West Indies spinner Roston Chase was England's unlikely nemesis as their hopes of a brave rearguard crumbled on the fourth afternoon of the first Test.
After being blown away for 77 by brilliant pace bowling on Thursday, England gifted four wickets to the gentle off-spin of Chase and were staring a hefty defeat in the face.
Rory Burns, who made 84, Joe Root, Ben Stokes and Moeen Ali all fell to the all-rounder despite no appreciable spin and very little trickery.
We are six wickets down at tea on Day 4. Scorecard: https://t.co/hMJYIoKAUh#WIvENG pic.twitter.com/S0cvDzYpjq — England Cricket (@englandcricket) January 26, 2019
By tea the tourists were 217 for six, still 411 adrift and with four full sessions in front of them in Barbados.
Burns, having scored 39 of England's 56 for nought the previous evening, started the the day brightly if not flawlessly. His second scoring shot zipped wide of the slips for four, but he also dispatched a couple of half-volleys with authority.
His second Test fifty came up in 79 balls and he quickly moved past his previous best of 59. While the Surrey skipper was progressing nicely Keaton Jennings slowed to a crawl before Alzarri Joseph slanted one across him and drew the error. Given the circumstances the decision to flash outside off was as regrettable as the edge which flew swiftly in the direction of Jason Holder at second slip.
Jennings has now scored 20 or fewer in 19 of his 30 Test innings and looks to be clinging to his place. Jonny Bairstow proved a livelier foil for Burns, reeling off a handful of boundaries, including three in an over from England's first innings conqueror Kemar Roach.
Lunch was mere moments away when Holder tossed the ball to Chase. With minimal spin and reliable bounce there was no real explanation for Burns allowing his fifth delivery to creep between bat and pad and into the stumps.
Buoyed by the success, the Windies almost picked off captain Root with the fourth ball after lunch.
Shannon Gabriel did everything right – generating pace, finding just the right amount of bounce and thudding the glove – except keep his boot the right side of the line. Root was only a yard or so from the boundary rope when he was turned around for a second chance.
Bairstow (30) did not enjoy the same luck when Gabriel banged one in at him, brushing it away from his ribs and into the hands of stand-in wicketkeeper Shai Hope.
Despite more speed and hostility from Gabriel it was the gentle offerings of Chase which continued to hurt England. Root (22) failed to make the most of his reprieve, rocking back to a straight ball and giving Darren Bravo slip practice.
Yelling in self-reproach and pressing his bat to his helmet, Root took England's best hopes with him. Chase's big day continued when he drifted one into Stokes' knee-roll for an lbw shout upheld on the field and via DRS, the England man departing for 34.
Moeen bagged his second duck of the match soon after, nonsensically wafting Chase to slip.
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