WEST INDIES CRUCIFIED – 47 ALL OUT from 41/5 | STEVE HARMISON takes 7 FOR 12

FIRST CRICKET TEST 2004 , Kingston Jamaica. West Indies all out for 47 from 41 for 5. Steve Harmison rips apart West Indies as he takes 7 for 12. 7/12. Umbrella field. The series where Brian Lara made 400 not out at Antigua. The fast bowler’s perfect line and length was too good for the West Indies batsmen as they capitulated to their lowest ever Test total of 47.
Harmison became the most successful bowler in Sabina Park history when he took 7-12 as he stunned the home crowd.

England wrapped up an unbelievable win before lunch to lead the series 1-0.
When both Chris Gayle and Smith walked into the middle to resume West Indies’ second innings, no one, not even Harmison could have in their wildest of dreams imagined the Ashington Express scalping 7 for 12.

With initial pressure being built up by Hoggard and Harmison, something had to give. Gayle, not known to play with steady perfection was the one to succumb to the pressure. To some extent, he threw his wicket away by attempting a forceful shot off the back-foot, only the ever agile Graham Thorpe to take a fine catch in the slip cordon.

Harmison’s next wicket was that of Ramnaresh Sarwan. By then, Harmison had gradually increased his pace and he got one to cut back sharply with almost geometric-like precision to trap him lbw. Arguably, it could have missed the stumps, but that deadly combination of pace and bounce was compelling to watch.

Chanderpaul was done in by high pace and more so disconcerting bounce from a good length. The red cherry hit the slice of the bat and his stumps went for a walk in the park. The wicketkeeper-batsman, Ridley Jacobs arguably got the ball of the match. It was a snorter of a delivery from Harmison that kicked of a length and Jacobs had no other option, but to fend it off to the short-leg fielder, Hussain to complete an easy catch. The ball to Jacobs wasn’t one of the quickest deliveries bowled by Harmison. But any bowler who forces the batsman to make that slight adjustment by moving it off the pitch, in the air or producing bounce appears to be quicker than what the speed gun says.

Those poor tail-enders in the West Indies camp must have felt as if there was a volcano erupting from the track, as they were nothing more than sitting ducks against Harmison. The umbrella field set by captain Vaughan with only Hussain fielding in front of the wicket seemed like a sweet revenge for all those embarrassing defeats that England suffered at the hands of ruthless West Indies sides of the 1970s, 1980s and early 1990s. Incidentally, 10 years ago in 1994 at Port of Spain, Trinidad, Curtly Ambrose had glided smoothly into the crease to create havoc in the English ranks. Now, Harmison was dishing out something similar at the West Indies camp. As Michael Holding famously said in the commentary box “This is the first time I have seen such a field by England.”

The primal force of the pace attack, Harmison landed the final nail in the coffin by dismissing the last man, Edwards, neatly caught by Trescothick in the slips. West Indies’ total of 47 was their lowest ever in their annals of cricket history. Harmison’s heart-stirring figures of 7 for 12 was the third-cheapest ever in an innings. Trescothick and Vaughan strolled towards the paltry target of 20 runs in a mere 2 overs to script a soul-lifting victory for England.

Harmison won plaudits for his ability to bowl at blistering speed and make the batsmen hop and duck with snorters whistling past their noses. In fact, 2004 was an annus mirabilis for him, as he went onto become the No. 1 ranked bowler in world cricket. Eventually, on the back of their pace attack, England won their first series in West Indies for more than 30 years.