Weather looks like having last word

Michael Atherton’s dreams of marking his 100th Test with a century as team-mate Alec Stewart did earlier in this match were ended when on 28 he fenced uncertainly outside his off-stump against Courtney Walsh and was caught behind for 28.

Any hopes the tourists had of further breakthrough were put on hold when rain forced the players off. Rain had already seen 90 minutes lost shortly after the Lunch interval.

England were left to bat out nearly five hours after the West Indies declared with a lead of 292 runs.

An England win looked unlikely in the time available — and their highest score to win an Old Trafford Test whilst batting fourth was 142-1 against South Africa in 1951.

But their opening batsmen again played soundly after an uncertain start.

The first two overs were nail-biting for England with Atherton being beaten twice by Ambrose, and Trescothick was relieved to see a ball from Walsh fly off the edge at catching height between third slip and gully to get off the mark with a fortunate boundary.

Trescothick showed no nervy reaction to his early scare and sweetly turned Walsh to the square-leg boundary to reach double figures, then confidently pulled a rising ball from Ambrose for similar reward.

His self-assurance from the One-Day series and first innings here were still in evidence, and with the pitch still playing pretty well it was a good platform for Trescothick to make another mark on the international scene.

Just before Lunch a sweetly-timed cover-driven four off Reon King demonstrated the class of the Somerset left-hander.

After failing in the first innings of his 100th Test, Atherton was doubtless fired with a special determination to excel on his home ground.

But the local favourite was only a whisker away from a nasty lifter from Walsh in the eighth over.

Earlier, the West Indies had resumed at 381-6 and Craig White removed Franklyn Rose, trapped leg before wicket, with his 10th ball but that was England’s only success before the declaration came at 438-7.

Ridley Jacobs finished on 44 not out while Ambrose struck a brisk unbeaten 36 in an unbroken partnership of 54 in 87 balls. The five-match series is level at one Test all.

SCOREBOARAD
West Indies (first innings) 157
England (first innings) 303
West Indies (2nd innings; overnight 381-6): S Campbell c Cork b White 55, A Griffith lbw b Croft 54, W Hinds c Stewart b Gough 25, B Lara run out 112, J Adams lbw b Cork 53, R Sarwan lbw b Caddick 19 R Jacobs not out 42, F Rose lbw b White 10, C Ambrose not out 36; Extras: (b14, lb4, w2, nb12) 32. Total (for 7 wkts, declared): 438
Fall of wickets: 1-96, 2-145, 3-164, 4-302, 5-335, 6-373, 7-384
Bowling: Gough 27-5-96-1, Caddick 23-4-64-1, Cork 28-9-64-1, Croft 47-8-124-1, White 27-5-67-2, Trescothick 1-0-2-0, Vaughan 2-1-3-0
England (2nd innings): Michael Atherton c Jacobs b Walsh 28, Marcus Trescothick batting 31 Nasser Hussain batting 1; Extras: (lb1, nb2) 3; Total: (for one wicket in 24.1 overs) 63
Fall of wicket: 1-61
Bowling: Ambrose 11.1-2-27-0, Walsh 10-4-17-1, King2-0-15-0, Adams 1-0-3-0.