Chanderpaul relieved at gutsy knock

Shivnarine Chanderpaul celebrated being named as the best cricketer on the planet by forging an advantage for Durham against LV County Championship title rivals Somerset.

Chanderpaul struck a disciplined 93 as Durham head into the final day of their crunch Division One contest 41 runs ahead on 265 for three.

The 34-year-old has enjoyed a remarkable 12 months for West Indies, piling up 819 runs in eight Tests and also averaging 74.75 in one-day internationals, although he admits he has found life in county cricketer much tougher.

“Whenever I go out there I try to be patient, be respectful to all the bowlers and play what I see,” Chanderpaul said. “It has been a very good year but I’ve actually been struggling out there right now.

“I would say it has been my best year but I need to get some runs over here. These are different conditions; the ball is doing a lot more because the wickets are more bowler-friendly. Today was okay but there have been some struggles.”

Chanderpaul shared a third-wicket stand of 174 with Michael Di Venuto, who finished unbeaten on 131 and is 18 runs short of 1,000 in the championship this summer.

“There were two guys out there batting who haven’t scored anything much over the past few games we’ve played, so we wanted to get some runs and not take too many risks,” Chanderpaul said.

Shivnarine Chanderpaul's 93 comes after a string of low scores in county cricket

With bonus points vital in the tussle at the top, it was an attritional affair after lunch on a rain-reduced third day as only 27 runs came from 24 overs.

But Durham have manufactured a position whereby they can push for maximum batting points tomorrow morning and then unleash in-form paceman Steve Harmison in a bid to secure victory.

“We are still attempting to get our four bonus points,” said Somerset captain Justin Langer, whose side were dismissed for a below-par score on a benign surface.

“That is what we are aiming for. Then we have to bat really well because facing Harmy has been like playing Test cricket again - we won’t be taking anything for granted, that’s for sure.

“Harmison has been outstanding this season. He is arguably in the form of his life.”

The bounce Harmison extracted and the under-employment of leg-spinner Michael Munday made Somerset’s decision to omit veteran Andrew Caddick from their side look a strange one.

“He is a similar bowler but 10 years older as well,” said Langer, on comparisons between Caddick and Harmison.

“We have got two big games coming up, one at Scarborough on a pitch which will have good bounce in it and the last game here will be crucial.

“It would be pretty flattering for Caddy to say they’re similar bowlers at the moment. We just felt on this wicket the spinner would be suited more.

“Today there were two left-handers batting, both outstanding players of spin bowling, and there was a short boundary on the leg side, so that is why we didn’t see much of Michael.”