2nd Test vs England
CW made only one change to cover for the injured Narang, with batting allrounder Devon Clark asked to open the innings. England won the toss and batted.
Howe continued to trouble Strauss as he got the left-hander in his second over, and later struck to remove Trescothick while Winne removed Pietersen with a spectacular caught & bowled.
Thorpe and Vaughan consolidated before rain arrived on 92/3, stopping play until midway through the afternoon. After the resumption Dean soon removed both set batsmen, while Capone's second spell served to remove Flintoff for single figures. Corrin got two of the tailenders in one over and suddenly England had slipped to 177/8 at tea.
Geriant Jones was once again the last batsman, his 34 off 69 coming to an end as Clark was given the ball just after tea. The new opener finished off the innings in the next over, bowling Harmison to dismiss the home side for 187.
Clark's new role as an opener did not start well as he run himself out for 4, going for an absurd second run on a ball flicked almost straight to square leg. Hoggard snared his opening partner Heads just before the close, and so stumps were called at 55/2.
England fought back into the match viciously on the second morning. Steve Harmison found pace and aggression to cut through the CW middle order as Ballich, Riley and Spark were all sent back in quick time.
Things went from bad to worse as a Hoggard inswinger got through Dharan's defenses, and Winne became the latest victim of a Simon Jones bouncer, the short delivery rearing up and inflicting enough damage to have the allrounder taken off. The visitors were in effect 76/7.
Corrin and Capone provided just enough resistance to get past three figures for the innings, but it did not last long as Tremlett finished things off for 134. England took a lead of 53 runs.
Howe once again had Strauss dismissed, but this time it was after an opening partnership of 48. Trescothick's dismissal to the same bowler kept CW in with a sniff - this was only tea on day two - but Vaughan and Pietersen slowly took control of the game, their partnership remaining unbeaten at the close. The score was 145/2.
The next two sessions on day three were much the same as CW were batted out of it. Both Vaughan and KP made big centuries as the lead piled up, and though Corrin took three wickets in the evening, it rather felt like too little, too late.
The lead had passed 500, but England were not done as Flintoff stormed to his century on the fourth morning. When he was finally bowled by Capone, England declared, setting CW an impossible 616 to win. However, should CW bat through the five remaining sessions, they would still take the series.
It was still in the ballance as Heads and Ballich's gritty fifties had kept CW in the game on 167/2 in the dying hours. However, Ballich's 51 from 152 came to an end in the final over before stumps as Harmison had him trapped lbw. With Winne unable to bat, CW looked likely to lose the Test and draw the series.
It was not to be. Spark and Riley were the men of the day as the England attack came up against an iron curtain of a partnership - their 149 taking 75 overs, and two and a half sessions out of the day. Spark finally gave way in the final hour as he edged Harmison to gully, but the job was done - including Spark's hundred, which came off 278 deliveries.
Riley stayed until the end, keeping the strike and stoically dead-batting his way to 71* off 268 balls. The left-hander walked off knowing the game was saved and the series won.
CW drew with England and won the series 1-0
MotM - Michael Vaughan