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Shivnarine Chanderpaul
Shiv Chanderpaul: shone amidst an insipid West Indies display
Shiv Chanderpaul: shone amidst an insipid West Indies display

Chanderpaul's true grit is lesson for Lara's wayward charges

This article is more than 19 years old

Shivnarine Chanderpaul is hardly the MCC coaching manual's idea of a good example but the West Indies captain Brian Lara is hoping some of his crabby grit rubs off on his team-mates before the second Test.

When Fidel Edwards edged Andrew Flintoff shortly before 3pm to give England the lead in this four-Test series, Chanderpaul was still there on 97 not out, having kept watch like a tenacious guard dog for nearly four hours. His head slumped in exasperation and exhaustion, and one could hardly blame him: seven of his colleagues each hung around for less time than it takes to watch an episode of Big Brother's Little Brother.

"I thought Chanderpaul was amazing," said Lara, who was doing his best to remain upbeat after his side's 26th Test defeat out of 31 away from home against sides other than Zimbabwe and Bangladesh. "It was a joy to see. He was struggling a bit in the one-day game but he's worked really hard and spent a lot of time in the nets.

"We need the guys to dedicate themselves off the field, and Shiv's performance proves that. It's important, especially for the younger players, to realise the character it takes to perform at such a high level."

West Indies have become used to the charge that dedication is precisely what they lack but they now have two days to digest the lessons learned at Lord's.

Chanderpaul's vigil took his contribution in the match to 225 runs in 10 hours and 14 minutes without being dismissed and it is now 14 hours and 44 minutes since a Test bowler has watched him walk to the pavilion for anything other than lunch, tea or a close-of-play beer.

It is not the first time he has loitered with intent. In four Tests against India in 2002 Chanderpaul batted for a world-record 25 hours and 13 minutes between dismissals. England felt - and replays backed them up - that he should have been out for a duck in the second innings when he gloved Ashley Giles to short-leg. But otherwise his innings contained as many blemishes as the Lord's outfield.

Some batsmen have the priceless ability to forget how they looked against the previous ball. But Chanderpaul seems to be able to forget how he looks for entire innings at a time. This one was full of pragmatic nudges and cuts, even if he did whip Giles over mid-wicket once or twice with uncustomary style.

Lara was in a better mood than he had been after England's first-day run glut. He even did a passable impression of Edith Piaf, denying that he had any regrets about his decision to bowl first on what turned out to be a belter.

"We just didn't put the ball in the right areas," he said. "There wasn't anything wrong with the decision but inexperience showed a lot. To score 391 in 80-odd overs isn't something you can really plan for. The next three and a bit days I thought we played good cricket."

Not many captains issue a clarion call after a 210-run defeat but in time-honoured tradition Lara was keen to focus on the positives: "We should walk to Edgbaston holding our heads high."

One reason for Lara's optimism is the arrival in the squad of Corey Collymore, the 26-year-old seamer who has won 11 Test caps and replaces the injured Ravi Rampaul. Collymore appeared three times at Edgbaston in the County Championship for Warwickshire last season and bowled with nagging accuracy against England in the Caribbean.

Lara said Collymore would play in place of Jermaine Lawson if he proved himself match-fit, which was practically confirmed yesterday. "It augurs well for us," he said. "I'm quietly confident that things can change around."

On each of West Indies' last three trips to England the side losing the first Test has fought back to claim at least a share of the series. Lara yesterday used the stat like a comfort blanket. If his side fails to follow Chanderpaul's lead at Edgbaston, he might decide to hide under it instead.

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