Campbell leads resolute West Indian recovery

After two disappointing days at the WACA ground in Perth, West Indies' batsmen have come out fighting on day three of the tour match against Western Australia today. Led by a defiant century from opener Sherwin Campbell (119), the West Indians have reached a second innings score of 6/266 by stumps, one that provides them with an overall lead of forty runs heading into the final day.

Although the loss of the wickets of both Campbell and nightwatchman Mervyn Dillon (3) to the medium pace of Tom Moody (2/9) in the shadow of stumps provided a sour end, this was a heartening day for the tourists. With their experienced right hander offering the perfect prototype, virtually every one of their players who visited the crease today seemed intent on playing an innings loaded with resolve and application.

The result was the generation of a succession of patient and disciplined partnerships. Nightwatchman Marlon Black (3) and Wavell Hinds (27) fell, and Campbell himself failed to score for well over an hour through one phase, but even through the first session, there was a strong hint of what was to come. Other than for the cross-batted, top-edged pull at a short Steve Nikitaras (1/66) delivery down the leg side which engineered Hinds' demise, ill-disciplined strokes were minimal in number.

Later in the day, Campbell received similarly fine support from experienced players Shivnarine Chanderpaul (43) and Jimmy Adams (41*). Chanderpaul did not look quite at his best, but fought doggedly against the Warriors' attack until finally spooning a catch to square leg twenty-five minutes before tea. Adams survived one beseeching lbw shout against Brendon Julian (1/37) halfway through the final session and endured the misfortune of receiving two deliveries from the same bowler which barely did anything but run along the ground after pitching just short of a good length outside the line of off stump. Otherwise, though, he looked as sound in defence as ever against an attack which never really assumed a rating of anything exceeding steady.

As for Campbell himself, he alternated between long periods of methodical defence and shorter bursts of attacking shotmaking, particularly through the off side. In fact, it was probably fitting that his century was raised with a forceful cover driven boundary. Before a first innings failure in this match, he had opened the tour with a century in the festival-style game at Lilac Hill earlier this week. With another seven hours at the crease now under his belt, this innings offered another welcome morale-boost as he continues his preparations for the upcoming Test series against Australia. Even more encouragingly, it clearly did so for the side as a whole as well.