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West Indies close in on win

Courtney Walsh became the greatest wicket-taker in the history of Test cricket as the West Indies zeroed in on victory on the fourth day of the second Test against Zimbabwe at Sabina Park.

Walsh grabbed three Zimbabwe second-innings wickets to take his career tally to 435 and break the previous mark of former Indian captain Kapil Dev.

The tourists were dismissed for 102 in their second innings, leaving the West Indies needing just 72 for victory.

By stumps on the fourth day, the West Indies had reached eight without loss and reduced the target to just 64 with a whole day still remaining.

Walsh accounted for Zimbabwe's openers to equal Kapil's mark before dismissing Henry Olonga to secure his place in history and send an ecstatic crowd at his home ground into raptures.

Zimbabwe slumped dismally after Walsh had removed Trevor Gripper (0) and Grant Flower (11) shortly after lunch and eventually capitulated for just 102 with Heath Streak unable to bat because of back spasms. Neil Johnson scored 29 and Alistair Campbell made 22 but the rest of the Zimbabwe batsmen failed miserably.

Walsh ended with figures of three for 21.

Young buck Reon King tried to upstage Walsh with two wickets of his own as Zimbabwe, who trailed by 31 runs on first innings, slumped to 52 for four at tea - but Walsh grabbed the limelight in the end.

Playing his 114th Test, Walsh struck twice in the seventh over after Zimbabwe resumed from their lunch-time position of 11 without loss to prompt the disc jockey in the Mound Stand to play the dancehall reggae tune by Spragga Benz capturing his achievement.

The lyrics, "Whos de big man inna cricket, Courtney! Who uh lick down man wicket, Courtney!", rang across the ground almost every time Walsh ran into bowl and it was not in vain.

Gripper, who spent nearly an hour for his nought, was squared up by a ball moving away and offered a thin edge to wicketkeeper Ridley Jacobs with the first ball of Walshs seventh over.

Three balls later, Grant Flower was similarly wrong-footed to steer a catch to second slip where Sherwin Campbell gleefully got a chance to redeem himself for dropping Gripper before lunch although he needed two grabs at the ball before pouching it.

West Indies captain Jimmy Adams introduced King for his first bowl and he removed the two opposition batsmen who have made centuries in the two Tests in the space of 11 balls.

Murray Goodwin looked solid and was striking the ball crisply when flat-footed he drove at a well-pitched delivery and was bowled for nine.

Captain Andy Flower might have had visions of another substantial innings after a ton at Port of Spain in the first Test, but he played back to a ball keeping low from King and was bowled for ten about ten minutes before the break.

Jimmy Adams earlier completed his sixth Test century to give the home side their narrow first-innings advantage. Adams, 87 overnight, remained unbeaten on 101. It was Adams's first century in four years, but he needed the help of batting bunny King to reach the milestone.

When King arrived at the wicket, Adams was 89 and the odds were against King sticking around for too long and the West Indies captain reaching his hundred. King, however, batted for just under an hour, while Adams eked out 11 runs to reach his first century since his unbeaten 208 against New Zealand at St. Johns, Antigua, in 1996.

It was a remarkable comeback for Adams, whose place in the side appeared tenuous before the two-match series against the Zimbabweans commenced. He had spent 16 Tests and 28 innings without a Test century, but the selectors and the West Indies Cricket Board showed great faith in him when they handed him the additional responsibility of the captaincy after Brian Lara announced his self-imposed exile.