CRICKET: IT'S THE ALEC & ANGUS SHOW

ANGUS Fraser and Alec Stewart ruthlessly ground Brian Lara's proud West Indian side into the dust of the Queen's Park Oval pitch at Port of Spain yesterday.

Fraser and Stewart had been on the receiving end from the West Indies more times than they would care to remember but at last they got their own back to leave England in total control by the end of the third day in an absorbing Second Test.

Two of England's oldest and most trusted campaigners, it was first Fraser and then Stewart who put the Windies on the rack and gave Mike Atherton's side a glorious chance of an unexpected victory.

If England go on to win then they will remember Fraser's remarkable performance, one which saw him complete the greatest comeback in Test history - and made mugs of the selectors who kicked him out of the international game two years ago.

The Middlesex paceman, axed by ex-England chief Ray Illingworth after the 1996 tour of South Africa, left the West Indies reeling as he finished with career-best figures of 8-53 to bowl out the West Indies for just 191.

That was the best-ever return by an English bowler against the West Indies, ironically bettering Fraser's own record of 8-75 in Barbados four years ago.

That gave England a precious first innings lead of 23 and cleared the way for Stewart to take centre-stage. Stewart is known as The Gaffer in the England dressing room - and no wonder.

Backed first by skipper Atherton in an imaginative opening stand of 91 and then aided by John Crawley, Stewart took it to the West Indies from ball one.

He pulled high-speed quickie Nixon McLean through mid-wicket before hammering his next delivery through the covers for another boundary and the West Indies must have feared the worst.

Stewart is a treat to watch when he is in full flow but you couldn't help admiring the bloke's courage, particularly after taking a ferocious blow on his left elbow from a savage Courtney Walsh lifter.

Stewart wasn't bothered. He swept on to his second half century of the match before Atherton became the first to go, unluckily getting a thick bottom-edge on to a wide Walsh bouncer that cruelly sent the ball smashing into the stumps.

Crawley hung around to make 22 but just as the Lancashire batsman was looking set, McLean beat him for pace to have him adjudged leg before.

That left England 143 for two and just five runs later Stewart's effort ended after nearly four hours at the crease.

Even then Stewart could count himself slightly unlucky. He nicked another jet-propelled delivery from McLean that flew straight through the gloves of wicket keeper David Williams, cannoned off the top of his head and looped to Carl Hooper diving to his left at first slip.

Nasser Hussain and Graham Thorpe continued the good work. Hussain was also unfortunate to go.

On 23 he chipped a simple return catch to Walsh but the ball should never have been bowled. The official scorers confirmed that it was the seventh of Walsh's over.

Thorpe (32 not out) and Adam Hollioake (nine not out) saw it out to stumps. By then England had reached 219-4 a lead of 242.

But as much as Stewart deserved unstinting praise for his gutsy effort it was Fraser who really put England in the driving seat.

Fraser had done considerable damage with a five-wicket burst on the second day but he came charging back for more in a vital opening session that inevitably pushed the game England's way.

With only his sixth ball of the day, Fraser sent Kenny Benjamin's off- stump cartwheeling towards wicketkeeper Jack Russell.

McLean was victim number seven, chipping a head-high catch to Andy Caddick at wide mid-off.

And moments later it was all over when Curtly Ambrose's knock of 31 came to an end as he misjudged a slower ball to give Fraser a regulation return catch which he held over his head with a whoop of triumph.

By then Fraser had taken three for six in just 14 balls and, more importantly, driven further doubts into the minds of a West Indian team painfully short on confidence.

Now England must continue to bat the West Indies out of the match today and watch them wilt and wither in the searing Caribbean heat.

Stewart himself said after the close last night: "You can't look too far ahead, especially against the West Indies, but if we're still batting after lunch, hopefully we can win it."

SCOREBOARD

SECOND TEST (Port of Spain)

ENGLAND.- 1st Inns 214

(Hussain 61no, Stewart 50).

WEST INDIES.- 1st Inns

(overnight 177-7; Lara 55)

Ambrose c & b Fraser 31

Benjamin b Fraser 0

McLean c Caddick b Fraser 2

Walsh not out 0

Extras (b12;lb5;nb14) 31

TOTAL..............................191

BOWLING: Headley 22-6-47-1, Caddick 14-4-41-0, Fraser 16.1-2-53- 8, Tufnell 21-8-33-1.

ENGLAND.- 2nd Inns

Atherton b Walsh 31

Stewart c Hooper b McLean 73

Crawley lbw McLean 22

Hussain c & b Walsh 23

Thorpe not out 32

Hollioake not out 9

Extras 29

TOTAL (4 wkts)....................219

Falls: 1-91 2-143 3-148 4-202

BOWLING: Benjamin 15-3-40-0; McLean 12-1-46-2; Ambrose 12-0-36-0; Walsh 21.4-4-44-2;Hooper 19-8-33-0.

Copyright 1998 MGN LTD
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