England middle-order batsman Ian Bell struck his 22nd Test century to lift his side from a shaky start to a dominating 341-5 at stumps on day one of the first Test against the West Indies in Antigua.
Put into bat first, England were reeling at 34-3 as openers Jonathan Trott and Alastair Cook failed to provide a solid start as both fell cheaply for a duck and 11 runs respectively.
Subsequently, Gary Ballance was dismissed for a meager 10 by Jason Holder, which forced England to stand at precarious 49-3 at lunch.
However, Bell found an able ally in Joe Root (83) as the duo built a 177-run stand for the fourth wicket.
Bell also constructed a 130-run stand with Ben Stokes (71 not out) for the fifth wicket before he was dismissed for 143 by Kemar Roach's delivery, the BBC reported.
Reflecting on his performance, Bell said that he was dropped in Antigua in 2009, and therefore it was nice to come back there and put things right from his own perspective.
