ending with the scalp of last man Muttiah Muralitharan, excellently caught by Floyd Reifer, Hooper seriously upset Sri Lankan skipper Arjuna Ranatunga's plans. When he and Walsh snapped up the last four Sri Lankan wickets for 11 runs in fifteen frenzied minutes after tea, Ranatunga had seen a potentially match-winning position become considerably weakened. In all, his side lost seven wickets for just 75 runs in 23.4 overs yesterday. He will chide his batsmen, even blame himself for once more in this series letting the advantage slip and his lead amount to just 75. But his colleague Walsh will find relief in the way his men rebounded in this inaugural Arnos Vale Test. Giving the batsmen far less width than on the first day, Walsh and Franklyn Rose, then Hooper and Curtly Ambrose, tamed the "Lions" from Sri Lanka. Even allowing for the loss of nearly an hour to rain, the visitors made slow progress in the morning session. The visitors added just 28 runs to their overnight 157 for 3 before lunch, for the loss of skipper Ranatunga. The Sri Lankan skipper, peppered with short deliveries by Walsh and Rose, got to a quiet 13 before he fell victim to the Wl captain. Going for his favourite cut shot to a ball slanted across him, he succeeded only in finding Brian Lara's safe hands at first slip. Jayasuriya survived however, moving from 80 to 90 with singles and twos. And he was fortunate to still have Sanjveeva Ranatunga for a partner at the interval. The younger Ranatunga, in the side for Hashan Tillekeratne, was put down by Roland Holder at forward short leg before he had scored. However, that blemish would have been forgotten when Hooper struck his first mighty blow. The patrons had not quite settled in for the session before Jayasuriya played forward to him and appeared to be struck just on the line of the off-stump. At least so ruled umpire Steve Bucknor and the dangerman was out LBW. The sight of "Jaya" walking off ten short of what would have been a dynamic, deserved third Test hundred, would have been a relief to the fans at 184 for 5. The 11 boundaries he struck in his own flamboyant style had been mixed with the necessary Test match application. And the Windies' recovery effort would have been much harder had he got to three figures. The Arnos Vale audience would have been even more ecstatic 12 runs later when Curtly Ambrose took care of Romesh Kaluwitharana. Apparentily carrying a leg injury, he was used after both Walsh and Rose, and then Hooper's off-spin. But Ambi wasted little time. In his second over of the day, he got the little wicketkeeper/batsman to glove a ball just outside his off-stump to Courtney Browne behind the stumps. Before the West Indies pace ace could get through much more work however, the second spell of rain came at 211 for 6. The rest of the post-lunch session was lost to an hour of rain and then 30 minutes to old-fashioned mopping up, done without either of the two Water Hogs recently acquired by the West Indies Board. Had they been privy to the fate that would befall them after tea, the Sri Lankans would have prayed for the day's third shower to come sooner. An ill-wind was about to blow their way. And on it floated Hooper's off-spinners. Relying more on change of pace and variation of flight than on genuine turn, he bowled Kumara Dharmasena the session's third ball and had an outstretched Ravindra Pushpakumara edging a catch to Browne. 211 for 8 and Hoops had a double-wicket maiden. Walsh gave the batsmen no relief at the other end. Ranatunga added just four runs to his score in the next over before he guided the skipper to Hooper at second slip. Hooper himself finished what he had started seven balls later when he got Muralitharan to send a steepling, swirling catch Reifer's way at lon-off. And to the delight of the already delighted Arnos Vale posse, he held a fne, welldudged catch. The innings was over. And so it seemed, was play for the day when the heaviest of the three showers followed the players off the field. However, the light proved good enough for four of the 15 overs the umpires eventually deemed possible. And the openers survived them with little bother. Campbell and Williams will be grateful for that peaceful passage. And they would have been thinkng about cousin Carl. For too long in his career, they have witnessed more his mystery than mastery. But as they prepare for battle this morning, the Windies will be giving silent cheers for the emergence of the Real Mc Coy. Day 3 by GARTH WATTLEY. GREY skies overhead and soggy going underfoot, is not exactly the kind of stuff about which St Vincent had dreamed for its first-ever Test match. But as the ominous-looking masses of clouds drifted depressingly across the Arnos Vale Playing Field, on Day Three of the Second and final Cable Wireless Test match, it was a reality the patrons quickly had to accept. For the second day in succession, rain washed away a huge chunk of a day's play. Nearly fully two sessions were lost to heavy showers, an irritatingly persistent drizzle and finally, bad light. Still, the fans viewing this first Test game in the Windward Islands can look forward to an interesting finish to this contest. Weather permitting. Even with only one full session's play, West Indies were fighting hard to set the Sri Lankan batters a challenging target at 128 for 2. With two full days to play, a result is still quite possible, with the Windies 53 runs in the lead with eight wickets in hand. It is a position from which Wl skipper Walsh will feel all good things are possible, especially with his lieutenant Brian Lara still at the crease on 30. And if only to ease disquieted minds in the Caribbean, he will hope that the Prince and the other players deliver the goods today. In their three previous innings in this series, the West Indies batsmen have only managed to put up 189 for 4 as their highest total. Significantly that score won them the first Test in Antigua. But the regularity with which the Windies top order batsmen have failed to look the Test-class performers that visual evidence often suggests they are, will concern Walsh. Worse, the careless, almost absent-minded manner in which some of them have lost their wickets when apparently well set, should make the captain think hard, especially as far as this game goes. With the memory of the first innings debacle (147 all out) still fresh in the memory, Stuart Williams and Sherwin Campbell would have been duly resolved not to slip up the second time around. They succeeded to a degree. And for 46 encouraging minutes, another disappointingly small crowd saw Stuart and Sherwin approach their task of recovery in positive fashion. Campbell, 13 overnight, helped himself to some good-looking runs. But things were going too well. And with the total 62, Campbell drowned in honey. With his score 33 (six fours), he played on to "Pushpak", attempting another one of his forcing back foot drives. A wistful scowl may have crossed Walsh's lips at this point. Thirteen runs were still needed before the Sri Lankan lead was overhauled. The situation was still delicate. So into the battle, he sent his most lethal weapon. Lara, the West Indies out-of-sorts batting ace came at number three, with unflattering scores of 0, 4 and 1 behind him in this series. He came out to partner Williams who was now having a much more quiet time against Muttiah Muralitharan's prodigious off-spin. But it was De Silva that forced him into error. In a new spell, he did not accept a caught and bowled chance when Williams (36) drove. To his disgust, the reprieved batsman celebrated by straight driving him for four. Williams luck ran out in the next over however. Trying to pull away from a bouncing Muralitharan off-spinner, Williams succeeded only in gloving it to Sanath Jayasuriya at silly point. And "Jaya" held an excellent catch, diving forward to take the ball inches from the ground. But it took consultation between umpires Steve Bucknor and Doug Cowie, before the New Zealand official showed Williams the dreaded finger at 46. Day 4: by GARTH WATTLEY. IN RECENT weeks, the St Vincent public had heard all about Brian Lara was not doing: getting the captaincy, catching flights on time, and making runs. But yesterday at the beautifully bright Arnos Vale Playing Field, the Prince of Port of Spain, showed "Vincy" what he does best. Constructing another impressive "castle" of runs, Lara's tenth century was memorable, if only because it was the first Test "ton" at the venue. More than that, however, the West Indies vice-captain's wonderfully crafted innings gave the public much pleasure and gave his team a fighting chance in this nicely poised match. Lara's 115 (266 minutes, 11 fours, one six) set up a West Indies second innings total of 343 and gave Courtney Walsh's side a lead of 268. And needing 269 for victory, Arjuna Ranatunga's Sri Lankans had reached 97 for 2 by the close. Whatever today's result, those at the ground yesterday would have fond memories of Lara, especially the Prince's intriguing confrontation with the visitor's off-spinning ace Muttiah Muralitharan, in a knock that was all about patience and pacing. Ebbing and flowing seemingly at will, Lara ensured a useful Wl lead during partnerships of 51 with overnight partner Floyd Reifer, 97 with Carl Hooper (34) and 32 with Roland Holder (34). His efforts ensured the home team put up a total that was creditable. Outside of Lara, no one reached 50 but Reifer helped Lara take the score from the overnight 128 for 2 to 143. Hooper came in, announcing his arrival with two typically effortless on-drives. But those were his only boundaries, the rest of his stay being spent in support of Lara, who had the strokes for every occasion. Lara raised his 50 (156 minutes, 102 balls, five fours) and the 100 lead by lifiting Muralitharan safely over mid-on for 4. It was Lara's first half-century in five Test innings. Conspicuously quiet in the overs preceding lunch, Lara made complete mockery of the previous half-hour in the over before the interval. He moved from 76 to 88 with three supreme boundaries in the last over before lunch. The enthralled audience went to lunch with West Indies 226 for 3, thrilled to bits with the left-hander's exhibition of cricketing geometry. After the break Lara created a special bit of history when he pushed a ball past "Mura" to mid-off for the runs that brought up Arnos Vale's first ton. The Windies premier batsman had come good when it really mattered. And when he finally left, Sanath Jayasuriya snaring him at midwicket off Dharmasena after nearly four hours at the crease, the home team's lead was 197 with five wickets standing. By that time Lara had also become the 11th West Indian to reach 4,000 runs in Tests. With him and Hooper gone, Ranatunga saw the chance to seize the initiative and Muralitharan was quickly re-introduced, eventually getting his second five-wicket haul of the series: (5 for 113) from 41 overs. However Holder and the enterprising Curtly Ambrose (31) with an eighth wicket stand of 53 ensured the Windies' advantage was not lost completely. But the action was not over. In 20 overs before the close, Sri Lanka cut their victory target down to 172. But Walsh also struck two crucial blows. The skipper bowled the dangerous Jayasuriya for 10, knocking out his middle stump. And in a second spell, he knocked back Marvan Atapattu's off-stump . But as they left fans were recalling the blistering 34 already struck by Aravinda De Silva, particularly the 18 runs he plundered off the hapless Bishop (3-0-32-0) in one over. It was the kind of assault fitting of a prince. But the Windies fans will not want to see much more of it today. They have already had their royal treat. Source :: The Trinidad Express (http://www.trinidad.net/express/) Contributed by The Management (help@cricinfo.com)