Hit for six!
England equalled a 75-year-old record in registering their seventh straight Test victory, whitewashing the West Indies in the process, and taking the npower series by an impressive score of 4-0. There were many heroes during the four encounters. Rob Key hit an unbeaten 93 at Old Trafford to put England back on track after having fallen hopelessly behind in the third Test, a great encore to his double century in the first. Andrew Flintoff was magnificent throughout the series, and has now scored a 50 in each of his last seven Tests, including an opening 72 at The Oval last Thursday. Steve Harmison put on a spectacular six-hitting show before his bowling reduced the tourist’s batting order to rubble – the list goes on.
At the end of Friday’s first innings, England had set the West Indies a target of 470, the visitors closing the day on 84-2. With all second innings wickets remaining, a further 235 runs were needed on Saturday to avoid an innings defeat and humiliation by England.
On the final day England did not relent, with James Anderson and Marcus Trescothick applying the finishing touches to complete a stunning 10-wicket victory. For England, this has been one of the most successful cricketing summers ever – the formerly invincible West Indies need to go back to the drawing board to reproduce the stunning blend of skill and pace they were once famed for.
