By IANS,
Kingston : West Indian batsman Shiv Chanderpaul thought he had been paralysed when a bouncer by Australian spearhead Brett Lee hit his helmet and left him motionless on the Sabina Park pitch.
Chanderpaul, who went on to hit one of the most courageous century in international cricket Sunday , later told how he could not feel his hands and feet after being struck at the back of the helmet. He was batting on 86 at that time.
“I did not know where I was. My entire body went numb,” Chanderpaul, who lay flat on his back for several minutes after the hit was quoted as saying in the Herald Sun.
“I could not move my hands and I could not move my feet. However, I told myself if I left the field we would have been in a bad state.”
Brain scans in hospital later cleared Chanderpaul of serious injury but his courage, with his wife crying in the grandstands, set the tone for the fightback.
Chanderpaul’s 118 was followed by a scary spell of new-ball bowling from Fidel Edwards and Daren Powell as Australia went to stumps on day three at 4-17, a 136-run lead.
The Windies, who have not won a series against a major Test nation in their past 16 series, now believe they have the confidence to defeat the Australians.
“The guys are starting to believe that, ‘Hey, we can actually do it’,” West Indies coach John Dyson said.
“They’re enjoying their cricket more than they have for a long time, and consequently we’re seeing them play some good stuff.
“We go out there to fight no matter what the situation of the match.”
Lee, who took three quick wickets earlier in the day, compared Chanderpaul’s heroics to those of Steve Waugh at Sabina Park in 1995 when the Australian skipper was covered in bruises after a famous double century.
“When I went down to Shiv he was looking straight up and said he couldn’t feel his arms or his feet,” Lee said.
“You have to think about when the great Steve Waugh got his 200, the stuff that he went through when he copped a massive blow, but he gutsed it out and batted on.
“Full credit goes to Shiv and I’m actually really glad that there’s a lot more protection for batsmen.
“The West Indies are a very good side and they are going out here to try and prove a point, which is great,” Lee added