West Indies were 120 for four in their second innings, a deficit of 35 runs, at stumps on the third day of the first Test against England at Lord’s here on Saturday.
Shivnarine Chanderpaul was 34 not out and Marlon Samuels 26 not out.
West Indies were left facing an uphill struggle after a dramatic top-order collapse saw the tourists lose three wickets for no runs.
The West Indies were 36 for three in their second innings at tea on the third day, still 119 runs behind England’s first innings 398.
Their familiar flurry of early wickets again left Shivnarine Chanderpaul, officially the world’s best batsman, having to contemplate another salvage operation when he came in at No 5.
The tourists had survived a couple of scares in seeing openers Adrian Barath and Kieran Powell put on 36.
But in sight of getting through a tricky pre-tea session wicketless, Barath was undone by first change Tim Bresnan’s fifth ball, an excellent leg-cutter he could only edge through to wicket-keeper Matt Prior on 24.
Powell was far more culpable in his exit for eight, languidly top-edging a pull off Stuart Broad to Ian Bell, running round from deep square leg.
And worse followed when Kirk Edwards was run out for nought.
Darren Bravo nudged the ball in front of square but turned down a single with Edwards already half-way down the pitch and England debutant Jonathan Bairstow threw down the stumps at the bowler’s end from cover-point. West Indies had lost three wickets for no runs in nine balls, with Bravo nought not out at tea.
Earlier, an improved West Indies bowling display saw four England wickets fall in Saturday’s first session after the hosts resumed on 259 for three.
But a ninth-wicket partnership of 55 in 47 balls after lunch between Bell and Graeme Swann took the match away from the West Indies, who ended up being 155 behind on first innings.
Nevertheless there were encouraging signs for the West Indies in the form of debutant fast bowler Shannon Gabriel, who took three wickets for 60 runs in 21.3 overs, with fellow paceman Kemar Roach returning figures of three for 108 in 25. England captain Andrew Strauss started the day on 121 not out, having ended his 18-month wait for a Test century on Friday.
Although the West Indies had endured a tough first day, they were only two deliveries into the new ball.
And they had an early breakthrough when left-hander Strauss, who’d added just one to his total, inside-edged a rising delivery from Roach to wicket-keeper Denesh Ramdin.
South African umpire Marais Erasmus originally ruled in Strauss’s favour, but West Indies captain Darren Sammy got the decision overturned on review to end an innings of more than six-and-a-half hours. Bairstow then took his first ball in Test cricket, a lifting delivery from Roach, on the chest.
And Roach dismissed Bairstow, son of the late England wicket-keeper David, when he missed a sharp inswinger and was lbw for 16. New batsman Prior became Gabriel’s first Test wicket when the seamer bowled him for 19. Swann, however, revived England’s innings, with a brisk 30 featuring six fours before he was bowled by Gabriel. Bell, five not out overnight, worked hard for his runs.