The West Indies kept England in the field for the best part of three sessions on day four, frustrating the tourists’ hopes of a bigger lead and squeezing precious time out of the contest slated for today.
Resuming here Saturday on 288 for four, West Indies were eventually dismissed an hour before the rescheduled close at Kensington Oval for 411, with captain Kraigg Brathwaite hitting a marathon 160.
Armed with a lead of 96 runs, England marched to the close on 40 without loss, ahead by 136 runs overall and well placed to chase quick runs early on Sunday, set West Indies a challenging total, and hope to rattle the hosts.
“Tomorrow is another big day for us. We have to work extremely hard,” cautioned Brathwaite.
“We’ll just play it and see what happens. We have to start back tight as a bowling unit and obviously make it hard for England’s batters to score.”
It was Brathwaite who again took the spotlight for the second day running, stretching his innings into a Herculean 11-hour and 50-minute plod – the third-longest Test innings by a West Indies batsman.
The 29-year-old faced 489 deliveries and struck 17 fours before finally perishing 40 minutes before tea when left-arm spinner Jack Leach (3-118) got one to rip past a defensive prod and hit off-stump.
However, it was Brathwaite’s tenacity which ensured West Indies stayed in the game as he extended his fifth wicket stand with nightwatchman Alzarri Joseph (19) to 52, following a delayed start to the day due to rain.
He flicked the first delivery of the day from debutant seamer Matt Fisher to the fine leg boundary and remained positive with slap square of the wicket for another four off the same bowler a few overs later and another boundary to third man off pacer Saqib Mahmood (2-58), also on debut.
Joseph, on four at the start, got in on the act when he smashed part-time off-spinner Dan Lawrence over deep square for six but faced only 11 further deliveries before pinging medium pacer Ben Stokes (2-65) to point where Lawrence held a sharp chance.
Lunch found all-rounder Jason Holder, on 12, partnering Brathwaite on 145, with West Indies on 351 for five but following a 10-minute delay to the resumption due to the weather, England struck almost immediately through Saqib.
Off the second delivery, Holder attempted an ill-advised cross-batted shot to a shortish ball but only managed to sky to mid-on where Fisher held an excellent catch, giving Saqib his maiden Test scalp.
Wicketkeeper Joshua Da Silva, given out lbw on three but reprieved by DRS, then put his head down in an attritional 33 that lasted 112 balls and 2-¾ hours, combining with Brathwaite in a 34-run seventh-wicket stand to hold off England’s attack on the unresponsive surface.
Brathwaite brought up his 150 in the sixth over after the interval with a single to mid-on off Leach before finally being undone by a cracker from the same bowler.
Da Silva wisely shepherded the tail while taking more time out of the game before Kemar Roach (1) and Veerasammy Permaul (5) eventually fell to lbw decisions to Woakes and Saqib, 41 balls apart, to leave West Indies on 403 for nine.
Da Silva was last out, hit in front by Leach, leaving England with a potentially precarious passage of play towards the end.
However, there were few alarms as Zak Crawley (21 not out) and left-hander Alex Lees (18 not out) steered the visitors safely to close.
Crawley survived one scare when he was adjudged lbw to Roach on two at the end of the fifth over but let off the hook by DRS, replays showing the ball going over.
