CRICKET/Second Test: Marcus Trescothick has always trodden a fine line between success and failure. On the dog days, when his feet are just somewhere to keep his shoes tidy, and he wafts airily to no avail outside off-stump, he can look incongruous at Test level.
But then there are the innings when economy of effort becomes a virtue, his straight bat and sturdy technique a model of efficiency, and he dominates the bowling as no other member of the England side, with the exception of Andrew Flintoff, can manage.
And on a sweltering day of high humidity at Edgebaston he filled his boots with a clipping, cuffing, clumping seventh Test century, his first against West Indies and the first by an England batsman against them on this ground for 47 years.
It laid down the drumbeat for another successful day for England and one of unremitting toil for Brian Lara's young side, although the effort they put into their work yesterday was at odds with the shabby performance of the opening day at Lord's where they conceded 391 for two.
They worked hard yesterday, kept their discipline well enough, bending only in the final overs as Flintoff and Geraint Jones started to take toll of a tired attack in an unbroken half-century partnership.
By the close, reached five overs early because of bad light, England, who won the toss, had posted 313 for five, with Flintoff, monumentally assured once more and frighteningly solid of stroke, having hit four fours and a pulled six in his 42 while Jones struck five fours - three of them sumptuously in four balls from Corey Collymore - in making 27. The new ball awaits them first thing this morning and, if West Indies, refreshed, can make good use of it, they will be back in the game.
Trescothick innings of 105 was ended only when he edged a slash to first slip - the first and only false stroke he offered in four- and-a-quarter hours. It was his second Test century of the summer following that against New Zealand at Headingley.
He had driven the ball firmly, with the full face of the bat, and none of his 19 boundaries was better than that off Omari Banks when the offspinner tossed one a little higher and wider and which seared through the covers to take him to within one of his century.
That Banks then spun a ball past his defensive prod says something for the young bowler's temperament but, when he dropped short, Trescothick cheerily chopped him away, behind point, to go to three figures. The Somerset man, anoraks will notice, has now played 52 Tests in four years, the same number as Bradman managed in 20, such is the demand on the modern player.
With the board showing at different times 150 for three and 262 for five Lara, who had seen the first 50 runs consist of 11 boundaries in as many overs, will have been content for the most part with the way things were running. Andrew Strauss, a fish out of water away from Lord's - relatively, of course - hit five fours in making 24 but then offered a huge drive at a wide ball and edged to the keeper. Robert Key was unable to pick up on his double hundred in the first Test, hung his bat out to Pedro Collins and offered a routine slip catch.
Graham Thorpe helped himself to a nice half-century. There were some delightful left-hander's checked drives in his 10 boundaries and, with 61, he looked set for a hundred when, in attempting to pull Collymore, he got a thin under edge on to his hip and Ridley Jacobs took a low catch.
Scoreboard
England First Innings
M E Trescothick c Lara b Bravo 105
A J Strauss c Jacobs b Lawson 24
R W T Key c Lara b Collins 29
M P Vaughan c & b Bravo 12
G P Thorpe c Jacobs b Collymore 61
A Flintoff not out 42
G O Jones not out 27
Extras lb2 w1 nb10 13
Total 5 wkts (85.2 overs) ... 313
Fall: 1-77 2-125 3-150 4-210 5-262
To Bat: A F Giles, M J Hoggard, J M Anderson, S J Harmison.
Bowling: Collins 16.2 1 75 1; Collymore 18 3 85 1; Lawson 17 4 47 1; Bravo 16 5 42 2; Banks 18 2 62 0.
