LONDON, England (CMC) - Briefly paralysed by an inexplicable sense of panic, the West Indies recovered from that sudden attack of nerves to overhaul a target of 286 set by England by seven wickets with five balls to spare at Lord’s yesterday to confirm a showdown with New Zealand in the final of the NatWest Series back at the same venue on Saturday.
Having gambled with the inclusion of an additional batsman at the expense of a frontline bowler, the Caribbean side were not stretched beyond the first five in the order as an unbeaten 132 by Chris Gayle guided his side to a rousing triumph that left the vast majority of fans in the ground in silent disappointment.
Just four hours earlier, the fans were rejoicing in the midst of a savage assault by Andrew Flintoff and Andrew Strauss, who both blazed hundreds in a record partnership that lifted England from an unsteady 54 for three to a very competitive 285 for seven.
Gayle’s ninth hundred in his 100th One-Day International, an innings that earned the hard-hitting left-handed opener the Man-of-the-Match award, was the solid foundation of another impressive run-chase that reinforces the belief that this West Indian team, for all of its infuriating inconsistencies, is ideally suited to batting second in the shorter version of the game.
Indeed, in the six completed matches in the tournament, the team batting second emerged winners and it is anticipated that the toss will be a critical factor when Brian Lara and Stephen Fleming meet on the pitch on Saturday morning.
The result, on a sun-drenched, run-filled day that kept the full house of 30 000 in their seats almost to the final ball, renders tomorrow’s last preliminary match between the finalists as a dress-rehearsal for the big showdown, although a forecast of almost hurricane-like weather over the next 48 hours in southern England could see the game at the Rose Bowl in Southampton being declared as the third no-result of the series.
As the English were left brooding over a number of missed half-chances to halt the West Indies march to victory, the visitors were giving thanks not only to Gayle for his fine century, but also to Ramnaresh Sarwan.
The vice-captain followed innings of 46 at Headingley and 54 at Sophia Gardens - both losing efforts - with a polished 89.
His measured, composed innings in a 187-run second-wicket partnership - a new West Indian record - with Gayle seemed to have rendered the result a formality only for the classy right-hander to spoil his effort with an ugly swipe at James Anderson that brought about his demise in the 38th over to a catch by wicketkeeper Geraint Jones that triggered a worrying stumble for the West Indies.
Lara, who normally completes the executioner’s job with great efficiency in such circumstances, then failed to get off -- caught behind for ten and at 218 for three in the 42nd over.
The confusion in the West Indian camp was apparent when Ricardo Powell was sent in to reproduce some of his famed lusty blows.
Both he and Gayle could have been run-out but England’s fielders could not manage once to hit the stumps despite several close opportunities throughout the innings, the most obvious being when Sarwan, on 54, slipped and was stranded halfway down the pitch.
Eventually, with Gayle tiring and reduced to the occasional heave, Powell found his range, a six over long-off off Darren Gough effectively ending any lingering hopes England had of pulling off a win that would have kept their hopes alive of reaching the final and also avoiding the inevitable pummelling from their media over the next few days. Gayle’s innings spanned 165 deliveries and included 12 fours and a six while his supporting partner throughout much of the chase, Sarwan, played masterfully in accumulating his 89 runs off just 78 balls with nine fours.
The pair had come together when Devon Smith, drafted in to solve the opening problem, became the first of Jones’ three victims behind the stumps off Gough, falling for just ten in the seventh over.
Earlier, Flintoff especially and then Strauss treated the crowd to an awesome display of power hitting in a 226-run fourth-wicket stand off 30 overs that established a new standard for any England partnership in ODIs.
Both perished to Gayle in the final over off the innings and even though the Jamaican added the scalp of Paul Collingwood in the mad dash for runs, it seemed at that stage that the hosts had done enough.
The mood was certainly very different at the start of the innings as Tino Best, benefiting from the tutelage of West Indian fast bowling legends, Courtney Walsh and Michael Holding, the previous day, removed Marcus Trescothick and captain Michael Vaughan within his first four overs.
Dwayne Smith then bowled the out-of-form Robert Key and at 54 for three in the 19th over, England again looked to Flintoff to rescue them.
As he did in Bristol on Sunday against New Zealand - ultimately in another losing effort - the powerful right-hander delivered with his second consecutive hundred, a bludgeoning 123 off just 104 deliveries highlighted by seven towering sixes and eight fours.
The left-handed Strauss, on his home ground where he marked his Test debut with a hundred five weeks earlier, followed in Flintoff’s wake before coming into his own, reaching his century in the final over off 115 balls with eight fours and two sixes. In a riotous final 20 overs 184 runs were plundered, leaving the Lord’s faithful in a state of near delirium.
The change of pace was reflected in the figures of Dwayne Bravo, who conceded just 11 runs in his first four overs only to be carted for 69 off the next six.
In contrast, the consistent Ian Bradshaw was again a model of economy as just 29 runs came off his ten overs while Best had tidy figures of two for 42, bowling at full length and full pace.
ENGLAND innings
M.Trescothick b Best 11
M.Vaughan c wkp. Jacobs b Best 8
R.Key b Dwayne Smith 19
A.Strauss c Bravo b Gayle 100
A.Flintoff c Bradshaw b Gayle 123
P.Collingwood c Devon Smith b Gayle 1
G.Jones run-out 1
A.Giles not out 0
Extras; (lb-6, w-10, nb-6) 22
Total: (for 7 wickets, 50 overs) 285
Fall of wickets: 1-14, 2-27, 3-54, 4-280, 5-284, 6-284, 7-285.
Bowling: Bradshaw 10-2-29-0 (w-1), Best 10-1-42-2 (nb-1, w-3), Bravo 10-2-80-0 (w-2), Dwayne Smith 10-0-71-1 (nb-3, w-2), Gayle 10-0-57-3 (nb-2, w-2).