BARBADIAN Kirk Edwards hit an unbeaten maiden Test half-century to lead a West Indies’ recovery at tea on the fourth and penultimate day of the third Digicel cricket Test at Windsor Park here today.
Edwards, playing in his debut Test, was not out on 62, alongside the experienced Shivnarine Chanderpaul (25 not out) as the Windies reached 116 for three at the interval, needing just 27 more runs to erase the 143-run deficit. Edwards reached his 50 off 87 balls with five fours in 132 minutes.
Chanderpaul, who was dropped at slip by Rahul Dravid off Harbhajan Singh in the final over before tea, has so far featured in an unbroken fourth-wicket stand of 76 runs with the right-handed Edwards.
They linked up at 40 for three when Darren Bravo was out for 14, the only casualty in the post-lunch session as the Windies, who restarted from 26 for two, added 90 runs in 36 overs, much to the delight of the cheering crowd which had risen to over 6 000 spectators.
Earlier, India, resuming from 308 for six overnight, lost their last four wickets for 39 runs to be all out for 347 in reply to the West Indies’ modest first innings total of 204.
Fast bowler Fidel Edwards took three of the four wickets to finish with five for 103 in 28.2 overs, the 10th time he has taken five wickets or more in a Test innings.
