England vs West Indies 1st Test, Day 3 Highlights: At Stumps, ENG remain unscathed

Mark Wood gets the last wicket. This test is shaping up to be very interesting! 14 overs left in the day, WI lead by 114. England need to battle it out and a few early poles from WI will put then in prime position.

Back of a length around leg, Dowrich jumps inside the line looking to whip it away but only manages a faint tickle on it. Regulation for Buttler to his left. Dowrich doesn't bother waiting for the umpire, he's on his way. Dowrich c Buttler b Stokes 61.

Alzarri Joseph is gone for 18. A moment to cherish for Ben Stokes as he gets his 150th Test wicket.

4000 runs & 150 wickets in Tests
G Sobers
J Kallis
I Botham
Kapil Dev
D Vettori
B STOKES

A big wicket for England's chances of making a game of this. Ben Stokes has his opposite number, Jason Holder, caught in the deep and England are into the tail. Holder departs for 7. This is the 12th Test in which opposing captains dismissed each other. The last instance was in Bulawayo in 2017/18 involving Jason Holder and Graeme Cremer.

James Anderson doing time and again. He traps Chase for 47 and West Indies 267/6 with 63 runs lead in first innings. Anderson has barley swung a ball all day but he’s still been England‘s best bowler by a country mile. Umpires have also been lacking some match practice it seems.

Shane Dowrich smashes a boundary in the third ball of the 87th over to reach his 40s. Want to know how good he has been in the longer formar?

FOUR! Back-to-back boundaries for Roston Chase off Jofra Archer. Windies must capitalise in this last session and really hammer home the advantage. England would have hoped for the new ball to do some magic but it is not working as of now. Meanwhile, this is the highest 6th wicket partnership for West Indies in England since 143 by BP Nash (81) & D Ramdin (61) at Lord's on 8 May 2009.

The bails have been knocked off. West Indies go into the break at 235/5, with a lead of 31. They took the lead in the second hour of the session, with Roston Chase (27*) and Shane Dowrich (30*) batting through the last hour. The new ball will be available after the break.

Big shouts from around the field as Bess gets a lbw shout. No one buys Bess's enthusiasm about taking the Review, England will also be looking to sneak in one more over after this before Tea.

The second session has been shared between the two sides, it can be said. West Indies would have won the second hour if Chase and Dowrich can bat through to the Tea break, which is coming up in another few minutes. Another wicket would tilt the session in England's favour now though. The lead is now 31.

Dowrich pounces on a loose ball outside off stump to slam it to the off side boundary. Dowrich has quickly overtaken Chase's score, he is on 30 off 39 balls, with Chase on 24 off 105 balls at the other end. Three overs till the new ball is allowed.

Dowrich attacks Bess. Mishits it. Ball flies straight to the bowler's hand but the ball is hit with so much power the bowler cannot hold on to that. Runs have dried up a bit in the last few over again, as the innings ebbs and flows. Chase content to present a straight bat to Bess, with minimal footwork. WI lead by 24

23 off 93 balls now for Chase, who is playing a typically stoic innings. The biggest thing this is doing in terms of the flow of the match is that the frustration is increasing in England's ranks. Could see how Wood almost had a defeated expression when he slipped and fell on his follow-through in the last over. The West Indies lead now 21.

Bess also brought back - 8 overs remain aftee this for the second new ball to be allowed - and yet again the batsmen show their intentions to attack him from the outset. A whack of the bat from Dowrich and that pierces the infield and flies for four. WI 219/5, lead by 15 runs

Another outside edge runs down for a boundary, Dowrich the scorer that time. Mark Wood introduced into the attack after a long break. West Indies now lead by 6. If these two batsmen can frustrate the English bowlers for a little more, the toll could tell on the home side. Wood is bowling with three slips in place now though. England still in with a shout of keeping the lead down to modest proportions if they can break this partnership in the next few overs.

West Indies draw level, with both Chase and Dowrich looking to present a straight bat to every missile thrown at them. An intense period of contests, this one. Archer continues to push the batsmen into a shell but they manage to sneak in a single from time to time. West Indies take a lead of 1 run at the end of that over. WI 205/5

England are now operating with pace from both ends. Bess went for runs against Dowrich even though he did pick up the wicket. Stokes takes the conservative approach, looks to keep the West Indies lead down. Archer bowls short ball. Chase takes evasive action. The ball strikes his shoulder and runs for four byes. Frustration on offer for Archer. A chance to edge into the lead in the next over on offer for WI.

Dowrich has some other ideas. He steps out to Bess as well - seems like a coordinated plan from the team to go after the spinner. Archer gets Chase into all sorts of trouble. A top edge falls just short of the fielder. WI 196/5, trail by 8

Dom Bess's imitation of Blackwood's reaction to that dismissal - a slamming of the bat on the ground - is shown on slow motion on the cameras. There is some zip about this England unit once again. Jofra Archer is introduced into the attack. Dowrich joins Chase. They need to show their character to weather this period of pressure. Archer starts with a maiden over.

Blackwood steps out of his crease to attack Dom Bess but he is caught at mid off. Down Anderson's throat. Michael Holding on air is not impressed with that show of aggression. Blackwood goes for 12 after showing a few glimpses of how much damage he could have done to England. England are crawling back into the game now with a few wickets in quick succession. WI 186/5, trail by 18

One of the things HawkEye has pointed out in its analysis: England bowlers have got 0.6 degrees of swing in the air, while West Indies bowlers had got 1.1 degrees yesterday. Ironic that James Anderson, the king of swing bowling, is bowling at the moment as this piece of analysis goes up.

Blackwood gets going with a couple of boundaries. The runs keep on coming far too easily for the visitors. This pitch is not easy to score off, the commentators said before play today. But the ease with which the ball seems to crusing along the ground when the likes of Chase and Blackwood time them is not doing anything to help that theory. WI trail by 19

Jermain Blackwood, who has an abverage of 55 in Tests vs England, is the new man in at No.6. he is yet to get off the mark. Roston Chase, on 15, is also presenting a circumspect approach so far. Time is on their side, the question is how big a lead the West Indies can build from here. They trail by 31 now.

Anderson strikes! Big shouts as he gets one past the bat of Brooks. Brooks goes for the review. UltraEdge shows the narrowest of edges of the bat. Brooks, after an eventful innings of 39, departs. West Indies lose their fourth wicket, with Anderson providing the breakthrough.

Another boundary is picked off Anderson's next over as well. Brooks lifts it up and over the fielder to move to 38. Brooks had looked vulnerable to the short ball early in his innings but has settled in a lot better now. Bess bowls a maiden over. WI 171/3, trail by 33

Anderson bowls a fine over of pace but strays on the off side with his last ball and Brooks swats it away for four. Bess given respect early on by the batsmen, they do not want to err on the rash side against the spinner early on. WI 167/3, trail by 37

Dom Bess accompanies Anderson from the other end. Bess was the one who got the first wicket today, England would love for him to strike again. Gets an inside edge off Chase's bat. Ones and twos to start off proceedings for West Indies after Lunch. WI 163/3, trail by 41

James Anderson has the ball in hand as we start the second session. England have all to do in the match, they only have a narrow lead of 45 to protect as Brooks and Chase take guard. Anderson gets some good drift going for him straight up. 

Better conditions for batting or better application from the batsmen? Whichever be the case, West Indies have a firm advantage as we near the second session on Day 3. Hope and Brathwaite did the job in the first hour for them and Chase and Brooks played some fine shots in the second hour. West Indies are set to take a lead in the second session.

The Lunch break is taken. West Indies have added 102 runs in that session for the loss of 2 wickets. Shamarh Brooks (27*) and Roston Chase (13*) are unbeaten at the Lunch break, with the visitors trailing by 45 runs. Dom Bess struck for England at the hour-mark and Stokes got the big wicket of Brathwaite soon after. But the rewards have been too little and too far spread out for England. We resume action in a little more than half an hour.

A dreamy cover drive from Chase to bring up another boundary. Chase has looked in good touch in his short stay. The deficit comes below 50 with that. For all the resistance that West indies have come up with in the morning session, the runs have flown in quick time. More than 100 runs added in the session already.

Roston Chase presents as compact a defence as he is known for. Brooks also looks to have settled in a bit more. Both batsmen are aiming to take their team to the Lunch break without further wickets. Wood and Stokes keep zipping it in but nothing can get past the batsmens' defence at the moment. Chase gets his first boundary with a splendid drive. WI 149/3 after 45 overs

On the sidelines of that, Nasser is given the chance to do commentary for the fall of wickets in the 1994 match for which Nasser had been dropped. 'Atherton gets into a ballet position' as he loses his wicket, says Nasser as the comm box breaks into laughter. Graham Thorpe, the current batting coach, also has some kind words said about his wicket from that day. The cameras move to him smiling in the England dressing room.

'I've been frustrated, angry, gutted because it's a hard decision to understand,' says Stuart Broad. With West Indies in command at the moment, Broad's words will be hurting England fans right now. Nasser Hussain and Michael Atherton in the comm box have a laugh about a time Nasser had been left befuddled by a similar decision by the captain. "You can't keep second guessing your decisions as captain once you are on the pitch," is the final word from Atherton. 

Will Broad's exclusion haunt England in this match? The next three days will tell.

Stokes strikes! It was turning out to be another expensive over, but Stokes gets a lbw shout going his way. And it's the big wicket. The wicket of Brathwaite - the highest scorer of the match so far. Brathwaite goes for 65. West Indies lose their third wicket on 140. The deficit now 64. Brooks is joined by Roston Chase at No.5.

Stokes brings himself on for the first time in the day. Wood bowls from the other end. Brooks is hit on the arm by a Wood bouncer. England bowlers can see the short ball is the best strategy for the new batsman, but it has brought no rewards so far. Brathwaite welcomes Stokes in his 2nd over of the day with a flick for four. WI 132/2, trail by 72. 

Runs are flowing. Shamarh Brooks attacks Dom Bess. Consecutive fours coming off drives from the bat of Brooks to start off the 39th over. Brooks has looked a little suspect against the short ball but has managed to get the fours flowing from time to time, as a result having a strike rate of over 100 at the moment. West Indies, trailing by 81 now, will be thinking they have a chance of building a sizeable first innings lead. Brathwaite's 51* the highest score of the match so far.

Slow and steady, Brathwaite gets to his 50 with another push away from the fielders. Archer makes a rare mistake in line and Brooks dispatches it for four. Archer reacts by bowling back to back short balls. WI 114/2, trail by 90

The individual battles are now heating up. Jofra Archer cranks it up to the new batsman, and gives him a broad smile as he struggles to fend it away. Brathwaite is unbeaten on 49 at the other end. Brooks is looking uncomfortable with the ball climbing on him. Gets his head away from the line of delivery by a fraction on one instance. The deficit is into double digits now though. WI 107/2 after 36 overs

Shai Hope is out! He has to go this time. He is out for 16, West Indies 102/2, as Dom Bess produces the wicket. Stokes pouches the catch at slip. England get the breakthrough they would have wanted in the morning. WI trail by 102 runs. Opener Kraigg Brathwaite is joined by Shamarh Brooks at No.4.

Archer strikes! Gets Hope out lbw with a length ball swinging into the pads. But no! Replays show Archer overstepped. Hope survives. England thought they had the breakthrough but they don't. Hope survives. West Indies continue to rise. All of Archer's plans come to nought because of that tiny overstep. WI 100/1 after 33.3 overs

West Indies continue going from strength to strength. Hope and Brathwaite have almost successfully played out the first hour of play without too much incident. Archer causing some trouble to both batsmen - three length balls followed by the venomous bouncer in that over - but so far so good for the batsmen. 

Hope is fortunate to get a boundary. The ball gets a leading edge off his bat as Archer cranks up the pace and flies away from the fielder. 50-partnership comes up between Hope and Brathwaite. However, as that edge showed, things could change quickly in England's favour. England's bowlers are using the short ball to good effect to trouble the pair. 96/1 after 32 overs

Dom Bess brought on for some spin early in the day. Clear to see Stokes is looking to think out of the box to get the breakthrough. Bess being brought on before Stokes himself. Archer continues from the other end as Hope and Brathwaitte continue to present compact shapes. A good battle unfolding at the moment. WI 90/1 after 30 overs 

With 9 runs off Mark Wood's last over (26th over of the innings), James Anderson settled Shai Hope for just two doubles. The Windies batters are picking pace as both have crossed 40-run partnership after 28 overs. Windies trail by 121 runs now.

Shai Hope and Kraigg Brathwaite pair is taking their time at the middle as the duo is aware of the fruit they can reap in the later half of the day once they are set. After 5 overs of the day, WI are 67/1. Mark Wood and James Anderson are on the attack.

Brathwaite and Hope are at the middle facing Ben Stokes and Mark Wood pair of English bowling. Both look determined to stay for longer. After two overs of the Day 3, Windies are 61/1, trail by 143 runs.

The Sun is as bright in Southampton as it ever has been. The world's first bio-secure Test match has picked up pace rapidly since a curtailed Day 1. Looks like a great day for cricket and a great day for West Indies to spend time at the crease and pile sorrows on England. The home team went with Wood, Archer and no Broad, a decision some might be ruing if we get no breakthrough in the first hour today. Minutes left to go before the first ball of Day 3.

Starting with Michael Holding's speech on Day 1, there has been little West Indies have done wrong on this tour so far. Everything they have touched has turned to gold. Jason Holder with his reviews deserves special mention. As do Kraigg Brathwaite and Shai Hope for seeing out the last few overs of play on Day 2 in fading light. They trail by 147 runs with 9 wickets in hand at the beginning of Day 3. They do have a history of an imploding middle order though. So all it will take for England to throw the game wide open are some early wickets.

The weather forecast is a lot better for the next three days. Each of the next three days of the Test is to have 98 overs, and we will hopefully see full days' play.