PORT-OF-SPAIN, Trinidad, (Reuters) - Fast bowler Simon Jones took five wickets as England moved to the brink of victory on a dramatic fourth day of the second Test against West Indies yesterday.
West Indies had fought back strongly before the tourists, chasing a target of just 99, finished on 71 for two, 28 runs away from a 2-0 lead in the four-match series as they seek victory in the Caribbean for the first time since 1968.
Mark Butcher was unbeaten on 33 at the close with Nasser Hussain on five after a day in which 16 wickets fell.
It had looked as if West Indies might set a testing target thanks to a fine knock of 70 by wicketkeeper Ridley Jacobs, elevated above captain Brian Lara in the order.
But after his departure and Lara's dismissal for eight, the hosts collapsed to 209 all out, their last seven wickets falling for 51 runs.
Having taken the last four England wickets for four runs, including Graham Thorpe for 90, to bowl out the tourists for 319, West Indies made a sound start to their second innings as Chris Gayle and Devon Smith added 34 for the first wicket.
Gayle, top-scorer in the first innings with 62, hit four boundaries and looked set for another useful score until Jones got one to keep low to bowl him for 16.
Smith lost his head when on 17, lofting Jones straight to Matthew Hoggard at mid-off.
Things got worse for West Indies straight after lunch when umpire Billy Bowden adjudged Ramnaresh Sarwan lbw to Jones for 13 with the total on 56, though television replays suggested it was harsh. Jones may also be in trouble with the ICC for his exaggerated celebrations.
Lara's decision to promote Jacobs up the order just 10 minutes before lunch was vindicated as he took the attack to England.
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Jacobs' 14th Test fifty came up from 65 balls, including eight boundaries, as he and Shivnarine Chanderpaul, finally showing some form in the series, shared a century partnership.
But just as the home side looked to press on, Jones got a delivery to Jacobs to rise from short of a length and Andrew Flintoff took an easy catch running in from gully.
That brought Lara to the crease but one lovely boundary off his legs was all the left-hander could muster on his own ground before he was trapped lbw by Steve Harmison.
Dwayne Smith was brilliantly caught in the gully for 14 by substitute fielder Paul Collingwood, on for Thorpe who was nursing a hand injury, and when Chanderpaul, on 42, was well held by Hussain running in from deep fine square-leg the end was in sight.
Fast bowlers Tino Best and Adam Sanford fell cheaply before Jones ripped through the flimsy defences of Pedro Collins to complete his first five-wicket haul in Tests.
Although England opener Marcus Trescothick's wretched tour continued when he was bowled by Best for four in the first over, captain Michael Vaughan and Butcher struck a flurry of boundaries.
After hitting three fours and a six in a rapid 23 Vaughan was trapped lbw by Sanford and when bad light forced the players off early England had rattled up 71 runs in 10 overs to stand on the verge of another famous victory following their 10-wicket triumph in Jamaica last week.
WEST INDIES first innings 208 (C.Gayle 62; S.Harmison 6-61)
England first innings (overnight 300-6)
M.Trescothick c Sanford b Best 1
M.Vaughan lbw b Collins 0
M.Butcher c Jacobs b Best 61
N.Hussain b Best 58
G.Thorpe c Gayle b Collins 90
A.Flintoff c and b Dwayne Smith 23
C.Read lbw b Collins 3
A.Giles c Devon Smith b Collins 37
M.Hoggard not out 0
S.Jones b Gayle 1
S.Harmison b Gayle 0
Extras: (b-5, lb-20, w-3, nb-17) 45
Total: (all out, 133.5 overs) 319
Fall of wickets: 1-2, 2-8, 3-128, 4-186, 5-218, 6-230, 7-315, 8-318, 9-319.
Bowling: Collins 29-8-71-4, Best 28-5-71-3, Sanford 26-6-60-0, Collymore 24-7-39-0, Dwayne Smith 9-0-30-1, Gayle 16.5-6-20-2, Sarwan 1-0-3-0.
WEST INDIES second innings
C.Gayle b Jones 16
Devon Smith c Hoggard b Jones 17
R.Sarwan lbw b Jones 13
R.Jacobs c Flintoff b Jones 70
S.Chanderpaul c Hussain b Flintoff 42
B.Lara lbw b Harmison 8
Dwayne Smith c sub. b Flintoff 14
T.Best lbw b Hoggard 2
A.Sanford c Trescothick b Hoggard 1
P.Collins b Jones 7
C.Collymore not out 0
Extras: (b-1, lb-3, w-5, nb-10) 19
Total: (all out, 67 overs) 209
Fall of wickets: 1-34, 2-45, 3-56, 4-158, 5-171, 6-194, 7-195, 8-200, 9-205.