England openers Rory Burns and Sibley played cautiously to remain unbeaten as England (15/0) trailed West Indies by 99 runs in the final session at Stumps of the third day of the first #raisethebat Test series at Ageas Bowl in Southampton on Friday.


A brilliant bowling performance from James Anderson and skipper Ben Stokes brought back England into the game. West Indies got all-out for 318, not before taking a strong 114-run lead in the first innings built around the fifties from Kraigg Brathwaite (65 runs off 125 balls) at the top and Shane Dowrich (61 runs off 115 balls) lower down.


Shane Dowrich and Roston Chase came out in the middle, looking to extend Windies lead over England. Veteran paceman James Anderson looked desperate for a breakthrough as he started the proceedings with the ball for England.


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'High-on-confidence' Anderson got the much-needed breakthrough in the 87th over for his squad by getting Roston Chase LBW out (47 runs off 142 balls) just three runs short of a half-century.


However, Anderson managed to dismiss Chase only after he and Dowrich build together a strong 81-run stand to put Windies in a commanding position. Soon after, Shane Dowrich brought up his ninth Test fifty with Captain Holder batting at the other end to give him company.





England's national hero Ben Stokes got the 'breakthrough of the day' by departing captain Holder for just five runs to make it one-all in the battle of the skippers. Holder, who was the star with the ball on day two, failed to make the same impact with his bat when it was needed the most. The Windies skipper played a pull shot that went straight into the hands of Archer, fielding in the deep.

The England skipper got his third wicket in the form of Alzarri Joseph (18 off 12 balls). The fiery delivery by Stokes knocked over the top of Alzarri's off stump; with this wicket, the 2019 World Cup hero now has 150 Test wickets.

A weary Stokes got his fourth wicket by departing well-settled Dowrich, who glanced one behind down the legside to bring to an end his fine innings of 61 off 115 balls.

In the last ball of the 102nd over, Mark Wood uprooted Gabriel's (4) middle stumps. West Indies were all-out for 318 runs after 102 overs.

Chase, Dowrich Help Windies Reach 235/5 At Tea; Lead England By 31 Runs


Shane Dowrich (not out on 30) and Roston Chase (unbeaten on 27) played remarkably well to put their side in the driver's seat ahead of the final session. At tea, West Indies lead England by 31 runs on Day 3.


With five wickets down, West Indies took the one-run lead in the 68th over to move past England's 204-run first-innings total.


Kraigg Braithwaite's Hard-Fought Fifty Helps West Indies Post 159/3 At Lunch


The experienced batting pair Shai Hope (16 off 64 balls) and Kraigg Brathwaite (65 off 125 balls) batted really well in the morning session to help their team get closer to England's first innings total. At Lunch, West Indies (159/3) trailed England by just 45 runs, after losing just two wickets.


The day 2 of the first Test was interrupted by bad light yesterday but the bright day in Southampton on Friday helped the first session witness no delay's or interruptions.


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