Triple strike

Sunday 20 May 2012

W EST Indies captain Darren Sammy said a few days ago that if his team could eliminate poor sessions, they would start to make real progress.

Tim Bresnan makes an unsuccessful appeal Photograph: Getty

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Huw Richards

Yesterday suggested it might be sufficient to put a stop to 10-minute bursts of self-destructive insanity.

By 3.30pm, the tourists had chipped 36 runs off England's substantial but hardly insuperable first-innings lead of 155 without losing a wicket. When the players trooped off for tea at 3.40pm, they had lost three wickets without adding a run in that 10-minute spell.

Adrian Barath, first of the dismissed trio, was hardly to blame for edging an magnificent ball from Tim Bresnan to keeper Matt Prior. There was, though, little excuse for the other two who followed. Five balls later, Barath's opening partner Kieran Powell aimed a languid hook at a short delivery from Stuart Broad and offered Ian Bell a straightforward catch at square leg.Worse was to come. From the first ball of the following over, Darren Bravo drove to extra cover, non-striker Kirk Edwards inexplicably – unless his brain was scrambled by the seismic impact of Bresnan crashing to the ground at the end of his delivery stride – charged down the Lord's pitch and was stranded as debutant Jonathan Bairstow scored a direct hit.As if paralysed by shock, West Indies retreated into purely attritional mode after tea, adding only 29 runs in 17 overs before Bravo was bowled by Graeme Swann for 21 without playing a stroke. Bresnan, meanwhile, conceded only three runs from his first 58 deliveries after tea. More normal progress was picked up late in the day, with Shivnarine Chanderpaul finishing on 34 and Marlon Samuels on 26. West Indies resume this morning at 120 for four, still 35 behind and with defeat apparently a matter of time – but quite a long time if Chanderpaul has anything to do with it. "We have to hope that they bat as long as possible and put us in a better position," said fast bowler Shannon Gabriel.During the first half of the day, controlled, disciplined bowling had stopped England from turning a clear advantage into a decisive one. England's last seven wickets fell for 132 runs, many fewer than they would have hoped. From the moment when Andrew Strauss edged a lifter from Kemar Roach to keeper Dinesh Ramdin with only a single run added to his overnight 121, West Indies made consistent inroads. Only when Swann counter-attacked did England regain their dominance of the previous day. Bell batted in a typically calm and unhurried manner throughout, and was last out for 61."They showed they are a good unit," Bell said. "It would have been nice to be able to carry on and make a big score, but I'm sure there will be opportunities later in the summer."Roach, the most aggressive of the West Indies pace trio, made the initial breakthroughs by taking Strauss and Bairstow, who was lbw for 16.Gabriel – another debutant – emerged with a creditable and deserved three wickets for 60, dismissing Prior, Swann and Bell. We should see a great deal more of the 24-year-old Trinidadian, who has an action that lends itself to both accuracy and durability.

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