Lives in Cricket No 30 - MJK Smith

59 on the series. England were one up and would not lightly surrender that advantage. Against Jamaica Mike made another century, but his form deserted him in the Kingston Test match. This was a finely balanced contest, notable for superb innings of 114 and 97 from Cowdrey and 147 from Sobers in West Indies’ first innings. Seventy-six behind on first innings, England’s openers added 177 but wickets then fell quickly and, after a stubborn last-wicket stand between Allen and Statham, a final total of 305 meant that West Indies had four hours and five minutes in which to score 230. They appeared to be pacing their reply well, but the turning point came with the running out of Sobers, and when Trueman bowled Kanhai to take his fourth wicket West Indies turned to defence, ending 55 short of victory with four wickets in hand. Peter May had had an unhappy tour, but with hindsight Mike realises that he should never have left England. He had clearly not recovered from an operation he had had the previous summer. He seldom showed his best form with the bat, but his 45 in the second innings at Kingston had been a vital contribution and an innings of great courage for he had been attempting to conceal the reopening of an internal wound from his summer surgery. After the Test he flew home, leaving Cowdrey to take over the captaincy. Trueman and Statham, who had done so much to keep England ahead in the Tests, rested as a depleted party proceeded to Antigua, where a three-day match against the Leeward Islands ended in a draw. The territory match against British Guiana, as Guyana was then called, brought another draw, in which Mike made 97 after Pullar and Cowdrey had opened with a stand of 277. The Fourth Test that followed was another game dominated by the bat. With Sobers making 145, West Indies overhauled England’s first innings of 295 by 107 runs, but centuries from Subba Row, coming into the side for May, and Dexter averted any danger and ensured a dull draw. Returning to Trinidad for the final Test, England remained one up in the series; but, having already lost their captain, they now found themselves without Statham, who had returned home on receiving news that his son was seriously ill. Wicketkeeper Roy Swetman had scored few runs in the Tests and his deputy, Keith Andrew, with limited batting potential, had been in poor health for most of the tour, so Jim Parks, who had been coaching in the Caribbean, was called in. Parks showed his form in a batting bonanza against Berbice, where MCC replied to the home side’s 387 for two by treating the rest of the match as batting practice, rattling up 641 In the glare of the Caribbean