Match: 7 – 11 June 2012
Result: Draw
Highlights: Ramdin 107*, Best 95, Onions 4-88, Pietersen 78 and Bell 76*
Tino Best struck the highest score by a Test number 11 in 2012 as the West Indies ended England’s chances of completing a series whitewash at Edgbaston. Best smashed 95 in a thrilling last-wicket partnership of 143 with Denesh Ramdin, who scored 107 not out as the Windies took their first-innings total from an overnight 280-8 to 426.
England lost their top three batsmen cheaply before Kevin Pietersen and Ian Bell steadied the ship with a fluent partnership of 137. Pietersen was caught at slip off Marlon Samuels for 78 and Jonny Bairstow was clean bowled by Best for 18, but Bell remained unbeaten on 76 as England reached 221-5 at the close, still 205 behind.
Heroics of Tino Best will live long in the memory
When the Windies lost their ninth wicket in the first over of the day, it appeared England would soon be setting about overhauling a total of less than 300. But Best had other ideas, the stocky fast bowler from Barbados launching into a thrilling counter-attack.
He threw the bat at anything wide from the seamers and cut successive balls from Graeme Swann for four to go past his previous highest Test score of 27. He became the first number 11 to score a fifty against England since 1906, launching into an exuberant arm-wheeling celebration on reaching the mark.
He surpassed India paceman Zaheer Khan’s record for a number 11 of 75 with a four over gully then hammered Tim Bresnan’s next ball over the bowler’s head for six.
West Indies 4 – England 2
Joe Root’s England take on Jason Holder’s West Indies in the UK’s first ever day/night Test Match from Thursday 17th August which will mark the 10th Test encounter between these two cricketing nations at Edgbaston.
Demand on tickets for this historic match has been huge with day 2 (Friday 18 August) and day 3 (Saturday 19 August) on the verge of selling-out. Tickets are on-sale priced from just £26 for adults and £6 for juniors (U16s). Please click here to purchase online or call the ticket hotline on 0844 847 1902.
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