Cricket: Braithwaite, Samuels lead West Indies fightback

Kraigg Brathwaite and Marlon Samuels were steadying the West Indies innings after two early setbacks in reaching the tea interval at 84 for two in reply to England's first innings total of 399 at the Sir Vivian Richards Stadium in Antigua today.
Brathwaite was on 34 with Samuels on 29 at the break, the pair having doubled the home side's total at that point after the early dismissals of Devon Smith and Darren Bravo.
Smith became James Anderson's 381st Test wicket, touching a delivery through to wicketkeeper Jos Buttler to depart for 11. In his 100th match at this level, the veteran seamer needs three more scalps to become the leading wicket-taker in Test history for England.

Chris Jordan, who had earlier featured in a 38-run last-wicket partnership with Anderson, then disposed of Bravo for just ten, the left-hander's indeterminate prod giving Buttler his second catch in quick succession.
Pacer Kemar Roach led the improved effort for the home side with the ball at the start of the day, taking the wickets of Buttler and Broad to finish with the best innings figures of four for 94 as England, resuming at the overnight position of 341 for five, added only 58 more runs to be dismissed within 20 minutes of the lunch interval.
At one point, they lost four wickets for just four runs before Jordan and Anderson briefly frustrated the home side, necessitating the introduction of part-time spinner Samuels to end the innings with the wicket of Anderson.

English aspirations of a first innings total well beyond the 400-run mark evaporated in the early minutes of the day's play when the hard-hitting Ben Stokes guided a catch to Jason Holder at gully off Jerome Taylor after adding only another eight runs to his overnight score of 71.

His departure was the trigger for the slide with Holder removing nightwatchman James Tredwell via Bravo's third catch of the innings at first slip.
Roach then joined in the rout as Buttler and Broad both failed to score, the usually attacking wicketkeeper-batsman being restrained for 21 deliveries before edging a delivery to his West Indies counterpart Ramdin while the fast bowler slashed a wide delivery unerringly to Jermaine Blackwood at backward-point.

Barbados-born Jordan lived up to his all-rounder reputation in stroking four fours but was actually upstaged by Anderson for shot-making as the tailender's 20 runs came off five boundaries.