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Wednesday, Jul 07, 2004

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Flintoff, Strauss hit centuries

By Ted Corbett

LONDON, JULY 6. Fearsome Freddie Flintoff — or Awesome Andrew Flintoff, if you want to give him his Sunday name — hit his second century in successive matches in the key contest of the NatWest triangular series at Lord's on Tuesday, enabling England set a total against West Indies which, for the first time in the reign of Michael Vaughan, could be defended.

There is no doubt that this is the summer of Flintoff and if he can continue in this vein we are in for a great Test series against West Indies.

Brian Lara, won the toss and, following what is by now a tradition, sent England in to bat. The word ran round the ground that England was out of the competition on the result of the toss alone.

This time the decision flopped badly as Flintoff took the late overs by the scruff of the neck and left the West Indies attack in a state of shock.

As in the game at Bristol this week-end Flintoff had Andrew Strauss as a partner in his run storm. They came together when England had lost the first three wickets for 54 after 19 overs and put on 226 for the fourth wicket — a record for any England wicket set by Graeme Hick and Neil Fairbrother against West Indies in 1991— to give England 285 for seven, the biggest score of the tournament.

It is not often you see a standing ovation in a One-Day International but the crowd rose readily to Flintoff today when he was caught for 123 in a dramatic last over by Chris Gayle and he thoroughly deserved their tribute.

Strauss had to wait until the last over of England's 50 for his first England one-day century — on his home ground where he made a debut century against New Zealand in the first Test six weeks ago. At that point the run rate was so frenetic that Strauss' moment of glory was almost lost in the welter of statistics.

Let me simplify this strange innings. England scored more runs in the last 13 overs than in the first 37 and 121 off the last 10. It was mostly powered by Flintoff's huge strength although Strauss kept pace with him until the final burst began.

At the start it looked as if England was going to fall into the trap that has beset them throughout the series. Young Tino Best roared in as usual but he bowled a much more consistent line and length than he managed at Cardiff and in his second over Marcus Trescothick played across the line of a quick ball and was bowled.

Vaughan, who can hardly buy a run at the moment, played several injudicious strokes before he was caught behind in the eighth over and an unconvincing Robert Key was bowled by Dwayne Smith for 19.

It cannot be said that Strauss and Flintoff began with any fluency and in the 30th over England was still only 101. By the 40th over they had begun to motor and the score had reached 169 and we were wondering if the last 10 might bring 100 runs.

Flintoff had already hit 6s to square leg and wide long on — one right on to the main advertisement for the sponsors, appropriately — with an ease which seems unnatural even for so big a man.

Strauss, meanwhile, cruised sedately along, the steadying influence that stopped Flintoff having a rush of blood to the head too often and showing that the Englishmen were not going to panic even though they knew they had to win with a bonus point to be sure of a place in the final at Lord's again on Saturday.

But once Flintoff put his foot on the accelerator there was no doubt England's score would be difficult for the West Indies. He finished with seven 6s and eight 4s in an exhibition of hitting that has rarely been equalled at Lord's.

Chris Gayle, with Devon Smith, his third opening partner of the series after Lara and Shivnarine Chanderpaul, was clearly intent on defence when they set out in pursuit of 286 but the early dismissal of Smith in the seventh over set them on the back foot, although the shape of the England innings showed how easy it is to misjudge a one-day innings.

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