James Anderson surpasses Sir Ian Botham’s record 384 wickets but Jason Holder century draws first test
ENGLAND V WEST INDIES Test match
Apr 13-17, 2015 – 1st Test England V West Indies at Sir Vivian Richards Stadium, North Sound, Antigua
England 399 & 333/7d
West Indies 295 & 350/7 DS Smith 65 off 175, 8 fours, D Ramdin 57 off 141, 9 fours, JO Holder 103 not out off 149 , 15 fours JM Anderson 72-2, JE Root 22-2 (129.4 ov, target: 438)
Match drawn
James Anderson equalled Sir Ian Botham as England’s top Test wicket-taker with a 383rd career scalp in Antigua, but West Indies still forced a draw in the series opener.
Anderson’s 383rd Test scalp had Marlon Samuels edged to gully to equal Botham’s place in history books, and when Chris Jordan removed Jermaine Blackwood moments ahead of the new ball, West Indies were 189 for 6 and 51 overs remained in the Test.
Two West Indian captains, Dinesh Ramdin 57 and Jason Holder 103 not out, both launched solid defense and kept their team fighting on the final day in Antigua and extracted a draw 350 for 7. James Anderson who earlier equalled Ian Botham as England’s leading Test wicket-taker, could not find that elusive 384th wicket.
Anderson was not used first thing in the morning session by Alastair Cook, who started the day with James Tredwell and Stuart Broad, but when called upon produced a seven-over spell where he extracted an increasing amount of reverse swing. His record-equalling moment arrived when he drew Samuels into driving at a full delivery outside off that was edged low to Tredwell in the gully.
After another four overs, but the closest he came to putting himself atop Botham was when a booming inswinger crashed into Jermaine Blackwood’s boot but would have missed leg stump. He returned with the second new ball and almost removed Ramdin in his first over when he squared him up but the outside edge flew wide of fourth slip. Broad came closest to breaking the seventh-wicket stand when Holder pulled a short delivery which landed short of Jonathan Trott but the pitch was refusing to yield right until the bitter end. All rounder Holder scored an unbeaten 1o3 off 149 balls and Ramdin 57 showed the classic defence.
The opening seven overs of the day had brought one run when Samuels and Devon Smith resumed, Tredwell, provided the opening breakthrough when Smith after 174-balls of concentration and advanced at the bowler.
Tredwell continued to vary his pace and flight skillfully, and turning the ball, during a 13-over spell which was ended 20 minutes before lunch when Root was given another chance to be a partnership breaker. Once again, the move paid off handsomely.
In the second over Joe Root slid one into the pads of Shivnarine Chanderpaul that would have crashed into middle and leg stump – the first lbw of the match.