Eng Vs West Indies Final test draw

June 11: Rain had the last say as the 3d and last Test between England and the West Indies ended in a draw at Edgbaston here on Monday.

In a match where 3 days out of a possible 5 were washed out, it was no surprise neither side had got in a position to force win.

And, after yet more rain, the umpires lastly called the game off shortly before 3.15pm local time (1415GMT) following no play at all on the last day. The draw gave England, who'd already retained the Wisden Trophy, a 2-0 win in this 3-match series after 5-wicket and 9-wicket wins at Lord's and Trent Bridge respectively.

Overnight, England was 221 for 5 in reply to West Indies' 1st innings 426, a deficit of 205 runs and needing a further 56 to avoid the follow-on. Ian Bell, attempt to become the 1st Warwickshire batsman to score a Test hundred on his Edgbaston home ground, was left on 76 not out and night watchman Steven Finn nought not out.

West Indies' total owed much to Tino Best's whirlwind 95, the highest score ever by a Test match No 11th batsman. Best faced just 112 balls with 1 six and 14 fours on Sunday's 4th day. Together with wicket-keeper Denesh Ramdin, who made 107 not out, Best shared a partnership of 143 - the 3rd highest 10th wicket stand in Test history and a West Indies record.

And, before Sunday's close, fast bowler Best removed both England skipper Andrew Strauss and Jonathan Bairstow. England, with the series already win, controversially chose to rest 1st-choice new-ball pairing Anderson and Stuart Broad from this match. In their places came fellow seamers Graham Onions and Finn.

Durham fast Onions, who 2 years ago suffered a career-threatening back injury, took 4 wickets for 88 runs in 29.3 overs, with Finn managing 3 for 109 in 32.After this match, England and the West Indies play 3 ODI and a standalone Twenty20, starting with Saturday's 50-over clash at Southampton.

The West Indies will warm-up for the limited overs fixtures with an ODI game against Middlesex at Lord's on Wednesday.

Brief scores

West Indies 1st Innings 426 (D Ramdin 107 no, T Best 95, M Samuels 76; G Onions 4-88, S Finn 3-109, T Bresnan 3-111)

England 1st Innings 221-5 (K Pietersen 78, I Bell 76 no)

Result: Match drawn

Series: England win three-match series 2-0

Man of the match: Tino Best

Man of the series: Marlon Samuels Andrew Strauss

England series win over West Indies

West Indies First Innings-370/10

Highest Score

Marlon Samuels -117 Run 261 Ball

Darren Sammy -106 Run 156 Ball

Wickets

Tim Bresnan

27 Over 104 run 4 Wickets

England First Innings-428/10

Highest Score

Andrew Strauss 141 Runs 303 Balls

Kevin Pietersen 80 Runs 114 Balls

Wickets

Ravi Rampaul

32 Over 75 Runs 3 Wickets

West Indies Second Innings -165/10

Highest Score

Marlon Samuels 76 Run 160 Balls

Wickets

James Anderson-20.1 Over 43 Run 4 Wickets

Tim Bresnan-17 Over 37 Runs 4 Wickets

Total Target-110

England Second Innings

Andrew Strauss -45 Runs 72 Balls

Alastair Cook 43 Runs 86 Balls

Man of the match

Tim Bresnan

Sammy backs. W Indies youth full team.

Kingstown March 15: West Indies caption Darren Sammy believes his team's mixture of raw youth and battle-scarred veterans can knock Australia out of their stride when the 5-game, ODI series starts on (16-03-12) Friday.

The 1st three matches all take place at Arnos Vale, as international cricket returns to St Vincent for the 1st time since March, 2010.Johnson Charles is an excite prospect and we also have Narine, who is a well spinner, and also Andre Russell, the exciting all-rounder, who can do the work that is requisite, said 28-year-old Sammy.

We have some players who are make a return to international cricket like Tino Best, who has been bowling well, and Dwayne Bravo, who says he is very excited to be back in the maroon shirt. We are team which will be very spirited against the Australians. We will seem to play hard cricket and look for wins.

Darren Sammy said he enjoy playing at Arnos Vale. 2 years ago, he record career-best ODI figures of 4 for 26 against Zimbabwe while back, in 2009; he took five for 70 next to Bangladesh in a Test match. We will look to hit the ground running and start the series on a winning note. Arnos Vale has been an excellent venue for us.

The last time we played here we win the matches and we enjoy the crowd support from the fans and the ambiance at this venue is forever superb “We are playing against the Australians, and every person knows they are a well team .a very spirited team. But we are focus on us and what we have to do.

Clarke, Beer back test match for west indies

Sydney, March 14: Injured Australia captain Michael Clarke will be come fit to play the first Test cricket against the West Indies, selectors said as they named a squad that saw the return of spin bowler Michael Beer.

Clarke was ruled out of the one-day series in the Caribbean they starts on 16-03-2012 after injuring his hamstring in a tri-series against Sri Lanka earlier this month.But after intense get the treatment, he was included in the 16-man Test Australia squad.It is anticipated Michael Clarke will be fully recovered and take his place as captain for the 1st Test match in Barbados beginning on Saturday April 7-2012, said national selector John Inverarity.

Shane Watson and James Pattinson were both was come backed after their injury-marred Australian summers but Shaun Marsh remains on the outer after not in fit form.The biggest surprise was return of Beer, who is yet add to his one Test against England in January last year.He joins a list that includes spinner Nathan Lyon, batting new all rounder Peter Forrest and 2 wicketkeepers, Brad Haddin and Matthew Wade.

The selection committee believes the inclusion of 5 fast bowlers, 2 spinners and 2 wicket-keepers will provide main flexibility, said Inverarity.He added that it would also provide cover for any injuries may occur in a presently not easily accessible by replacement or standby players.Teenage bowler Patrick Cummins remains unavailable due to fitness, having missed the entire Australian summer with a foot injury.

Following from the Barbados Test, Australia play a 2nd Test at Port of Spain in Trinidad and a 3rd at Roseau, Dominica.

Squad: Michael Clarke (capt), Shane Watson (vice-capt), Michael Beer, Ed Cowan, Peter Forrest, Brad Haddin, Ryan Harris, Ben Hilfenhaus, Mike Hussey, Nathan Lyon, James Pattinson, Ricky Ponting, Peter Siddle, Mitchell Starc, Matthew Wade, David Warner.

West Indies cricketer Runako Morton is death

Port of Spain, March 5: West Indies cricketer Runako Morton was killed in a car accident here Sunday night.

The 33-year-old, one of the few cricketers to come out from the island of Nevis, lost control of the car he was driving and hit a pole, according to reports. He died on the spot. Morton had played 15 Test matches, 56 ODI internationals and seven T20s for the West Indies since make his international first appearance in 2002. He last played in February 2010 in a T20 against Australia in Sydney.

Previous West Indies Chris Gayle, under whom Morton played in the national team, "We lost a True Warrior W.I Cricketer Runako -May is soul rest in peace! Our memoirs together Live On!-My pity to his Family."West Indies player Carlos Braithwaite also opens his condolences. "RIP Runacko Morton. Gone but not forgotten," he tweets.

England star batsman Kevin Pietersen also spoken his shock on Twitter. My thoughts go out to Runako Morton's family this morning... Such sad news!! What a good-looking guy & fierce competitor!! RIP bossman!!!" he said. Morton had represent Trinidad and Tobago, Leeward Islands in Nevis. Morton scored 5980 runs at an average of 39.60 in a 1st class career that span over 17 years.

Morton's career, however, was never short of controversy. He was excluded from the West Indian Academy in July 2001, for a series of rule breaches but a good run with the bat for Leeward Islands in the Busta Cup forced the selectors to recall him in 2002 as a substitute for Marlon Samuels.

His career seemed almost over in September 2002, when he pulls out of the ICC Champions Trophy in September 2002, after lying about the death of his grandmother. In January, 2004, he was detained but released without charge next a stabbing event.Morton and Leeward Islands all-rounder Tonito Willett were under arrest, before being released on bail, in March last year for control of marijuana.

Sehwag record India wins the series-3-1

Indore: Virender Sehwag smashed the top score in one-day cricket on Thursday as India flattened the West Indies by 153 runs to take a significant 3-1 lead in the five-match series.Sehwag hammer a brilliant 219 off 149 balls to pick up India to their best one-day total of 418-5, before the West Indies were bowled out for 265 in the fourth international.

Debutant leg-spinner Rahul Sharma tacked up three wickets in his first three overs as the tourist was outplayed despite an insolent 96 from wicketkeeper Denesh Ramdin.

Ramdin set on 64 for the last wicket with Sunil Narine (27 not out) previous to he was caught in the deep attempt to score his maiden one-day century.

Sehwag plunder 25 four and 7sixes during his 149-ball blitz, joining national Sachin Tendulkar as the only batsmen in history to score double-centuries in the 50-over format.

Sehwag motivated past Tendulkar's 200 not out - touching South Africa in Gwalior last year - in the 44th over when, on 197, he cut Andre Russell to the point fence.

He was at last dismiss in the 47th over when he was caught in the deep off Kieron Pollard and was clap off the field by the total West Indies team and some 30,000 glad home fans.

Sehwag's blistering knock help India surpass their previous highest one-day total of 414-7 against Sri Lanka in Rajkot in 2009. It was Sehwag's 15th three-figure tap in one-day cricket and the first since make 175 against Bangladesh in the chance match of the World Cup in Dhaka in February this year.

Sehwag, who is captain India in the series in the deficiency of the rested Mahindra Singh Dhoni, had managed just 46 runs in the before three matches.

But he found the right condition on the run-laden pitch at the Holkar pitch in Indore to strike form in advance of the Test series in Australia starting later this month.

Sehwag, who was dropped on 170 by West Indies captain Darren Sammy in the cover, put on 176 for the first wicket with Gautam Gambhir (67) and 140 for the second with Suresh Raina (55).

Left-hander Gambhir, who had scored 16 runs in the series, ruined the shackles to hit 11 boundaries in his run-a-ball innings during the rollicking chance stand.

INDIA AND WET INDIES ODI SERIES SCHEDULES & RESULTS

World champion India will count on their youthful stars to deliver when they take on fast-improving West Indies in a one-day series start in Cuttack on Tuesday.

India team:

Virender Sehwag (capt), Gautam Gambhir, Virat Kohli, Ajinkya Rahane, Suresh Raina, Ravindra Jadeja, Parthiv Patel, Ravichandran Ashwin, Praveen Kumar, Vinay Kumar, Umesh Yadav, Varun Aaron, Rohit Sharma, Manoj Tiwary, Rahul Sharma.

West Indies Team:

Darren Sammy (capt), Adrian Barath, Darren Bravo, Danza Hyatt, Anthony Martin, Jason Mohammed, Sunil Narine, Kieron Pollard, Kieran Powell, Denesh Ramdin, Ravi Rampaul, Kemar Roach, Andre Russell, Marlon Samuels, Lendl Simmons.

SCHEDULES & RESULTS

1Tue, 29 Nov 2011 02:30 PM IST

IND vs WIBarabati Stadium,                   Cuttack To be played2Fri, 02 Dec 2011 02:30 PM IST

IND vs WIACA-VDCA Stadium,             Visakhapatnam To be played3Mon, 05 Dec 2011 02:30 PM

IND vs WISardar Patel Gujarat Stadium,Motera To be played4Thu, 08 Dec 2011 02:30 PM IST

IND vs WIHolkar Cricket Stadium,          Indore To be played5Sun, 11 Dec 2011 02:30 PM IST

IND vs WIMA Chidambaram Stadium,  Chennai To be played.