Hooper Holds The Key

Carl Hooper had the pleasure of his first hundred as West Indies captain here yesterday.

By the close of the third day of the first Test, he knew his off-spin bowling would be just as significant in determining whether his team can convert a massive advantage into satisfying victory over Zimbabwe in the remaining two days.

Hooper's typically graceful 149 was the tenth time he has passed three figures in 86 Tests - and the first since his unbeaten 108 in Antigua in 1998 against England.

His successive partnerships of 131 with Ramnaresh Sarwan and 100 with Marlon Samuels built on the strong base left by the opening stand of 214 by Chris Gayle and Daren Ganga on the previous day.

It meant that when he finally decided to declare just before tea, the total had climbed to 559 for six, the highest in ten Tests at the Queen's Sports Club ground, and the West Indies were 404 ahead.

It left their bowlers just over a session to stumps and two full days to complete the job.

If any of them had any doubts over the quality of a firm, true pitch on which their batsmen had indulged themselves, they didn't last long.

Zimbabwean batsmen had succumbed meekly in their first innings 155 against an unavoidably reconstituted attack that simply observed the basics. They were unlikely to miss their chance again.

This time Dion Ebrahim, a compact 20-year-old right-hander in his fifth Test who was out for nought on the first morning, and Alistair Campbell, the seasoned left-hander in his 53rd, batted through the 41 overs to close with few alarms.

By then, they had erased 112 of their deficit and lifted the spirits of a team under the cloud of several controversies in board and selection rooms and obliged to meet the challenge in their second innings without one of their major batsmen, Stuart Carlisle.

He cracked a finger in his left hand on the previous afternoon, intercepting a drive, not from the hard-hitting Gayle or Hooper but Sarwan.

There were two chances to get rid of Ebrahim and both were missed. In such favourable batting conditions, and with such a limited attack, it needs every opportunity to count.

Shivnarine Chanderpaul dropped a pull into his midrift off Hooper when Ebrahim was 40 and Reon King fumbled a drive to mid-on 11 runs later with the batsman half-way down the pitch and scrambling to regain his ground after Campbell sent him back.

The fast bowlers - King, Pedro Collins and Colin Stuart - found no consistency, which was a prime requirement in the conditions.

There was plenty the batsmen could ignore and plenty that offered them the width and length to drive, cut and pull.

The rough created by the bowlers' follow through was becoming increasingly evident and Ray Price, the tall Zimbabwean left-arm spinner, had made a few turn and bite.

His West Indian counterpart, Neil McGarrell, could not create any problems, although he should over the coming two days

It was Hooper who looked likeliest to separate the openers with his variations of flight, occasional bounce and minimal turn garnered from lengthy experience.

The fast bowlers have their part to play and coach Roger Harper would no doubt have again emphasised the need for control above experimentation. But Hooper and McGarrell have the critical roles.

It was clear at the start that Hooper would also determine what the eventual West Indies lead would be.

He was already 66 and had put on 104 with Sarwan late on the second day with telling urgency.

Zimbabwe had early openings to despatch each but let both slip to ground. Hooper made them pay for his error, Sarwan didn't.

The captain had added only two when he drove the steady left-arm medium-pacer Bryan Strang on the top above the head of his counterpart, Heath Streak, who could not hold the two-handed catch at short extra-cover.

Sarwan had just reached 50 when his cover-drive off Strang found Ebrahim low at cover and another chance was missed.

The miss was not expensive as Sarwan, always anxious to drive, repeated the stroke and was taken at point.

By now, Hooper was in gear again, stepping away outside leg-stump to negate Price's leg-stump defence to slap through the covers and once advancing to Strang to lift a long, clean hit 20 yards beyond the long-off fence.

Samuels was in touch from the start and lost little in comparison with his captain's sweet touch.

Hooper passed his hundred with a single to point after three-and-aquarter hours' batting and the pair went to lunch with the lead already 343 and the timing of the declaration the next consideration.

It came after Samuels was bowled by Price round his legs for 42, off 71 balls with six fours, and Hooper provided the impressive little 18- year-old wicket-keeper Tatenda Taibu with his first Test catch.

Taibu, a natural with the gloves, had just conceded his first bye after 538 runs when, standing up to Strang, he gathered in Hooper's edge off one wide of off stump.

The captain's statistics were 277 minutes, 211 balls, a six and 18 fours.

Another 40 rather pointless minutes were taken up while Ridley Jacobs and McGarrell added 21. Then it was time to get down to the business of completing a rare overseas victory.