KINGSTON, Jamaica, CMC - Given the opportunity to make an early statement in the quest to regain the Wisden Trophy, the West Indies batting line-up was indebted to its two most inexperienced members as England fought well to restrict the home side to 311 for nine on the opening day of the First Test at Sabina Park, yesterday.
Devon Smith marked his return to international action after a 10-month hiatus with a stroke-filled 108 - his maiden Test hundred - while Ryan Hinds justified the selectors’ decision to opt for him ahead of local favourite Ricardo Powell with a well-crafted 84.
The youthful left-handers lifted the Caribbean side from the considerable discomfort of 101 for four just after lunch with a 122-run partnership that threatened to turn the tide completely in favour of the home team.
But it was the most inaccurate and expensive bowler of the day, Ashley Giles, who tilted the balance once again in the final session by removing the top-scorers. The left-arm orthodox spinner, who was smashed for 32 runs in his first four overs, returned to have Smith neatly stumped by Chris Read down the leg-side as he missed an attempted sweep.
Strangely taken off by Michael Vaughan immediately after that success, Giles was summoned later in the evening and prompted Hinds to glove a sweep to short fine-leg, where Mark Butcher held the catch diving forward.
Anticipation of a West Indian run-feast was high after Brian Lara won the toss and chose to bat first despite having opted for an all-pace attack.
Those expectations were immediately dampened, however, when hometown hero Chris Gayle fell for just five, getting an inside-edge onto the stumps from a delivery by Steve Harmison that surprised the attacking left-hander with its awkward bounce.
Vice-captain Ramnaresh Sarwan struggled for 15 minutes to get bat on ball and was then adjudged lbw off the other opening bowler, Matthew Hoggard, for a duck, reducing the West Indies to 22 for two inside the first hour’s play.
Fresh from another prolific series in South Africa, Lara arrived to a tremendous ovation and hinted at another spectacular effort, stroking four boundaries in 23 before edging Simon Jones to Andrew Flintoff at second slip.
It was the perfect return to international action for the Welsh pacer, whose last Test match 16 months earlier in Australia ended with a serious knee injury that threatened his career.
He added the scalp of Ridley Jacobs (38) in the final session as the wicketkeeper-batsman mistimed a drive to Vaughan at mid-on and would have been relieved to come through this first real test of his fitness unscathed.
While his partners were struggling, Smith played the only way he knows, going for his shots whenever given any width outside the off-stump.
The diminutive Grenadian occasionally sliced drives past frustrated slip and gully fielders, but his positive manner brought rich reward, racing to fifty with nine boundaries off 92 deliveries.
He lost Shivnarine Chanderpaul just after reaching the landmark when the stodgy left-hander was bowled off the inside-edge for seven pushing indeterminately at Hoggard.
But Hinds, as when he impressed with 62 in his debut Test innings against Pakistan in Sharjah two years earlier, settled immediately into the job despite experiencing some discomfort in coping with short-pitched deliveries from Harmison and Jones.
Frustrated by Giles’ generosity - he conceded 67 runs off 12 overs - Vaughan kept his seamers toiling in stifling humidity, but Smith and Hinds continued to prosper. The opener hardly showed any nerves in the 90s, hooking Hoggard to square-leg for his 17th boundary to bring up the coveted century in 252 minutes off 167 deliveries.
Following on his prolific season in the regional Carib Beer Series, it was deserved reward for the young man who would have been bitterly disappointed at being ignored after four trying Tests against Australia a year earlier.
His hopes of batting to the close were ended, however, by the impressive Read, who removed the bails in an instant as the batsman’s back foot lifted off the crease in his attempt to swing Giles to backward square-leg boundary.
Hinds then found a resolute partner in Jacobs in adding 58 runs for the sixth wicket before the Barbadian fell to the trap set by the spinner and his captain.
Spurred by those successes, England pressed to end the innings before the close. Jacobs fell and Adam Sanford soon followed edging to first slip to give Andrew Flintoff his only wicket of the day, while Tino Best was unfortunate to be adjudged lbw to a full-length delivery, his entertaining innings of 20 included the only six of the day, hoisting Giles over long-on.
Fidel Edwards survived a nasty first-ball beamer from Harmison, but the visitors will expect to claim the final wicket quickly on the second morning before looking to their batsmen to make a strong reply.
WEST INDIES first innings
C.Gayle b Harmison 5
D.Smith stp. Read b Giles 108
R.Sarwan lbw b Hoggard 0
B.Lara c Flintoff b Jones 23
S.Chanderpaul b Hoggard 7
R.Hinds c Butcher b Giles 84
R.Jacobs c Vaughan b Jones 38
T.Best lbw Harmison 20
A.Sanford c Trescothick b Flintoff 1
C. Collymore not out 3
F. Edwards not out 1
Extras: (lb-6, w-1, nb-14) 21
Total: (for nine wickets, 84.4 overs) 311
Fall of wickets: 1-17, 2-22, 3-73, 4-101, 5-223, 6-281, 7-289, 8-300, 9-307.