West Indies came back from the dead to scamper home totheir first title triumph in more than two decades with a nerve-wrackingtwo-wicket win over England in the final of the ICC Champions Trophy today.
The Caribbeans pulled off the incredible win riding onthe efforts of two tailenders -- Ian Bradshaw and Courtney Browne -- who put arecord unbeaten ninth wicket partnership of 71 runs to stun the hosts.
England appeared to be running away with the game,having pinned down West Indies to 147 for 8 by the 34th over but the tailendershad some other plans.
It was Bradshaw who scored the winning runs, a boundaryoff Alex Wharf, to overhaul England's total of 217 all out, built around MarcusTrescothick's 104, with just seven balls remaining.
Bradshaw (34) and Browne (35), who both hail from Barbados, flustered packedstands at the Oval, which would be remembered for years to come.
The two umpires offered them light at the end of the43rd over at 183 for 8 but they continued their chase in near-darkness to recordthe biggest victory for West Indies since the 1979 World Cup.
Both Browne and Bradshaw are past 30 and play togetherfor Barbados and their maturity and knowledge of each other helped West Indiesin one of their greatest triumphs.
England had the match in their grip when the duo ofSteve Harmison and Andrew Flintoff first reduced West Indies to 80 for 5 andthen the score slipped to 147 for 8 in the 34th over.
Flintoff, the engine which drives the present Englandone-day side, failed as a batsman but took three wickets including the importantscalps of Brian Lara (5) and Ramnaresh Sarwan (14), the captain and vice-captainof the opposition.
The all-rounder took Sarwan out with his very firstball when he forced an edge into the slips and then had Lara poking a catch towicketkeeper Geraint Jones in his third over.
Before his first spell of five overs was out, Flintoffhad also claimed Dwayne Bravo (0) in similar fashion to have West Indies reelingat 80 for five in the 19th over.
Harmison was similarly fiery and gave England theirfirst breakthrough when Wavell Hinds (3) was brilliantly caught at mid-wicket bya leaping Vikram Solanki.
He was then smashed for two fours by thedangerous-looking Chris Gayle (23) but then accepted a return catch to accountfor the openers.
With overcast conditions, Trescothick then came on tobowl as a medium-pacer and immediately took Ryan Hinds (8 ) out with a catchbehind the stumps.
It seemed the West Indies' chances were sealed thoughthe never-say-die spirit of Shivnarine Chanderpaul contributed 47 from 66 ballswith six fours.
The ninth wicket pair then changed the complexion ofthe game dramatically as they played sensibly to take the team to what seemed animprobable victory.
Earlier, West Indies had pinned down England to 217through some good work in the field.
Lara's good call with the toss was amply backed by anall-round bowling and fielding show, best illustrated by the medium-pace ofWavell Hinds who took three for 24 from 10 overs, his career-best figures.
Trescothick waged a lonely battle with 104 from 124 balls, including 14 fours,in what is his eighth century in his 92nd match.
Bradshaw produced his usual early breakthroughs andCorey Collymore overcame a terrible start, not to forget some outstanding workinside the ring by Lara himself, were the features of the West Indians in thefield.
Lara took three catches and effected a run-out, nonemore than one-hand pick up off a ferocious pull from Flintoff at mid-wicketwhich was his 100th catch in his 244th match.
Bradshaw accounted for Solanki (4) and captain MichaelVaughan (7) in his opening spell as the ball jagged around on a helpful pitch inovercast conditions.
Solanki fiddled with an away-going delivery whileVaughan mistimed a backfoot punch and played on to his stumps.
Bravo, such a positive influence for the West Indians,bowled his first spell of eight overs for 20 runs, including a tremendousfollow-through back up fling at the striker's stumps which found Andrew Straus(18) short of crease.
It was then Hinds who took over and gutted the Englandmiddle order, including two outstanding catches by Lara in the mid-wicketregion.
Hinds took a wicket off his very first ball when Flintoff (3) pulled a shortdelivery and Lara, stooping low to his left, plucked a sensational one-handedcatch.
Paul Collingwood (16) then holed out in the deep toChanderpaul and Jones (6) to Lara at short mid-on as England slipped to 149 forsix in the 40th over.
They recovered to a degree through the brisk seventhwicket partnership of 63 runs between Trescothick and Ashley Giles (31) whichcame off only 56 balls.
Trescothick played marvellously and held up one enddespite clever West Indian tactics of denying him the strike. He got his firsthalf century from only 72 balls but it still came in the 26th over.
It remained the trend for Trescothick as he reached hishundred only in the 47th over with a push to long off. He faced 122 deliveriesfor it and slammed 13 fours.
Trescothick too fell to Lara's brilliance in the 48thover when he backed too far from the non-striker's end and the West Indiancaptain, scooping on it like a hawk at mid-on, made a smart return.
Lara also accounted for Giles when he picked up alofted catch off Bravo, the batsman having made 31 from 37 balls with threefours.
PTI
