Cricket: Ambrose shatters English hopes: West Indies wreak havoc in 80 minutes

West Indies . . . . .252 and 269

England . . . . . . .328 and 40-8

Among the many qualities that has made the West Indians nigh on unbeatable in Test cricket for two decades is an honours degree in escapology, and among the many qualities that has made English Test cricket abroad nigh on unspeakable over the past few years is the practised aplomb with which they manage to pluck total cock-ups out of thin air.

Even by these yardsticks, the third Test match took an unbelievable fourth day twist here yesterday, as England firstly had their grip inexorably loosened by stubborn bottom-order batting resistance, and were then blown into the ether by Curtly Ambrose producing one of the most devastating spells of fast bowling in the history of Test cricket.

Ambrose, who knocked off the Australians with seven wickets for one run in Perth last year, tends to make a habit of this sort of thing. He dismissed Mike Atherton to the first ball of the innings, Graham Thorpe with the last ball of the day, and as England were reduced to a terminal 40 for 8 in pursuit of 194, Ambrose was hugged and feted all the way back to the pavilion with figures of 7.5-1-22-6.

England's own hand in this scarcely believable carnage, however, was by no means inconsiderable. Graeme Hick completed a memorable day, after dropping two ridiculously easy slip catches, by being swept away by Ambrose for a nerve- racked six runs which none the less elevated him to the dizzy height of the third top scorer.

Atherton was stuck in the crease when leg before against a good length ball, and Mark Ramprakash crassly ran himself out off the fifth delivery after turning blindly for a second run, and joining in a mid- pitch hokey-cokey with Alec Stewart that left him several yards adrift even against a wayward throw from Courtney Walsh.

At 40 for 8, England's lowest total in 118 years of Test cricket (45 all out in Sydney in 1886) is still a possibility today, and lowering their worst total against the West Indies (71 at Old Trafford in 1976) is more of a probability than possibility.

The home crowd, not surprisingly, danced up and down in a delirium of delight as successive England wickets fell, the third of which, in Ambrose's second over, left Robin Smith with a bewildered expression and without a leg stump. Hick's tortured innings ended in a limp prod at Ambrose and a catch behind, and Stewart discovered, not for the first time, that a shortage of foot movement against Ambrose generally results in a shortage of stumps.

It all became a touch comic when Ian Salisbury was sent in as nightwatchman at 26 for 5, probably without a clue as to whom he was supposed to be protecting, and promptly disappeared again without bothering the scorers, caught at first slip off Walsh.

Ambrose was still working up a remarkable head of steam in his seventh over, too much for Jack Russell at any rate, who was busy back-pedalling towards square leg when he jabbed Ambrose off the face of the bat and was caught by the substitute, Phil Simmons, at second slip.

Finally, with just two balls of the day's allocation remaining, Graham Thorpe prodded forward hopelessly late at Ambrose, whose right arm flailed the air in triumph almost before Thorpe's off stump had vanished from its hole.

It was just a little different to the scenes earlier in the day, when England were sitting in the pavilion watching it rain for most of the afternoon session, and wondering whether the weather would deprive them of winning the Trinidad Test for the second time in consecutive visits. This morning, it is only more rain that can save England from defeat, losing the series, and going three-fifths of the way towards a 5-0 whitewash.

During the rest day Keith Fletcher stated publicly (and pyschologically unwisely) that he did not want England to be chasing 200, and it is 22 years (in Delhi) since England last scored more than yesterday's target of 194 to win an overseas Test. In fact, it is 12 years since England made that many to beat anyone (Pakistan at Leeds in 1982) in the fourth innings.

Between the start of the match and the start of yesterday's play the bookmakers had amended their quote on an England victory from 12-1 to 4-11, but when Ambrose was operating yesterday evening, the press box representative from Ladbrokes very nearly set fire to his biro readjusting the figures. This morning's sheet of paper contains no figures at all, just a couple of words. 'Book closed.'

England knew they were in for a tough time when the West Indies chiselled out a further 126 runs from their final five wickets, thanks largely to a disciplined 35 from Winston Benjamin, and an astonishingly mature - given the circumstances of a 19-year-old in his second Test being the last recognised batsman - half-century from Shivnarine Chanderpaul.

However, had it not been further evidence that the customary fly-paper properties of the three sets of hands in the arc between Jack Russell and second slip appear to have been coated in axle grease since the start of the tour, England might not have begun their fourth innings in such a state of nervous disrepair.

The number of times in this series that an English bowler has stood in mid-pitch muttering short-syllabled words at the fielders behind the bat is embarassingly high, and yesterday's four-letter word was Hick. Chanderpaul had added only three to his overnight 1 not out when Hick dropped an embarrassingly easy slip catch off Chris Lewis, and the next one that came his way from Chanderpaul (on 29 off Andrew Caddick) was not much more difficult.

Caddick eventually finished with figures of 6 for 65, which rather flattered him, and he had not long finished an interview for the TV when he had his pads on waiting to bat. He is next in today, which in Ambrose's current mood will not be long delayed. England may be completely hopeless, but this was fast bowling of absolutely the highest class.

Border shuts door, page 37

(Photograph omitted)