Lara's sparkle overshadows Campbell's performance

By Ted Corbett

CHESTER-LE-STREET, JULY 16. For once in this dismal summer came the sublime combination of warm sunshine and Brian Lara in form. Heavens, but his 87 here on Sunday was a wonderful spectacle, drowning the memories of both Sherwin Campbell's century and his own often miserable efforts early in the tour.

Lara was not just at his best but clearly a class better than those around him, the artist at work, not the labouring artisan; for a few minutes the finest batsman in the world once again. It was worth all the journeying, all the disappointments, to see him shine once more, especially set against such fine craftsmanship as Campbell demonstrated. There was just one knock to this lovely innings.

The Zimbabwe attack has run out of steam and it was nothing like as sharp or full of menace as England's 24 hours ago. West Indies had to win this match, both for the sake of its own morale and to stay in contention for a place in the final of the tri-series which reaches its climax at Lord's on Saturday. ``Win the toss and win the match'' said their captain Jimmy Adams overnight and by the end of the side's innings it looked as if he must be right.

Lara did not start his innings until Wavell Hinds had gone for a smooth 42 and a partnership of 86 with Campbell. In came Lara with a 50 against England behind him, an innings which had enabled him to ease some of the creases from his batting and which England may come to regret in the next three Tests. He was hesitant at first as if he might have a headache or a hidden injury but as the sun warmed him the strokes began to flow.

At the other end Campbell was playing his usual combination of tip-and-run and those fluent offside drives but it was still Lara who dominated the eyeline. He hit one booming on- drive that skipped over the grass in three big bounces towards the boundary in front of us and he went to 50 out of 204 with the pull off his hips that would not come right for him against England. He had already hit a six to deep mid wicket but in the next over from Dirk Viljoen the slow left arm that had seemed nagging only a few minutes earlier was sent round the ground. A dot ball, four, two, six to mid-on, four through the covers and six to mid-off; 22 in all so that we wondered if he might pass Campbell in the nineties and reach a century first.

Too late - in the 46th over - Viljoen changed the game by taking both their wickets. Lara went first backing away to cut and three balls later Campbell, who had just reached his hundred in 133 balls, hit a tame catch to mid-wicket.

As Zimbabwe has never chased more than 250 to win, its chances were remote and when it lost Neil Johnson, caught behind in the fourth over, the odds were smaller still. The tall West Indies bowler got more lift from the pitch than their medium- size, medium-pace counterparts. Still 50 came up in 12 overs as Murray Goodwin began to score at will. After 29 overs Zimbabwe was 142 for four with Goodwin on 57 and G. Flower on 17.

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