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Smith responds to crisis

Honours shared in Kingston

AFP, Kingston
Devon Smith responded to the latest West Indies batting crisis by collecting his maiden Test hundred and leading a fightback on the opening day of the first Test against England at Sabina Park.
Smith, only the third Test cricketer from Grenada, hit 18 fours from 156 balls in just under five hours in his 108 that was the backbone of West Indies' first innings total of 311 for nine when bad light stopped cricket 5.2 overs early.
Smith, a neat, compact lefthander, transported the rich vein of form that he has carried in the West Indies first-class championship into an innings that revived the Caribbean side after England sent back their four most experienced batsmen cheaply.
He, however, could not take all the credit. Ryan Hinds, also playing in his fifth Test, hit his highest Test score of 84 from 117 balls and helped Smith to transform the complexion of the West Indies innings that was in ruins at 101 for four just after lunch.
The two youngest and least experienced of the home team's frontline batsmen knuckled down for two hours to add 122 for the fifth wicket during which Smith pulled a short ball from Steve Harmison over square leg for four to reach his landmark after England dominated the early exchanges.
"As long as you apply yourself, you will get runs," said Smith who was recalled to the team after being discarded following the Australian series last year.
"After Australia, I worked on a few weaknesses and that has helped me to improve."
After choosing to bat in ideal conditions, West Indies might have
been regretting their decision when Harmison had Chris Gayle bowled for five and, three overs later, Hoggard had West Indies vicecaptain Ramnaresh Sarwan, the only right-hander in West Indies' top seven, lbw for nought to leave the home team 22 for two.
West Indies captain Brian Lara entered and looked a bit rusty with a few scratchy strokes.
But he fought through the early scramble and spent just over an hour repairing the early damage
But with Hinds offering good support, Smith continued to plunder the England bowling and smashed Ashley Giles' first two deliveries for boundaries as the leftarm spin bowler conceded 32 from his first four overs.
SCOREBOARD
Scoreboard on the first day of the first Test between West Indies and England at Sabina Park on Thursday:
WEST INDIES: First innings
Gayle b Harmison 5
Smith st Read b Giles 108
Sarwan lbw b Hoggard 0
Lara c Flintoff b Jones 23
Chanderpaul b Hoggard 7
Hinds c Butcher b Giles 84
Jacobs c Vaughan b Jones 38
Best lbw b Harmison 20
Sanford c Trescothick b Flintoff 1
Collymore not out 3
Edwards not out
1
Extras: (lb-6, w-1, nb-14) 21
Total: (For 9 wkts in 84.4 overs) 311
Fall of wickets: 1-17, 2-22, 3-73, 4101, 5-223, 6-281, 7-289, 8-300, 9307.
Bowler O M R W
Hoggard 17.4 2 68 2
Harmison 20 5 61 2
Flintoff 16 3 45 1
Jones 18 2 62 2
Giles 12 0 67 2
Vaughan 1 0 2 0
ENGLAND: M. Trescothick, M.
Vaughan (capt), M. Butcher, N. Hussain, G. Thorpe, A. Flintoff, C. Read, A. Giles, S. Jones, M. Hoggard, S. Harmison.
Toss:West Indies.
Umpires: D. Harper, B. Bowden (TV Replays: E. Nicholls).
Match Referee: M. Procter.
with Smith by defying England for a stand of 51 for the third wicket.
Lara had just begun to come into his own and might have been considering shutting down ahead of lunch, when Simon Jones, making his much heralded return to England colours after being sidelined for almost 18 months with a serious knee injury, had him caught at second slip in his third over to leave West Indies to 81 for three at the interval.
About half-hour after the interval, Shivnarine Chanderpaul was bowled for seven playing a short, rising ball into his stumps to leave the innings in danger of falling for a modest first innings total.