West Indies v England: third Test, day three – as it happened

http://www.theguardian.com/sport/live/2015/may/03/west-indies-v-england-third-test-day-three-live

Version 0 of 1.

10.43pm BST22:43

So that’s all for me, and indeed for this series. The match was really decided in yesterday’s final session, which England ended on 39-5 after 21 overs, but the repercussions might be considerable. Jonathan Trott may not play for England again, and Moeen Ali’s status as primary spinner has a large, blinking neon question mark flashing above it. It’s been a frustrating Test in many ways, but also really quite enjoyable, and certainly action-packed. Anyway, I’ll be off now. I’ll be back on Friday for the ODI in Ireland – a(nother) new dawn. Bye!

10.37pm BST22:37

The series is drawn 1-1

That result really looked on the cards from the first couple of overs, when the ball didn’t really do anything very much, and the pitch looked very placid all of a sudden.

Gillespie turned down South Australia job last night. His county chairman takes over at ECB next week...

10.34pm BST22:34

FFS

Who will be the scape goat this time ?

Updated at 10.35pm BST

10.32pm BST22:32

England retain the Wisden Trophy!

More glory for England’s wondrous cricketers!

10.32pm BST22:32

West Indies win by five wickets

62.4 overs: West Indies 194-5 (Blackwood 47, Ramdin 0)

Moeen bowls, Blackwood has a wild heave and edges the ball to third man. It doesn’t quite go for four, so West Indies must wait for their win … wait two more deliveries, to be precise, until Blackwood hammers to long on for four!

Updated at 10.33pm BST

10.30pm BST22:30

62nd over: West Indies 188-5 (Blackwood 41, Ramdin 0)

Bravo reaches 80 with a beautifully nonchalant push through midwicket, in the air but totally safe. Add in a single and a couple of twos and West Indies are left needing four runs to win, despite Bravo’s last-ball dismissal. Now, what was it Colin Graves? Oh yes …

I’d certainly be disappointed if we don’t win the West Indies series, because I am pretty sure the West Indies are going to have a mediocre team.

Updated at 10.31pm BST

10.29pm BST22:29

WICKET! Bravo c Broad b Stokes 82 (West Indies 188-5)

Like Moses, Bravo leads his side out of the wilderness only to perish with the promised land in sight! Given the state of the game nobody celebrates, so the batsman doesn’t go anywhere, but it quickly transpires that England would like his wicket please, so off he goes.

10.24pm BST22:24

61st over: West Indies 179-4 (Bravo 74, Blackwood 40)

Blackwood trundles down the pitch to Moeen and works the ball between fielders and to the cover boundary. Nice shot – footwork, timing, placement, tick, tick, tick. The home crowd are really on the feet when Bravo hammers the final ball of the over down the ground for six. With a couple of singles also taken, West Indies need 13 runs to win.

10.20pm BST22:20

60th over: West Indies 167-4 (Bravo 67, Blackwood 33)

Another nearly-but-not-quite moment for England, as Blackwood heaves at, but totally misjudges, a wide but full Stokes delivery, the ball flying just over his swishing bat. The batsmen then take two runs, and though Root at midwicket returns the ball to the bowler’s end and hits the stumps, they’re safely home.

10.16pm BST22:16

59th over: West Indies 164-4 (Bravo 66, Blackwood 33)

Moeen Ali serves up a very hittable opening delivery that Bravo very much hits, sending it back down the ground for six. There’s also a single off the last, 19 runs from the last two overs, and the game is over now, barring some kind of miracle. West Indies are 28 runs from victory.

10.13pm BST22:13

58th over: West Indies 157-4 (Bravo 59, Blackwood 33)

Anderson bowls, and Bravo gets a thick edge to the first ball, which flies in the air to nobody in particular. Blackwood flicks the next off his pads through midwicket for four, all timing and no power, and then the next is sent looping down the leg side, bounces way out of Buttler’s reach and away for four more, wides this time. There’s then a delay after Blackwood requests a different bat and then, when a couple of alternatives are brought out for him, requests a different bat that isn’t either of those different bats. This new bat helps his side to four more runs off the last, though only indirectly – they’re leg byes, the ball coming off the batsman’s boot and going down the leg side. West Indies need 35 runs to win.

Anderson, so brilliant for so long, bowls a horror over. 13 from it. Bravo style-plonks Moeen for 6. 29 to win.

Updated at 10.14pm BST

10.06pm BST22:06

57th over: West Indies 144-4 (Bravo 58, Blackwood 29)

Moeen’s back, Broad deciding against yet another just one more over. Bravo cuts for one, another over of very slow but totally chanceless run-accumulation.

10.03pm BST22:03

56th over: West Indies 143-4 (Bravo 57, Blackwood 29)

We have another half an hour to go, with shadows lengthening. Bravo hits the ball in the air, but just wide of the man at silly mid-on. This just isn’t happening for England. Chances are hideously rare, and when they come they aren’t quite heading to the right place, or to the right man.

9.58pm BST21:58

55th over: West Indies 142-4 (Bravo 56, Blackwood 29)

It looks like Moeen will bowl this one, and then suddenly he walks away, and Broad takes the ball instead. It’s a decent over, pretty fast – all between 86mph and 89mph – but presumably he was hoping for more than just a maiden.

One by one will full the basket. #Ibelieve #wibelieve lets do this. #rally #WIvEng

9.53pm BST21:53

54th over: West Indies 142-4 (Bravo 56, Blackwood 29)

A long over, punctuated as it is by extended conversations between Anderson and anyone whose advice he wants to hear. Between the second delivery and the third he chats to Cook for a while, and to Broad for a bit, and then he bowls wide, Bravo nicks it and it flies past a diving Cook at first slip – there are no other slips – and away for four. West Indies have 73.96% of their 192-run target, with precisely 50 still to get.

9.47pm BST21:47

53rd over: West Indies 137-4 (Bravo 52, Blackwood 28)

A decent yorker from Broad, but Blackwood deals with it and indeed gets a single for his troubles. “Did you hear Stokes after his last delivery?” asks Mike Lyle. “‘**** me, ****ing scrawny little ****.’ It was last ball of 49th over after Blackwood scored a 2, I had to rewind it to check but you can clearly hear it on TV. Charming stuff.” He was probably talking about Billy Bowden.

9.43pm BST21:43

52nd over: West Indies 136-4 (Bravo 52, Blackwood 27)

Anderson’s back, England needing something special and nobody else looking remotely able or inclined to provide it. Root is placed at silly mid-off, hoping that Blackwood will mistime a drive and sent it into his hands, and it so nearly happens as well, only for the ball to fly just past his despairing, grasping right hand. “Good evening Simon,” writes Tim Sanders. Hello. “I’d say that giving the West Indies percentage progress towards their target to two decimal places is unnecessary. 1% of their target is just under two runs, so 0.01% is less than one-fiftieth of a run, or 15.2 inches of the pitch. I’ve felt this way for ages about limited-overs TV coverage giving run-rate to two decimal places, so I’m just taking it out on you.” Pah. 70.833%

9.37pm BST21:37

51st over: West Indies 133-4 (Bravo 52, Blackwood 24)

Blackwood so enjoyed those three runs the previous over that he takes them again, with a near-identical shot. That brings Bravo on strike, and he works the ball past backward point for four to bring up his half-century., and then the last is punched to deep cover for a couple more. The runs are flowing, and the confidence is ebbing for England. 69.27%

Unless something spectacular happens, West Indies are cruising this.

9.32pm BST21:32

50th over: West Indies 124-4 (Bravo 46, Blackwood 21)

Stokes continues, and Bravo gets two off his first ball, pushed to mid off, after two fielders dive over it. And then the last ball is hit by Blackwood to third man, the batsmen running three after Anderson stops it on the rope. West Indies are crawling, slowly but fairly comfortably, towards victory.

9.27pm BST21:27

49th over: West Indies 118-4 (Bravo 43, Blackwood 18)

Before play resumes England get in a huddle, and when they break Broad takes the ball, now with just a single slip in place. Bravo scores a single. West Indies have 61.46% of their total, and have another 17 overs to finish the job today.

9.19pm BST21:19

48th over: West Indies 117-4 (Bravo 42, Blackwood 18)

Better from Stokes, with just the single from the over and one ball convincing Blackwood to play and miss. And now they’re taking some drinks. England need good ones.

9.14pm BST21:14

47th over: West Indies 116-4 (Bravo 41, Blackwood 18)

Jordan bowls across Blackwood, there’s a noise as it passes through to Buttler, who’s leaping about, arms in the air, screaming with joy and/or sheer desperation. Bowden shakes his head. It’s a maiden, but really a very easy one for the batsman to deal with.

@Simon_Burnton If anyone else thinks the fullness of time to appreciate Shiv is now, here's a lovely article on him: http://t.co/gp6QFDlksq

9.09pm BST21:09

46th over: West Indies 116-4 (Bravo 41, Blackwood 18)

Stokes, who had been limbering up for a while, bowls for the first time this innings. Whatever Cook’s been worried about – probably the 17 runs scored from his two first-innings overs – he was probably right to be a little concerned about it: the first ball is speared past point by Bravo for four. But matters improve from there, with just two more conceded. Still, England’s margin for error is paper-thin now. And thin paper at that.

9.05pm BST21:05

45th over: West Indies 110-4 (Bravo 35, Blackwood 18)

Jordan bowls, and Bravo scores a single. The stadium DJ accidentally puts on a couple of seconds of loud dancy stuff with a delivery remaining, and when it comes Blackwood waves his bat at it and is lucky to miss it entirely. In dance-music terms I’ve seen more graceful moves pulled off at discos, with the Birdie Song playing. Though not for about 30 years.

9.00pm BST21:00

44th over: West Indies 109-4 (Bravo 34, Blackwood 18)

Bravo takes a single, and Blackwood hammers Moeen’s final delivery of an unexceptional over to cow corner for six runs. England need a wicket pretty much nowish. 56.77%. “Robert Wilson (37th over) has a good point about Chanderpaul, but this attitude applies to most accumulators, doesn’t it?” writes John Starbuck. “Lara was well appreciated in his day, but the patient nudgers and hurdlers have reputations that take time to mature. This happens to them when people start comparing their Good Old Days with the shower we’re watching now, whoever they may be. Don’t worry, we shall miss him in the fullness of time, but his reputation has to acquire a patina first.”

8.56pm BST20:56

43rd over: West Indies 102-4 (Bravo 33, Blackwood 12)

Ooof! Jordan bowls, Bravo pushes and inside-edges just past the stump and away to deep fine leg, where Ballance, on the run, dives to stop the ball a foot from the rope and save a couple of runs. There’s nothing anyone can do when the final ball of the over, heading down the leg side, is flicked wide of a diving Buttler and away for four, taking West Indies into triple figures. 53.125%

8.51pm BST20:51

42nd over: West Indies 95-4 (Bravo 30, Blackwood 8)

Moeen’s over yield three runs, all singles.

8.48pm BST20:48

41st over: West Indies 92-4 (Bravo 28, Blackwood 7)

Jordan bowls, with the English contingent in the crowd – large, and loud – roaring and applauding between deliveries. It looks a fun place to be right now. It’s another maiden, and since the end of the first over after tea there have been 12 runs scored from 11 overs.

8.43pm BST20:43

40th over: West Indies 92-4 (Bravo 28, Blackwood 7)

Moeen’s back, the most expensive bowler both in this innings (just) and West Indies’ first (excluding Stokes, who only got two overs). England can ill afford any loss of discipline here, and there is none, Blackwood getting a single. The home side require precisely 100 runs to win, and have 47.92% of the total they require.

I know it isnt easy but I think we should cut Buttler a little slack. I remember Prior when he started, and Stewart too. And Rod Marsh.

8.39pm BST20:39

39th over: West Indies 91-4 (Bravo 28, Blackwood 6)

Anderson bowls at Bravo, with a first slip, a third slip and a gully in place – in other words, a cordon full of holes. It scarcely matters, though, given that Bravo leaves the first five deliveries completely and then defends the last.

8.36pm BST20:36

38th over: West Indies 91-4 (Bravo 28, Blackwood 6)

Root continues, those two boundaries from his first over after tea not apparently the precursor to wild run-frolics. Three runs are scored. These are tense times.

8.32pm BST20:32

37th over: West Indies 88-4 (Bravo 27, Blackwood 4)

Anderson continues, with a maiden. “There hasn’t been a lot of OBO love going Chanderpaul’s way in this series,” notes Robert Wilson. “Not quite the awed appreciation you would expect for a batsman who started his career just after the Second World War and has hauled a once-great team through some nightmarishly slapstick patches. More than 160 matches and an average of more than 50!?! Where are the quivering lips and moist eyes?”

8.28pm BST20:28

36th over: West Indies 88-4 (Bravo 27, Blackwood 4)

That’s a big chance missed! Blackwood runs down the pitch and attempts to thunder Root’s first delivery down, and indeed out of, the ground, and misses it completely. Unfortunately for England so does Buttler, a pretty poor piece of wicketkeeping which should have been a regulation stumping. Moments later the ball flies past Bravo’s edge, Buttler takes the catch and there’s a massive appeal that yields no fruit, and replays strongly suggest the umpire was right.

8.25pm BST20:25

35th over: West Indies 87-4 (Bravo 27, Blackwood 4)

Blackwood flicks the ball down to fine leg and gets two, though Bravo only sets off on the second run once his team-mate has more or less completed his and is repeatedly and noisily screaming at him to get on his bike.

8.20pm BST20:20

34th over: West Indies 84-4 (Bravo 27, Blackwood 1)

“Always the way with Darren – gets 30 and that’s it,” says Jos Buttler. Well he’s not quite there yet, though he’s one run closer than he was when Buttler spoke.

8.18pm BST20:18

33rd over: West Indies 82-4 (Bravo 26, Blackwood 0)

England seem particularly keen on leaving a big gap between second and third slip, and not having Jordan in either position (or anywhere nearby). There’s no reason for them to regret that here, and who knows, if someone slams the ball to cover and Jordan pulls off another ludicrous catch, all the critics will be silenced. A leg bye and nowt else from that over.

8.14pm BST20:14

32nd over: West Indies 81-4 (Bravo 26, Blackwood 0)

Bravo thwacks the ball in the air and just past the diving Stokes at cover, with English cries of “Catch!” hanging in the air. Then there’s an lbw appeal against Blackwood from the final ball, but there may have been an edge, the umpire shakes his head and England have no reviews.

8.11pm BST20:11

31st over: West Indies 80-4 (Bravo 25, Blackwood 0)

So both overs post-tea have started memorably – Root’s with a six, Anderson’s with a wicket. And Chanderpaul ends with 25 & 0, Trott 0 & 9, and it may well be that neither will play Test cricket again. A couple of deliveries after the wicket, the ball seams fractionally away from Blackwood, just beating the edge.

A strangle for Jimmy, as first ball chopped on by Shiv. We may have seen the end of a great career. Shadow of a fantastic batsman.

Updated at 8.14pm BST

8.06pm BST20:06

WICKET! Chanderpaul b Anderson 0 (West Indies 80-4)

Not a great delivery, an absolutely appalling shot, Chanderpaul deflects the ball into his stumps and is on his way!

8.05pm BST20:05

30th over: West Indies 80-3 (Bravo 25, Chanderpaul 0)

Wowee! Bravo sends the first ball after tea back down the ground for six. Remarkable, particularly in the context of five successive maidens before the break, and he doesn’t stop there, pushing through the covers for another four. West Indies are 41.67% of the way to victory, and if Bravo keeps hitting like that, and doesn’t get out nigh on immediately, it won’t take long to get the remainder.

Updated at 8.14pm BST

8.01pm BST20:01

Hello again!

So England will either take four or more wickets in the next two hours or they’ll be in very deep trouble, and may even already have lost. The players are back out and ready for (extremely important) action. Let’s do this.

7.44pm BST19:44

Tea - West Indies 70-3, require another 122 runs to win

Well, then. Well then. Well. Then. A good session, probably even overall but those last few overs were definitely England’s, as they squeeeeeeeeeeeeeeezed the batsmen and prevented runs of any description. It could be over tonight, so stick with us.

The boy Simon Burnton will be taking you to the close, so send your emails to Simon.Burnton@theguardian.com.

7.41pm BST19:41

29th over: West Indies 70-3 (Bravo 15, Chanderpaul 0)

Broad definitely P.U.M.P.E.D., dropping one short that hits Chanderpaul in the chest, although it was probably down to a bit of indifferent bounce flummoxing yer man rather than any brute speed of the delivery. Broad switches to over the wicket, but still the West Indies can’t score a run - six maidens in a row, pressure that has scored the wicket of Samuels, and could’ve been more as well.

7.36pm BST19:36

28th over: West Indies 70-3 (Bravo 15, Chanderpaul 0)

Root bowls an absolute ripper that pitched on middle, turned away and - how, how, how - missed the outside edge. “Ooohhhhh-ho-ho-ho ROOTAH!” bellows Buttler. Another maiden.

7.34pm BST19:34

27th over: West Indies 70-3 (Bravo 15, Chanderpaul 0)

Chanderpaul’s in, marking his guard as usual by knocking the bail into the ground. The crowd are whipped up like a bowl of cream now, and Broad appears a little more pumped, amped and jazzed by the whole thing. Chanderpaul leaves outside off, and that’s the fourth maiden on the spin - and a wicket maiden, no less.

7.32pm BST19:32

WICKET! Samuels b Broad 20 - West Indies 70-3

The crowd are now clapping Broad in as he runs up to bowl like he’s a hopeful long-jumper who only has one more attempt to win gold. And it works! Most of the over was full, but this one was probably just shy of a length and angled in nicely - possibly from a bit wider on the crease - and Samuels inside edges onto the stumps.

7.28pm BST19:28

26th over: West Indies 70-2 (Bravo 15, Samuels 20)

Bravo takes a phenomenally massive wipe at a full ball from Root and gets nothing near all of it, the ball aerial for a spell but eventually bouncing to a deepish mid-on. “Don’t lose your head, Darren,” counsels Buttler, who takes a nice catch from one that Bravo leaves alone but spits out of the footmarks. The final ball of the over is shorter and Bravo once again throws everything at it, but can only get an under-edge that bounces to Jordan. “You spawny fuck!” is Buttler’s appraisal of that one.

7.26pm BST19:26

25th over: West Indies 70-2 (Bravo 15, Samuels 20)

Samuels absolutely nails one of those odd backfoot drive thing shots he does, but it hurtles along the ground straight to the fielder at mid-off. Broad bowls a pair of tremendous leg cutters that move almost as much as a spinner, missing the bat by a good six inches both times. The crowd are getting excited about this one now, and Samuels almost responds by getting himself run out, shaping as if to run from a shot that just went straight to point.

7.22pm BST19:22

24th over: West Indies 70-2 (Bravo 15, Samuels 20)

The Yorkshire Orville Joe Root, presumably still getting over the passing of Keith Harris, is given the ball. “Do your thing Joe,” urges Buttler from behind the sticks, and if his ‘thing’ is bowling an over of full deliveries that leave no room for the batsman to do anything other than smother the ball and not look like scoring any runs, then he does it beautifully.

The trumpet bloke plays ‘Annie’s Song’, so here’s Flea from the Red Hot Chili Peppers singing it - or at least the Sheffield United interpretation, alternative title: ‘The Greasy Chip Butty Song’.

7.18pm BST19:18

23rd over: West Indies 70-2 (Bravo 15, Samuels 20)

Looks like Jordan was a little weary, as he’s replaced by Broad, but his first ball is splendidly clipped off his toes by Samuel and out to the wide long-on boundary. Samuels must be an infuriating batsman to bowl at, because with his relative indifference to fripperies like footwork, he so often looks like he’s going to make a dreadful balls of something or other. Not that time, though, as he pleasantly guides a wider one from Broad past a diving Stokes at point, and out to the boundary.

Meanwhile, the stadium DJ plays relatively little-known bloke rock tune ‘Kryptonite’ by 3 Doors Down. A curious departure from previous fare.

7.12pm BST19:12

22nd over: West Indies 62-2 (Bravo 15, Samuels 12)

Samuels takes a single, then Moeen drops short once again and Bravo murders a pull over mid-on, bouncing just once before crossing the boundary. He follows that, though, with one that pitches in the footmarks, which Bravo takes an absolutely colossal wipe at and misses, possibly because it turned so much it went straight to Jordan at slip.

Some encouragement and a suggestion we can all get behind from David Featherstone here: “I think the musical updates are sound - and I think TMS should start broadcasting over a reggae back beat...with Blofeld ‘toasting’.”

7.09pm BST19:09

21st over: West Indies 57-2 (Bravo 11, Samuels 11)

Jordan’s bowled well but looks a little weary now. He slides down leg, from round the wicket, and that allows Bravo to clip unfussily to fine leg for four. Jordan then overcorrects rather by bowling a couple quite wide outside off, that Bravo drives out for a couple of couples.

The trumpeter bloke is playing the Grandstand theme tune, but let’s choose to instead remember its greatest use, when Aphex Twin dropped it into one of his DJ sets.

7.05pm BST19:05

20th over: West Indies 49-2 (Bravo 3, Samuels 11)

When he pitches it up, Moeen is causing Bravo some issues, perhaps displayed in one ball that hints at being a bit shorter, causing the batsman to try a cut shot that just wasn’t on, swipes at one and misses it. Just one run from the over. The stadium DJ plays a weird remix of ‘Single Ladies’. Incidentally, give me a shout if you could do without all these musical updates.

7.02pm BST19:02

19th over: West Indies 48-2 (Bravo 2, Samuels 11)

Samuels just gets his bat down in time to stop another that keeps low, and they hustle through for a single. Jordan keeps things relatively tight otherwise, but he does give a leg-bye to Bravo, amid a half-hearted lbw shout. No dice, and nor should there be.

“Do you suppose England AND the Windies have had some kind of Alice in Wonderland Test match so far, all believing that the side with the lowest number of runs wins the game?” asks Allan Friswell.

Updated at 7.02pm BST

6.58pm BST18:58

18th over: West Indies 46-2 (Bravo 2, Samuels 10)

Moeen drops another too short, and Samuels finally punishes him, nailing one with extreme prejudice through mid-wicket for four. The next is much fuller, and Samuels appears to miss it, as does Buttler, and they go through for one. Moeen then beats Bravo with one of those perfect - or in this case nearly perfect - off-spinners’ deliveries, dipping and pitching full and turning past the edge. Keep bowling those and you’ll be in business, son. The stadium DJ does not play Uptown Funk.

6.54pm BST18:54

17th over: West Indies 41-2 (Bravo 2, Samuels 5)

“Up and down from there buddy,” is the chirp from behind the stumps as Jordan pursues a straight line to Samuels, presumably hoping for a shooter...and he gets one that keeps bottom-twitchingly low, but just misses off stump. “One with your name on it here Marlon,” squeaks Joe Root from the slip cordon. Samuels eventually relieves a bit of pressure by driving quite uppishly through the covers, but it was placed well enough not to be a catch risk.

Updated at 6.56pm BST

6.50pm BST18:50

16th over: West Indies 38-2 (Bravo 1, Samuels 2)

Samuels gets off the mark with a nudge to mid-wicket, and Bravo does the same by cutting a long-hop to the cover sweeper. Moeen’s just bowling a few too many too short here, and Samuels misses out on a few by pulling the next to the fielder on the mid-wicket fence. Bravo causes oohs and aahs with what we’ll call a ‘confident leave’, one that spins past just pad and stumps. The stadium DJ plays Uptown Funk again. Or maybe the remainder of Uptown Funk. It’s Uptown Funk, anyway.

6.47pm BST18:47

15th over: West Indies 35-2 (Bravo 0, Samuels 0)

Chris Jordan is a ludicrous human being. He’s bowling now, but Bravo doesn’t take the bait as he leaves a few outside off stump, tempting the drive. The stadium DJ plays Uptown Funk.

6.42pm BST18:42

14th over: West Indies 35-2 (Bravo 0, Samuels 0)

Moeen continues, with a slip, a leg slip and a short leg clustered round the bat, and swiftly gets his reward, in the shape of a wicket maiden. The players take drinks after the wicket falls, which explains how long the over took. Nick Miller’s going to take you through to tea – all emails to nick.miller@guardian.co.uk, if you would.

6.38pm BST18:38

WICKET! Brathwaite c Jordan b Ali 25 (West Indies 35-2)

Another cracker of a catch for Jordan! The man has hands of gold! He’s falling to his right when the ball flies to his left, but he sticks out his left hand and there it stays!

6.36pm BST18:36

13th over: West Indies 35-1 (Brathwaite 25, Bravo 0)

Hope tries to drive through cover but inside-edges into his leg – it could have gone anywhere – and then he goes next ball. Excellent bowling from Jordan. “I suppose it would be unsporting to start praying for rain?” wonders Mike Gooding. Perhaps not quite yet, Mike.

6.34pm BST18:34

WICKET! Hope lbw b Jordan 9 (West Indies 35-1)

There’s no possible grounds for appeal there. The ball was on its way into the meat of leg stump. England have their breakthrough.

6.33pm BST18:33

REVIEW! Is Hope out here? Surely he is!

This time Bowden’s given the lbw decision, and the batsman reviews it.

6.29pm BST18:29

12th over: West Indies 32-0 (Brathwaite 24, Hope 7)

Moeen Ali is on, which means that Jordan – who’s something of a specialist spin-slip – is back where he should be, magic hands poised at the ready. Sadly his only action is to sprint away to backward point to field the ball as the batsmen take a single.

6.26pm BST18:26

11th over: West Indies 29-0 (Brathwaite 22, Hope 6)

I think Billy Bowden has dropped off a couple of English Christmas-card lists today. He’s made a few marginal decisions, none of them in the tourist’s favour. Thanks to the stump umpire can hear the players talking among themselves as they wait for their review to be reviewed, and it’s all along the lines of, “How did he not give that out?” (There was an expletive in there too). Jordan’s second over is, like his first, a maiden, and full of vim and danger. He’s still shaking his head as he walks away at its end.

6.22pm BST18:22

Not out!

It’s umpire’s call on whether it hit in line, and umpire’s call on whether it would hit the stumps (though only just – it was pretty firmly striking off stump), and thus Billy Bowden’s original decision stands, and England are out of reviews.

6.21pm BST18:21

Another review!

Is Hope lbw here? It looked plumb, but Billy Bowden wasn’t convinced.

6.20pm BST18:20

10th over: West Indies 29-0 (Brathwaite 22, Hope 6)

After a Hope single, Brathwaite drives past long on for four, a lovely, relaxed shot. The West Indies have 15.10% of their required runs.

6.15pm BST18:15

9th over: West Indies 22-0 (Brathwaite 17, Hope 4)

Anderson really not having done anything much in his four overs, Jordan replaces him, which at least means nobody can argue that he should be in the slips. He slides the ball across Brathwaite, the ball clipping something on its way through – probably a thigh pad – and leading to that unsuccessful review. It’s a decent, dangerous, quick over, and another maiden, but the breakthrough remains unbroken.

6.13pm BST18:13

No he isn't!

There’s no snicko, the replays don’t really show anything very conclusive, and so the on-field decision stands.

6.13pm BST18:13

REVIEW! Is Brathwaite out here?

The umpire doesn’t think so. Nobody really thinks so, except for Trott at mid off, who insists that “it could only have come off glove or bat” and “went nowhere near him”. And as a result of his vociferous argument, England review.

6.10pm BST18:10

8th over: West Indies 22-0 (Brathwaite 17, Hope 4)

Broad gets the ball to cut in towards Hope, who at the last moment brings down his bat to block its path to the stumps – it looked, as Mike Atherton said on commentary, like he’d been planning on leaving it alone. A maiden.

6.05pm BST18:05

7th over: West Indies 22-0 (Brathwaite 17, Hope 4)

As far as England’s bowlers are concerned there’s a lot of encouraging shouting going on, but not a lot of encouraging cricket. Again the final ball of the over is edged, but this one doesn’t carry to the slips, and anyway flies between Bell at second slip, and Root, at three-and-a-halfth slip. 11.46%

Why isn't Chris Jordan in the slips? McCullum would have him at 1st, 2nd and 3rd simultaneously.

6.02pm BST18:02

6th over: West Indies 18-0 (Brathwaite 13, Hope 4)

A chance, and it’s dropped! Hope gets a thick edge to Broad’s final delivery of the over, which flies pretty low to Root at third slip, and off him to the ground. The match is slipping gently off its knife-edge.

Ball is creeping off the pitch. But I did say before play that this can happen. Pitches dont always get increasingly worse.

5.57pm BST17:57

5th over: West Indies 17-0 (Brathwaite 12, Hope 4)

Another single for Brathwaite, another three dot balls to Hope, and then he pushes a shortish delivery off his ribs and through cover for four. West Indies are 8.85% of the way to their target.

5 overs in and seeing how the ball has reacted I've changed my mind and think West Indies will win, and perhaps comfortably

Updated at 5.59pm BST

5.53pm BST17:53

4th over: West Indies 12-0 (Brathwaite 11, Hope 0)

Broad bowls with four slips, a leg gully and a short mid off. Brathwaite gets a single. The batsmen have each faced 12 deliveries in this second innings, Brathwaite going at pretty much a run a ball, and Hope pretty much not going for runs at all.

The pitch has definitely lost some of its pace imo.

5.50pm BST17:50

3rd over: West Indies 11-0 (Brathwaite 10, Hope 0)

Just three overs gone, no wickets taken and West Indies are already 5.73% of their way to their target. There’s absolutely zero margin for error here for England. They need to create chances, and to take those chances. All of them. I personally am pessimistic, but that may have something to do with my football team having the league title stolen from their grasp at the 11th hour yesterday, a blow from which I’m yet to recover, and which has left me with a profound distrust of hope, optimism and sport in general.

5.45pm BST17:45

2nd over: West Indies 6-0 (Brathwaite 5, Hope 0)

Broad bowls, and after Hope grabs a single there’s a big lbw appeal against Brathwaite, which more than anything shows how fired up and all-round desperate the England players are – it hit the batsman on a thigh pad, outside the line and on its way a foot over the stumps.

Updated at 5.46pm BST

5.40pm BST17:40

Hello world!

Well this is on the proverbial knife-edge, is it not? West Indies need 188, have the best part of three days to do it and 10 wickets in hand, but then 23 wickets have fallen in the last four sessions at an average 5.75 wickets each, and only one session in the entire match – the first – has featured less than three wickets. Since the end of day one 333 runs have been scored, at an average of 14.48 runs per wicket. West Indies would need to exceed that to win, but not by that much, really. Apparently they have never in their history failed to chase down a target of or below 200.

England to win by 60 runs...

All sessions ' crucial' in this business but this one is ,well, crucial. if windies survive new ball they will win. lose 4 to it and no.

Anyway, the players are out and ready for cricket. These are big moments. I’m delighted to share them with you.

Updated at 5.41pm BST

5.04pm BST17:04

And with that, I’ll hand over to Simon Burnton for the first bit of the afternoon session. Send your thoughts to Simon.Burnton@theguardian.com.

5.03pm BST17:03

Lunch: West Indies 4-0, requiring another 188 runs to win

Well, there you go. That first over might be a microcosm of this chase for the West Indies - some nice shots, a few runs, but also some rather wafty efforts that will make Phil Simmons a very nervous man. Should be really good, this.

5.01pm BST17:01

1st over: West Indies 4-0 (Brathwaite 4, Hope 0) - they require 188 runs to win

Chirp aplenty from England for these two young openers, but it doesn’t work straight away as Brathwaite drives a full one from Anderson through mid-on for an excellent four. He survives the first over, but only just after airily driving at the last ball which creeps past the inside edge. Anderson was desperately trying to get some swing there, but nothing doing yet.

4.57pm BST16:57

Right, Kraigg Brathwaite and Shai Hope wander out to face this lone over. You don’t need me to tell you who has the ball for England.

4.54pm BST16:54

Should be one over before lunch, which will be uncomfortable to say the least for the Windies openers.

4.52pm BST16:52

Our man gives England the edge, anyway...

Eng must be favourite but new ball crucial. Great effort by Buttler to make 35 not out. Eng added 84 for last five wickets.

4.51pm BST16:51

West Indies require 192 runs to win

Well, this is probably about even. England reckoned anything above 200 was defendable, but even though they got just shy of that target they will still think they can bowl this occasionally fragile batting line-up. It’s going to be a nipper either way, mind.

4.49pm BST16:49

WICKET! Anderson lbw b Taylor 2 - England 123 all out, lead by 191

Well, that was about the worst decision you’ve ever seen from Bowden. Taylor comes into the attack and first up bowls a full, nearly-yorker that hits Anderson dead in front. For reasons unclear to everyone but Bowden and the almighty, he says not out. “Come on, Billy man,” says a West Indies fielder as they review it, and unsurprisingly the replay shows the ball crashing into middle and leg.

Updated at 5.52pm BST

4.45pm BST16:45

42nd over: England 123-9 (Buttler 35, Anderson 2) - England lead by 191

Shannon Gabriel gets his first bowl of the day, and sends some nasty stuff down that Anderson takes the Brian Close approach to, one particularly spicy delivery (from a no-ball, as it happens) hitting him in the ribs, then working another down to fine-leg for a single. Then Buttler again clears the front leg, and again takes a big wipe at one that shoots past mid-off for four, before taking the same approach but getting a better result from the final ball of the over, flaying that one over long-off for six. Smashing batting, this.

Big fan of the Barbados announcer giving the Spurs-City score over the top of some Reggaeton. More of this at Lord's please. #WIvEng

4.38pm BST16:38

41st over: England 111-9 (Buttler 25, Anderson 1) - England lead by 179

This has obviously been pretty ugly for England, but this lead is still very much in the ‘ticklish’ range. Anderson gets off strike and a pair by gloving a horrible riser from Holder aimed right at his ribs - nice soft hands but he turned his head away and had no real clue where it was going, as it dribbled to fine leg. Buttler clears his front leg and flays one through the covers for four, and if Anderson can stick around for a bit then Buttler might be able to do some damage. He tries to manufacture a single from the last ball of the over, but it goes straight to mid-wicket, and no run.

4.33pm BST16:33

40th over: England 106-9 (Buttler 21, Anderson 0) - England lead by 174

Permaul, maybe a little giddy at the clatter of wickets, appeals for lbw for one that hits the middle of Buttler’s bat. Buttler turns down a single after driving out to long-off, then gets four with a perfectly-executed reverse-sweep, past the slip and to the boundary. He then gets four more, coming down the pitch and cuffing it through mid-on to the ropes.

Jos Buttler is such the epitome of the modern player that he actually looks much safer playing the reverse sweep than the forward defensive.

4.29pm BST16:29

39th over: England 98-9 (Buttler 13, Anderson 0) - England lead by 166

Anderson on a king pair, Holder on a hat-trick, and the first ball is down leg side that the batsman wafts a bit at. He didn’t get anywhere near it, but Holder - understandably, perhaps - still appeals with some brio. Double-wicket maiden, and Buttler will have to do a much better job of batting with the tail than in the first innings.

4.27pm BST16:27

WICKET! Broad b Holder 0 - England 98-9, lead by 166 runs

What a ball. Broad, probably expecting a bumper of some description, instead gets a perfect yorker from Holder and his off stump disappears into the distance somewhere. Brilliant thinking, brilliant bowling.

Updated at 4.56pm BST

4.25pm BST16:25

WICKET! Jordan lbw b Holder 2 - England 98-8, lead by 166 runs

Holder beats Jordan with an absolute ripper that pitches on off, back of a length, and nips off the seam, beating the outside edge comfortably. The next one is much straighter - so straight, in fact, that it thunks into Jordan’s pads, and Billy Bowden’s finger goes up. Jordan reviews, possibly purely on the basis that it was Bowden giving it out, but the replay shows it just - just, just, just - clipping the bail, so the decision stands.

Updated at 4.54pm BST

4.20pm BST16:20

38th over: England 98-7 (Buttler 13, Jordan 2) - England lead by 166

A man in the crowd wearing a Chelsea shirt gets up and lets out a massive cheer as the camera finds him. Dunno what he’s so happy about - maybe it’s the discovery that our Chancellor is one of his own.

Champions! Come on the blues... @ChelseaFC

A bit of turn and bounce gets Buttler in some bother, missing a cut which bowler and keeper initially appeal for, but seem to either lose enthusiasm for the whole thing or realise he didn’t hit the thing at about the same time. A maiden, though.

4.17pm BST16:17

37th over: England 98-7 (Buttler 13, Jordan 2) - England lead by 166

Jordan says ‘please’ when asking for his guard from the umpire, which is nice to hear. What isn’t quite so nice is the big top-edge he gets on a sort of slapped pull thing, but it lands safely and they take one. Another single ends the over as Buttler clips a leg-stump half-volley from Holder to fine leg.

English cricket is going to be spending the next 10 years moaning about Ben Stokes and there's really very little anyone can do about it.

4.13pm BST16:13

36th over: England 96-7 (Buttler 12, Jordan 1) - England lead by 164

Jordan props at his first couple of deliveries, but then plays a secure enough sweep out to deep square-leg for a single to get started.

4.11pm BST16:11

WICKET! Stokes c Chanderpaul b Permaul 32 - England 95-7, lead by 163 runs

Oh, Ben. He’s looked in good touch in the last few overs, and starts the over well by spanking a long-hop with some authority for four, but then he comes down the pitch and tries to lift the next one over mid-off, but gets a leading edge and Chanderpaul takes a diving, but actually relatively straightforward chance at about knee-high to his right.

Updated at 4.53pm BST

4.08pm BST16:08

35th over: England 91-6 (Buttler 12, Stokes 28) - England lead by 159

Holder’s round the wicket to Stokes, and it’s a quiet over before Stokes plays a push-drive on the walk, and they only get a single after Shiv Chanderpaul lugs his 40-year-old bones to his left to make a fine diving stop. The lithe speed and athleticism of a man half his age. Marvellous.

4.01pm BST16:01

34th over: England 90-6 (Buttler 12, Stokes 27) - England lead by 158

Nice running from England gets a single as Buttler dabs it in front of mid-wicket, then Stokes plays a rather risky reverse-sweep from one that pitched on middle and leg, getting a bit of a top edge but it lands safely and goes to the boundary. A tucked single off his thigh ends the over, and everyone has a drink.

3.57pm BST15:57

33rd over: England 84-6 (Buttler 11, Stokes 22) - England lead by 152

Jason Holder is into the attack, which is a bit odd since Taylor was bowling well. Buttler comes down the pitch to him and the ball hits the pad, above the knee-roll and sliding down leg, but that doesn’t deter the bowler from appealing with no little gusto. Stokes plays a confident on-drive out of the middle of his bat, but it whistles along the ground, straight to mid-on, and only a leg-bye comes from the over.

3.52pm BST15:52

32nd over: England 83-6 (Buttler 11, Stokes 22) - England lead by 151

Nice work by Stokes, going for a reverse sweep that he gets on top of well and hits it to the third man boundary. Three more come from a chopped drive from the rough, out towards the deep point fence that they scamper back and forth from. And another three, this time as Buttler neatly clips off his thigh, very fine and they scamper through to complete a good over for England.

3.48pm BST15:48

31st over: England 73-6 (Buttler 8, Stokes 15) - England lead by 141

Ian Bishop on Sky reckons Stokes has a tear in his quad, which sounds bloody weird considering he’s gone for at least two very quick singles so far today. And there’s another, pushed to mid-off’s right hand, the run taken with little obvious discomfort. Buttler then pushes one just wide of mid-on and they should’ve got three, but Stokes thought it was going for four and rather ambled the first. Indeed, Nasser Hussain confirms it’s Jonathan Trott who has a mischief, rather than Stokes.

Forgive Billy: he knows not what he has done. Or is doing. Or going. Or how to count.

3.44pm BST15:44

30th over: England 70-6 (Buttler 6, Stokes 14) - England lead by 138

Stokes works a single nicely in front of mid-wicket off Permaul, then Buttler gets probably the most relaxed six you’ll ever see. He casually takes a couple of steps down the pitch, then breezily lifts it - and lifts is the word, rather than really hits - over the long-off boundary. Lovely old shot, that.

3.39pm BST15:39

29th over: England 63-6 (Buttler 0, Stokes 13) - England lead by 131

Just a change of ends for Taylor, replacing Samuels, and Stokes pushes a quick single into the covers to give Buttler a first sight of some pace. For the final ball of the over, Taylor bowls a cracker that beats the edge, catches his back pad and goes to Ramdin behind the stumps. Billy Bowden’s finger goes up, but Buttler reviews it. He didn’t do so immediately, possibly because he thought the out decision was for lbw. The third umpire, reviewing both decisions, says not out for both. “So I’m allowed to bat?” asks a sarcy Buttler.

Updated at 3.42pm BST

3.31pm BST15:31

28th over: England 62-6 (Buttler 0, Stokes 12) - England lead by 130

Permaul, with that busy action of his, legs and arms tumbling everywhere, bowls a nice tight line to Buttler, getting a bit of turn and bounce. Odd then, that there’s just a slip and a short-leg in place - at 62-6, surely Ramdin can afford to be a little more aggressive.

3.28pm BST15:28

WICKET! Ballance c Bravo b Permaul 23 - England 62-6, lead by 130 runs

Spin from both ends now as Veerasammy Permaul comes into the attack, and gets joy straight away, Ballance misjudging the turn (or lack thereof) and propping forwards to a ball just outside off, and he edges low to Bravo at slip.

Updated at 4.00pm BST

3.26pm BST15:26

27th over: England 62-5 (Ballance 23, Stokes 12) - England lead by 130

Well, that was perhaps the strangest four you’ll ever see from Ballance - Samuels bowls a short, wide one that the batsman sets up for and is almost through the shot too early, so he ends up somehow shovelling the thing from about four feet outside off to the boundary just in front of mid-wicket. Strange, but effective. One more single from the over, which Stokes drops his bat in completing.

3.23pm BST15:23

26th over: England 57-5 (Ballance 18, Stokes 12) - England lead by 125

Taylor keeps Stokes honest with a couple of nice ones on yer classic line and length, but then spoils things rather by straying onto his pads, and the Durham man nicely flips it behind square-leg and to the boundary for four. He gets another little slice of luck with another inside edge that only just misses the stumps, before drilling a low full-toss into the ground, over the bowler and to the straight boundary.

3.17pm BST15:17

25th over: England 49-5 (Ballance 18, Stokes 4) - England lead by 117

Stokes doesn’t look entirely convincing at the crease, but he does pick up a single with a carefully placed cut through the covers and to the cover boundary sweeper. Ballance takes a single of his own, before Stokes misses with a sweep attempt, Ramdin whips off the bails and for some reason the umpire goes upstairs for a verdict, even though the batsman’s foot was, well, about a foot over the line after initially popping out. Stokes cuts one more to end the over.

3.12pm BST15:12

24th over: England 46-5 (Ballance 17, Stokes 2) - England lead by 114

Taylor bowls a lovely one to Ballance that the batsman plays a very careful forward defensive at, but the ball shapes a little away and beats the edge. He then takes four with a sliced (ish) drive from a wide half-volley, that scoots through gully and to the ropes.

3.08pm BST15:08

23rd over: England 42-5 (Ballance 13, Stokes 2) - England lead by 110

Marlon Samuels from the other end, and going against his policy from the previous over, Stokes leaves one outside off - but only just outside off, as a ball that he presumably expected to turn, doesn’t, and it creeps about half a foot past off stump. The batsman then trade singles, while Dinesh Ramdin encourages Samuels in that surprisingly deep voice of his.

3.04pm BST15:04

22nd over: England 40-5 (Ballance 12, Stokes 1) - England lead by 108

Well, Stokes isn’t going to die wondering. He plays at two wide full ones that could easily have been left, picking up his first run of the day after getting an inside edge on the second, which bounces over the stumps and bobbles to the leg slip region. The only run from the over, with Ballance much happier to leave the wide stuff be.

3.00pm BST15:00

Ben Stokes and Gary Ballance are the batsmen, while Jerome Taylor opens the bowling for the West Indies.

2.59pm BST14:59

The teams are out, and we’ll be underway most shortly. Another clatter of wickets or a more serene procession of runs for England?

2.46pm BST14:46

Could be a long day for Jimbo...

Think they might need to bowl Jimmy into the deck today. Like TB 2013 . his 400th wicket coming up today as well I reckon .

2.22pm BST14:22

Still, even if England do lose this game, it won’t be the saddest story of the Test, which of course belongs to Jonathan Trott. Here’s Vic Marks on what will surely, alas, be his final innings for England...

Trott’s return has not worked out. He has tried, which was a perfectly rational thing to do. Otherwise he might have spent too many hours in his dotage wondering if he could have played again at Test level after the trauma of Brisbane 18 months ago. He probably knows the answer now.

The first-innings dismissal to Shannon Gabriel’s bouncer had rung the alarm bells. In the second he faced Jerome Taylor most of the time. Taylor did not attempt a single bouncer for there was just enough swing in the air. Trott lurched down the track and clipped straight balls through mid-wicket three times. He has always moved idiosyncratically forward against fast bowlers, but never so far or so desperately as now. Taylor still shunned the bouncer; he kept the ball full and Trott, having stationed himself bang in front of the stumps, missed the inswinger. And he was gone – for good.

2.00pm BST14:00

Preamble

So, have you made plans for tomorrow? Because if they involve watching the cricket, you might want to line something else up for your Bank Holiday Monday, because there probably won’t be much to see, if anything. The England top order was run through like a knight taking his blade to a scoundrel yesterday, eviscerated by a West Indies attack who shared around the wickets. England in the West Indies have a recent history of being routed at least once a series, from 46 all out at Port of Spain in 1994...

...to 51 all out at Sabina Park in 2009.

The latter, during Andy Flower’s first tour in charge, prompted the rethink and turnaround that they turned into three consecutive Ashes victories, but while one doesn’t anticipate a similar bout of soul-searching, root and branch reviews and fascinations with executing skills, team ethics and pure, unadulterated hatred of looking out of windows.

It would, however, be a kick in the swingers if this collapse leads to defeat for an England side who were expected, by the incoming chairman of the ECB no less, to make light work of this promising but still moderate West Indies side. “I’d certainly be disappointed if we don’t win the West Indies series, because I am pretty sure the West Indies are going to have a mediocre team,” Graves told BBC Radio Leeds before the tour. “A lot of their stars are going to be playing in the Indian Premier League anyway, not in the Tests, so we should win that series. If we don’t win, I can tell you now there will be some enquiries of why we haven’t.”

Ah, that no nonsense Yorkshire spirit and say-what-I-meanism that we’ll have to get used to. If nothing else, let’s hope that England do recover from this and pull something out of the bag, if only to avoid the overreactions and hand-wringing that will surely ensue.

England, 39-5 at the start of play, have a lead of 107, and given the way Jimmy Anderson and pals bowled in the first knock, another 50 or so will make things very tricky indeed for a West Indies side whose collective finger is never far away from the self-destruct button.

Start of play: 3pm BST

2.00pm BST14:00

The report will begin soon. Here’s what happened yesterday:

We have a game on our hands. West Indies came back strongly in the evening session of the second day to punch a new-ball hole in the second England innings that left the visitors clinging on. Jonathan Trott, Alastair Cook, Ian Bell (this one completing a pair), Joe Root and Moeen Ali were all sent packing in the first 20 overs as West Indies celebrated and the crowd, a sea of England supporters, were quietened. All this after Jimmy Anderson had produced another virtuoso performance to help give England a first-innings lead of 69. How valuable that proves must await the final analysis, but England were soon tumbling into a deeply tricky situation of 39 for five at close of play.

Anderson was magnificent. Quite how much the imminent prospect of breaking Ian Botham’s record number of Test wickets for England was becoming a burden only he really knows. Was it dragging him down, preying on his mind? Certainly it seemed as if he was edging towards it, like a cyclist puffing and panting painfully to the summit of a pass, rather than rushing at it. Now, since that peak was reached in Antigua, he has become like the same cyclist, but on the other side of the hill now, freewheeling downhill with his feet on the handlebars so that 400 wickets has now become a real possibility before this match is done. Now he took 6 for 42, three of them in a new-ball burst of rare quality that stopped in its tracks the West Indies’ response to England’s first innings 257.

It was the 17th five-wicket haul of his career, and with 16 wickets now in the series he needs only four more to reach a career total of 400. No one would bet heavily against it happening in the second innings. He is a cricketer unshackled.

West Indies were dismissed just inside 50 overs for 189, of which Jermaine Blackwood, with some thrilling counterpunching, made 85 before he was last out, which gave England a lead of 69, a valuable one given the increasingly capricious nature of the pitch which has maintained its pace and bounce but has offered spin, and some variable bounce now.

Read the full report here.