Bishop keeps West Indies on even keel
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Cricket
Australia 331 & 77-2 West Indies 304
Through a combination of application, common sense and the natural talent bestowed on him by the God in whom he so explicitly trusts, Ian Bishop revived another faltering West Indies effort on the third day of the second Test here yesterday.
Playing with straight-batted correctness, the born-again Christian held together the fragile second half of his side's order just when it threatened to once more self-destruct. His hour and 35 minutes of bold defiance earned him his highest Test score, 48, reduced the first innings deficit to a manageable 27 and restored diminishing West Indian hopes.
He returned to deliver 11 consecutive overs of high-class swing bowling that removed the Australian captain Mark Taylor and No 3 Ricky Ponting and left the match on an even keel.
The Australian lead with two days remaining is 104. On a pitch that has been slow all through but is likely to keep increasingly low, the West Indies might be hard pressed to reach a last innings target of 250 to draw level in the series. But the Australians have it in the back of their minds that Brian Lara, with 26, 44 and two, is overdue for a score on the ground where he blitzed 277 in the corresponding Test four years ago.
Bishop's batting has always been more accomplished than a Test average of just under 12 indicates, and he has worked hard to improve it, given the proven West Indian flimsiness from No 7 down.
No one, not even the opener Sherwin Campbell and the left-handed Shivnarine Chanderpaul, who each stayed three and a quarter hours in the middle, played with more confidence and authority. His contribution was at least as critical as theirs.
Bishop joined the battle in the course of an over in which Glenn McGrath, the leader of Australia's inexperienced fast bowling attack, deceived Jimmy Adams and Courtney Browne with cleverly disguised slower balls that were driven to midwicket and mid-off respectively.
Adams shared a left-handed fifth wicket partnership of 63 with Chanderpaul that was beginning to promise much more at his downfall.
When Chanderpaul misjudged Shane Warne's flight and turn 20 minutes later and tapped back a tame return catch two short of his 50, the West Indies were 243 for 7 and only the four fast bowlers remained. On all recent evidence it was not unreasonable to anticipate a deficit of around 80 runs. Instead, Bishop took command and influenced his lesser partners to hang on for a time.
Bishop himself had just pushed the total past 300 for the first time in nine completed Test innings against Australia when he picked Warne's googly and tried to swing it over mid-wicket, but only managed to reach the grasp of Matthew Elliott 15 yards in from the boundary.
McGrath's control, movement and variations of pace gained him four for 82 and underlined the reason for his burgeoning status in international cricket. But Warne's wickets - Carl Hooper after 35 scoreless minutes at the start of the day, Chanderpaul and Bishop - mattered just as much and Australia regard him as their most likely match winner on the final day.
Third day; Australia won toss
AUSTRALIA - First Innings 331 (G S Blewett 69; Walsh 5-98
WEST INDIES - First Innings
(Overnight 156 for 3)
C Hooper lbw b Warne 27
S Chanderpaul c and b Warne 48
J Adams c Bevan b McGrath 30
C Browne c Blewett b McGrath 0
I Bishop c Elliott b Warne 48
C Ambrose b Gillespie 9
K Benjamin b Gillespie 6
*C Walsh not out 2
Extras (b4, lb6, nb10) 20
Total (117.2 overs) 304
Fall (cont): 4-166 5-229 6-229 7-243 8-286 9-298.
Bowling: McGrath 31-9-82-4, Kasprowicz 13-2-37-0, Gillespie 23-5-62-2, Warne 35.2-13-65-3, Blewett 4-0-13-1, Bevan 11-0-35-0.
AUSTRALIA - Second Innings
*M Taylor c Lara b Bishop 16
M Elliott not out 45
R Ponting c Browne b Bishop 4
M Waugh not out 2
Extras (nb4, b2, lb4) 10
Total (for 2, 30 overs) 77
Fall: 1-51 2-67.
Bowling: Ambrose 4-0-15-0, Walsh 6-2-9-0, Bishop 11-2-23-2, Benjamin 1-0-3-0, Adams 3-0-16-0, Hooper 5-3-5-0.
Umpires: D Shepherd (Eng) and D Hair (Aus).
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments