West Indies, so often guilty of crumbling under pressure, showed its newfound steel in holding on for a dramatic draw in the third Test against England on Thursday, according to tailender Daren Powell. Powell and Fidel Edwards hung on as the last wicket partnership for 10 tense overs to secure a draw and maintain their 1-0 lead with two of the five Tests in the series remaining. “That match was a test of our character,” said Powell. “Coming into this game we only had Tuesday as a proper practice session. After that it was chaos, with the problems with the run-up at the other ground. “We came here and toiled in the sun as England made more than 500 and then we only could get 285.” Ramnaresh Sarwan and Shivnarine Chanderpaul put on 148 in a lengthy partnership that was the backbone of West Indies' resistance. Powell said they had set the tone. “When you look at the way Sarwan and Shiv batted, it was left to everyone who came after them not to let them down, we had to go out and play straight and draw the game,” he said. Sarwan said the batsmen had all been clear about what they needed to do. “We all knew what the situation required. We said this morning (it was) important to occupy the crease and play as straight as possible because of the surface.” Sarwan said the game, an enthralling battle that went right to the wire and in which he scored 200 runs over the two innings, was one that would stay long in his memory. “Generally the Test match was one of the best I have played in, in my entire career, something I will hold very close to my heart,” he said. England captain Andrew Strauss admitted that having to settle for the draw was hard to take. “Clearly when you get so close in a Test and you don't make it over that final hurdle it is very hard to take,” Strauss said. “In some ways, it does feel like a defeat, but once the emotion subsides we'll realize there are a lot of positives to come out of the Test. “Hopefully, we have shifted the momentum away from West Indies and if we can get better as the tour goes on there's no reason why we can't win the series.” Ponting to skip IPL Australia cricket captain Ricky Ponting pulled out of a two-week stint in the Indian Premier League in May, preferring to stay fresh for the Ashes and the World Twenty20 tournament. Ponting, who was in South Africa with the Australian team, wrote in his Friday column in The Australian newspaper that spending a two-week break with his wife Rianna and baby daughter Emmy was also a key factor. Ponting said: “My country comes first.” Ponting was expected to make a reported $150,000 for this year's IPL contract.
