Kent Pair Save England

Press, Volume CVIII, Issue 31633, 20 March 1968, Page 15

Kent Pair Save England

(N.Z. P.A. -Reuter —Copyright

PORT OF SPAIN.

Confident batting by the Kent pair. M. C. Cowdrey and A. Knott, enabled England to survive two collapses and avert the follow-on on the fourth day of the fourth test against the West Indies.

Cowdrey hit 148 and Knott 69 not out in an England total of 404, made in reply to the West Indies 526 for seven declared.

The West Indies were six runs for no wicket in the second innings at close of play. England had made 373 for five and looked set for many more runs when its progress was abruptly halted by a spectacular spell from the legspinner, B. F. Butcher. He took four wickets for five runs in three overs, and then had another to finish with five for 34.

Before this match. Butcher had taken only nine wickets in 13 years and had not bowled in a test since 1959. But his ordinary-looking leg breaks, interspersed with an ocasional googlie, brought ruin to England's innings. Earlier, after resuming at 204 for two, England had lost three wickets while 15 runs were added. But Cowdrey and Knott, with a sixth-wicket stand of 113 in 96 minutes, took the total past the 327 runs needed to avert the fol-low-on.

Cowdrey, in masterly form throughout his five-hour innings, hit 21 fours. The first victim of Butcher in the Guyana player’s totally unexpected assault on the England batting, he appeared surprised when a catching decision went against him. Knott, the 21-year-old wicket-keeper-batsman, playing in only his third test and his first of this series, was not overshadowed by his captain. He stayed 143 minutes through all the tension of Butcher’s triumphant bowling progress without being unnerved, and hit seven boun daries. WEST INDIES First Innings (for 7 dec.) 526 Second Innings S. Camacho not out .. 5 M. C. Carew not out .. 1

Total for no wicket .. 6 Bowling.—Brown, 1,1, 0,0; Snow, 1,0, 6, 0. ENGLAND First Innings J. Edrich c Lloyd b Carew 32 G. Boycott c Nurse b Rodriguez 62 M. C. Cowdrey c Murray b Butcher 148 K. Barrington lbw b Gibbs 48 T. Graveney c Murray b Rodriguez 8 B. D’Oiiveira b Rodriguez 0 A. Knott not out 69 .1. Snow b Butcher 0 B. Brown c Murray b Butcher 0 G. A. Lock lbw b Butcher 3 I. J. Jones b Butcher 1

Extras (13 byes. 11 legbyes, 2 wides, 7 noballs) 33

Total 404 Fall of wickets: One for 86, two for 112, three for 245. four for 260, five for 260, six for 373, seven for 377, eight for 377, nine for 381.

Bowling.—Sobers. 36, 9. 87. 0: Gibbs, 57, 24, 68. 1; Rodriguez, 35. 4, 145. 3; Carew. 25. 18. 23, 1; Butcher. 13.4, 3. 34. 5; Griffith, 3. 1. 7. 0; Lloyd, 4, «2,7, 0; Nurse, 2,2. 0. 0.