Left-arm spinner Ashley Giles took three top-order wickets Friday to halt a West Indies comeback and keep England in control after two days of the opening test at Lord's.
The 31-year-old broke a century opening stand and controversially added the prized wicket of captain Brian Lara as the visitors slumped to 208 for four at stumps.
Giles was at three for 58 off 20 overs.
Earlier, Robert Key converted his overnight 167 to 221 and skipper Michael Vaughan notched 103 as the home team totaled 568 all out.
Key and Vaughan stretched their third-wicket stand to 165 as England resumed on 391 for two.
But the West Indies, behind a four-wicket haul from Barbados left-arm swing bowler Pedro Collins, took the last seven wickets for 41.
Collins, wicketless in his first 20 overs, ended with four for 113 off 24 overs. Medium pacer Dwayne Bravo supported with three for 74 on his debut.
The left-handed pair of Chris Gayle (66) and Devon Smith (45) added 118 for the first wicket as the West Indies began well.
But Giles energized a capacity crowd of 28,000 with a wicket blitz midway through the final session.
The Warwickshire man broke through when Smith, forcing off the back foot when he should have been forward, dragged back onto his stumps.
One run later, Giles claimed Gayle as he swept across the line. Umpire Daryl Harper gave the lbw decision in favor of the bowler.
Smith struck seven boundaries off 62 balls in 1 1/2 hours.
Gayle, whose half century came off just 44 balls, hit eight fours in 101 minutes off 83 deliveries.
Fast bowler Matthew Hoggard kept the momentum with England as he added the scalp of West Indies vice-captain Ramnaresh Sarwan at 127 for three.
Sarwan was unconvincing throughout his 12-ball stay and was plumb lbw as he shuffled across his stumps.
Giles then collected Lara's wicket as umpire Harper upheld an appeal for a wicketkeeper's catch.
Left-hander Lara pulled the bat inside the line and the ball appeared to brush his front pad on the way to Geraint Jones.
Lara looked skywards for several seconds after seeing Harper's upraised finger and kept his pads on for the remainder of the day, watching from the balcony of the pavilion.
The 35-year-old saw Shivnarine Chanderpaul and rookie Bravo add an unbroken 69 in 79 minutes.
Left-hander Chanderpaul stroked six fours in an unbeaten 41 off 68 balls. Bravo counted four boundaries in a composed 30 not out off 56 deliveries.
Key molded his maiden test century into his highest first-class score before he fell 40 minutes before lunch. The Kent right-hander slapped a square cut to backward point to provide Bravo with his first test wicket.
Key struck 31 boundaries in a knock that spanned 288 balls in just over seven hours.
Graham Thorpe (19) was Bravo's second victim and Andrew Flintoff (6) also perished late in the morning session.
Thorpe chased a wide ball and edged to wicketkeeper Ridley Jacobs while Flintoff dragged an Omari Banks off-break onto his stumps.
England lunched at 534 for five but a collapse was completed 45 minutes after the interval as Collins impressed with his swing.
Jones was the 27-year-old's first scalp, chasing an outswinger and nibbling a catch to Jacobs.
Giles followed in similar style in Collins' next over. His edged drive was snared two-handed to his right by Smith at second slip.
Vaughan passed his 12th test century in his 47th test before he was the third batsman to fall to a Collins outswinger. The 29-year-old edged to Smith at first slip after stroking 12 boundaries off 154 balls in just under four hours.
Collins soon added Simon Jones to his tally with a yorker.
The lights dimmed and the crowd hushed as Karoline Kristensen entered for her performance. However, this was no ordinary Dutch theater: The temperature was 80°C and the audience naked apart from a towel. Dressed in a swimsuit and to the tune of emotional music, the 21-year-old Kristensen started her routine, performed inside a large sauna, with a bed of hot rocks in the middle. For a week this month, a group of wellness practitioners, called “sauna masters,” are gathering at a picturesque health resort in the Netherlands to compete in this year’s Aufguss world sauna championships. The practice takes its name from a
‘SOURCE OF PRIDE’: Newspapers rushed out special editions and the government sent their congratulations as Shohei Ohtani became the first player to enter the 50-50 club Japan reacted with incredulity and pride yesterday after Shohei Ohtani became the first player in Major League Baseball to record 50 home runs and 50 stolen bases in a single season. The Los Angeles Dodgers star from Japan made history with a seventh-inning homer in a 20-4 victory over the Marlins in Miami. “We would like to congratulate him from the bottom of our heart,” top government spokesman Yoshimasa Hayashi told reporters in Tokyo. “We sincerely hope Mr Ohtani, who has already accomplished feat after feat and carved out a new era, will thrive further,” he added. The landmark achievement dominated Japanese morning news
Roger Federer on Wednesday said that staying involved with tennis in retirement helped him avoid feeling “like an alien” ahead of this week’s Laver Cup in Berlin. Federer, who helped create the tournament, retired at the Laver Cup in London two years ago and has since stayed involved with the competition as an ambassador. “I’m happy I went back right away to some tournaments,” the 43-year-old told reporters. “I feel I ripped the Band-Aid off quite quickly and when I walk around the tennis sites I still feel I belong there,” he said. “I don’t feel like an alien, which is a
Japanese players are moving to English soccer in record numbers and more look set to follow with clubs attracted by their quality, strong work ethic and value for money. Kaoru Mitoma is the standout talent of five Japanese players in the English Premier League, with eight more in the Championship and two in League One. Liverpool midfielder Wataru Endo, the captain of Japan, believes his compatriots are “being held in higher esteem” by English clubs compared with the past. “The staff at Liverpool ask me about lots of Japanese players, not necessarily with a view to a transfer, but just saying this or