Swann masterminds tourists' downfall

Cricket: Graham Onions and Graeme Swann scythed through West Indies' batting as the tourists lost seven wickets for 29 runs …

Cricket:Graham Onions and Graeme Swann scythed through West Indies' batting as the tourists lost seven wickets for 29 runs in a paltry 152 all out at Lord's. Off-spinner Swann (three for 16) began the collapse with two wickets in two balls - to add to his maiden 50 in England's 377 - and debutant seamer Onions (five for 38) then took four in seven balls.

The blur of departing batsmen on day two of this npower series began when Swann saw off opener Devon Smith and then Shivnarine Chanderpaul for a golden duck just before tea.

After Onions grabbed his slice of the action, West Indies' spot of bother had turned to terminal and hectic decline and prompted England to enforce the follow-on.

The capitulation contained the loss of four wickets for two runs at one stage.

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Swann had finished unbeaten on 63 when England were all out in early afternoon - and then after a false start when he was bizarrely given the new ball by Andrew Strauss, he returned to undermine the West Indies again.

On a gloomy and overcast day, it was Stuart Broad who took the first two Windies wickets - Chris Gayle chopping on and Ramnaresh Sarwan under-edging behind.

But it was not until Swann spun the first ball of his second spell through Smith's defence and then had Chanderpaul neatly caught at slip by Paul Collingwood that a meandering match suddenly ignited.

Swann also had Brendan Nash snapped up at slip. But from that point, it was Onions who took over.

First, he got conspicuous lift to have Lendl Simmons caught high at slip by Strauss; then came Jerome Taylor, caught behind down the legside, and Sulieman Benn was also undone by bounce and sliced into the slips.

Onions' fourth victim was Denesh Ramdin, pinned lbw.

A comedy run-out chance should have done for either of last pair, Fidel Edwards or Lionel Baker, by yards - with the score on 139. Instead, they somehow survived to add 24 together until their defiance ended when Onions completed his five-wicket haul with an lbw verdict against Baker.

It was largely down to Swann that Edwards (six for 92) had endured a difficult morning as the Nottinghamshire all-rounder and Ravi Bopara (143) plundered an eighth-wicket stand of 93 to bolster England's total.

The Barbadian fast bowler hit back, however, to take two wickets in two balls himself - for the second time in the match - and finish with his best figures against these opponents.

West Indies did not use the second new ball with much purpose, Edwards in particular failing to build on his first-day successes in an initial spell of six wicketless overs for 38 runs.

He was soon twice being crashed through mid-off for boundaries by Swann - before a 15-minute break for bad light brought some respite.

On his return, Swann lined up Baker from the pavilion end - and the more West Indies tested out the England number nine's off-side play, the happier he seemed to be to answer in crunching fours.

Swann was less adept against the shorter ball but nonetheless raised his 50 in the grand manner with a resounding pull for six off Baker to go with his eventual nine fours from 89 balls.

Bopara fell to a loose drive at Taylor to extra-cover - where Nash took the tumbling catch, having had to watch Bopara add 67 runs since he dropped a sitter at square-leg to reprieve him yesterday.

With only new man Jimmy Anderson and number 11 Onions left for possible company, Swann set about trying to eke out a 400-plus total.

But after hitting Anderson on the helmet with a bouncer just before lunch, Edwards made the shortest work of him and Onions after the break.