AFTER choosing to bat first, West Indies were bowled out for 282 on the first day of the final Test against England at Edgbaston, Birmingham on July 26.
However, a sharp opening burst by fast bowlers Alzarri Joseph and Jayden Seales saw England reduced to 38 for three by the close of play — leaving them still 244 runs behind the West Indies' first-innings score.
Trailing the three-match series 2-0 after crushing defeats at Lord's Cricket Ground and Trent Bridge, captain Kraigg Brathwaite and fellow opening batsman Mikyle Louis had a positive start for the West Indies in the first session with a purposeful 76-run partnership.
The West Indies lost wickets in clusters on day one, though, and after Louis (26) was caught-behind off Gus Atkinson (four for 67), the struggling Kirk McKenzie (12) and Alick Athanaze (two) fell in consecutive overs as the visitors slipped to 97 for three at lunch.
After the lunch break, the Windies slipped into further trouble as Brathwaite (61) and second-Test centurion Kavem Hodge (13) both fell on the same score as they were reduced to 115 for five.
The pair of Joshua Da Silva (49) and former West Indies captain Jason Holder (59) then put together an important 109-run stand for the sixth wicket, before the former was dismissed by Chris Woakes (three for 69) after playing a lazy shot outside his off stump.
The Windies were 224 for six at that stage, and an aggressive Joseph (15), Holder and Gudakesh Motie (eight) were dismissed in the space of three overs as the visitors slipped to 259 for nine. Seales (seven not out) and last-man Shamar Joseph (16) then offered brief resistance with a 23-run stand for the last wicket before the latter was dismissed by off-spinner Shoaib Bashir.
With the English well and truly in the ascendancy at that point, Alzarri (one for ten) and Seales (two for 19) ensured the West Indies ended the day's play on a high by getting a flurry of wickets in the final half-hour in a brief eight-over burst.
With the English getting off to a typically rapid start, Seales saw the back of Zak Crawley (18 off 13 balls) with the final ball of the fourth over. Alzarri then clean-bowled Crawley's opening partner Ben Duckett (three) with the first ball of the fifth over as England slipped to 29 for two.
The hosts sent in night-watchman Mark Wood at number three, but the tear away pacer only lasted eight deliveries before edging Seales to second slip where the lanky Holder took a smart, low catch.
The Windies ended day one with their tails up, and they'll hope to make early inroads on day two when they come up against the overnight pair of Ollie Pope and Joe Root, both of whom scored telling centuries in the second Test at Trent Bridge.
Summarised Scores:
WEST INDIES: 262 from 75.1 overs (Kraigg Brathwaite 61, Jason Holder 59, Joshua Da Silva 49, Mikyle Louis 26; Gus Atkinson 4/67, Chris Woakes 3/69) vs ENGLAND: 38/3 (Zak Crawley 18; Jayden Seales 2/19, Alzarri Joseph 1/10).
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