Insipid with the new ball but at least determined thereafter, England began life on the road without Jimmy Anderson and Stuart Broad and on a stop-start second day of this first Test they required the generosity of their hosts for the incisions that came their way.
When the latest in a succession of squally showers brought the close, West Indies were 202 for four from 66.5 overs, 109 runs behind after Jonny Bairstow’s eventual 140 had helped England stick 311 on the board first up. Nkrumah Bonner, the late-blooming Jamaican No 4, was 34 not out from 103 balls, while Jason Holder responded to his elevation to No 6 with typical diligence and an unbeaten 43 from 104.
