A morale boost for Windies

London-This was more like it but, through no fault of their own, it still amounted to very little.

After a couple of days' slack cricket that cost them the second Test and the opening match of the NatWest Series of One-Day Internationals against Zimbabwe, the West Indies needed an uplifting performance in their second match in the triangular against England here yesterday.

They were putting the pieces back together again when they were foiled by the weather.

No shoddiness

Making the obvious choice of bowling on Jimmy Adams' call of the toss, there was none of the shoddiness that cost them dearly against Zimbabwe on Thursday.

Adams changed tactics, his bowlers enforced them, and they restricted England to 158 for eight from 43.5 overs before the gray skies that had shrouded London all day eventually produced increasingly heavy and persistent rain.

The contest was abandoned at 5 p.m. as water began to settle on parts of the outfield. But the abandonment had been obvious from an hour earlier.

The teams, both felled by the surprising Zimbabweans in their opening matches, had to content themselves with a point each. It leaves Zimbabwe with a useful early cushion of three points and heightens the pressure on the West Indies, in Canterbury tomorrow, and England, in Old Trafford under lights on Thursday, to win their next matches against them.

Each team plays the other twice to determine the finalists for Lord's on July 22.

Even allowing for their all-out second innings 54 in the Test on the same ground on a pitch not dissimilar in its encouragement of movement off the seam and generous, if unreliable, bounce, the West Indies would feel aggrieved at the watery outcome.

England, their batting described by captain Alec Stewart as 'thick' when bowled out for 207 by Zimbabwe at the Oval on Saturday, would be relieved.

In Bristol on Thursday, Reon King and Franklyn Rose had been entrusted with the new ball and Zimbabwe were flying at 57 for two after 10 overs.

Nixon McLean was used second change and bowled accordingly.

Now McLean was given the new ball from the Pavilion End and was engergised by the promotion.

He sent down seven opening overs of genuine pace and hostility, setting the tone with an opening maiden in which four balls flashed past left-hander Marcus Trescothik's bat.

By the time he gave way to Rose, he had removed Alec Stewart to a first slip catch and Graeme Hick to Ridley Jacobs' tumbling, low catch off an under-edge cut, and had yielded only 18 runs.

Corey Collymore, who was preferred for his first major match of the tour to King, shared the new ball with McLean. Adams gave him his allotted 10 overs on a stretch and, while he sent down the occasional half-volley and short ball, he moved his inswingers, one of which so deceived Matthew Maynard he raised his bat and let it hit off-stump.

England were then 47 for three in the 14th over and struggling.

Trescothik, a tall, clean striker who was topscorer on his debut against Zimbabwe the previous day, restored some balance in a lefthanded partnership of 52 in 12 overs wth Graham Thorpe, but England were never allowed to break free of the initial bind.

Chris Gayle, dropping on a spot that challenged the batsmen to come at him, replaced Collymore from the Nursery End while Rose and then Mervyn Dillon alternated from the pavilion.

Delivering his off-breaks from an ambling two paces, Gayle gave up only 28 and not a single boundary from his nine overs. As bonuses, he accounted for topscorer Tresccothik who popped up a gentle return trying for a single to raise his 50 and came back later for a solitary over during which he knocked back Mark Ealham's off-stump.

At the opposite end, Rose bowled with the control he had managed only in spurts previously on tour, taking three wickets from nine overs, and Dillon simply picked up where he left on Thursday with three maidens and 13 runs from 6.5 overs when the rains set in.

Trying to accelerate, as England had to, Craig White touched a catch to Jacobs attempting a steer to third man, Thorpe drove loosely into midoff's lap and Andy Caddick chipped to midwicket, all off Rose.

By then, it was becoming obvious the exercise would be futile in terms of points but the disappointment was tempered by the necessary boost to morale.