West Indies fast bowler Jayden Seales broke a promising fifth-wicket partnership between Ben Stokes and Jonny Bairstow to leave England still uncomfortably placed at 145 for five at tea on the opening day of the first Test in Antigua yesterday.
In the home side’s only success of an afternoon session in which 88 runs were scored, Seales removed Stokes for 36 as the left-hander dragged a full-length delivery onto his leg-stump midway through the period.
His stand of 67 with Bairstow rescued the visitors from 48 for four in the morning after captain Joe Root opted to bat first on winning the toss.
Bairstow, who goes into the final session of the day on 35, has found another resilient partner in Ben Foakes, the wicketkeeper-batsman contributing 21 to a sixth-wicket stand so far worth 30 runs.
In stark contrast to the grit of their lower middle-order, England’s fragile top-order batting was again exposed within the first half-hour of the match with Root’s dismissal eliciting the greatest celebration from the West Indian players.
He was the second wicket for Kemar Roach after the senior seamer had removed debutant opener Alex Lees via a leg-before decision in the day’s third over.
Seales then accounted for the other opening batsman, Zak Crawley, in the next over via an outstanding low diving catch by Joshua da Silva as the wicketkeeper reacted to a sharp inside-edge from an attempted forcing off-side shot.
England appeared to finally have a bit of fortune going their way when Root was missed by Jermaine Blackwood at third slip off Roach, the ball racing to the third man boundary.
But off the very next delivery the premier batsman opted to offer no shot and the ball angled into the right-hander and moved in just enough to clip the top of the off-stump.