LONDON – Shivnarine Chanderpaul prevented another complete West Indies collapse on the first day of the first Test on Thursday as England's Stuart Broad enjoyed yet more success at Lord's.
Chanderpaul's 87 not out, his latest rescue mission for his beleaguered side, was the cornerstone of a total of 243 for nine in an innings where no other batsman has so far made more than opener Adrian Barath's 42.
Paceman Broad took six wickets for 72 in 24.4 overs Ä his first five-wicket Test innings haul at Lord's.
It secured him a place on the Lord's bowling honours board to set alongside his Test-best 169 against Pakistan at the ground in 2010.
That Chanderpaul, who came in with West Indies struggling after an all too familiar top order collapse left them 86 for three, led many to wonder why the left-hander, now officially the world's best Test batsman, had not been promoted from his favoured number five spot.
Without taking undue risks the ever-gritty Guyanese, whose wide open stance confounds purists and opponents alike, completed a relatively brisk fifty in 102 balls featuring seven fours.
However, the fact that Thursday also saw former West Indies captain and proven Test opener Chris Gayle, who only recently ended his stand off with Caribbean cricket chiefs, smash 128 not out off just 62 balls in the lucrative Indian Premier League was a reminder of the firepower the tourists were missing.
England did not have things all their way after captain Andrew Strauss won the toss and fielded in overcast, bowler-friendly conditions.
Barath's bold cover-driving saw to that but James Anderson still took two wickets for nine runs to clean bowl opener Kieran Powell and have Kirk Edwards leg before.
Unfortunately for the West Indies, Barath Ä who struck 36 in boundaries alone Ä had added just one run to his lunch score of 41 when the diminutive opener drove loosely outside off stump against Broad and third slip Anderson held a sharp catch at the second attempt.
Darren Bravo, missed on 29 by second slip Graeme Swann, was run out for that score after a dreadful mix-up with Chanderpaul.
Anderson, bowling round the wicket to Chanderpaul, then saw South African umpire Marais Erasmus raise his finger in answer to an lbw appeal.
Unsurprisingly, Chanderpaul, on 15, called for a review and tracking technology indicated the ball would have missed off-stump.
Marlon Samuels (31) helped Chanderpaul add 81 before he sliced Broad to backward point where debutant Jonathan Bairstow took his first Test catch.
And 181 for five quickly became 187 for six when wicketkeeper Denesh Ramdin edged Broad to Strauss at first slip.
West Indies captain Darren Sammy, trying to turn a Broad outswinger with the new ball legside, was caught in the gully by Tim Bresnan.
Broad, the son of former England opening batsman Chris, then completed his five-wicket haul all by himself when he caught and bowled Kemar Roach to leave the tourists on 231 for eight.
And the 25-year-old Nottinghamshire all-rounder then ended proceedings two balls short of the day's full 90 overs when he had tailender Fidel Edwards brilliantly caught by diving wicketkeeper Matt Prior.
At that stage, Broad had taken three wickets for 12 runs in 23 balls. – Sapa-AFP